Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer
What are the ‘basic and irreducible’ functions of the family as proposed by Talcott Parsons? Explain.
- UPSC 2024
- Systems of Kinship
Talcott Parsons (Family, Socialization and Interaction Process, with Robert F. Bales, 1955) built his account of the family on structural differentiation. As society modernises, production, education and welfare pass to specialised institutions. It keeps two functions that are "basic and irreducible", common to families in all societies.
You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions.
What the full answer covers
- Loss of functions, not of significance
- 1. Primary socialisation of children
- 2. Stabilisation of adult personalities
- Why "irreducible"?
- Criticisms
- Indian relevance
- …and 1 more sections, with a conclusion
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