Problem:
Family is one of the most prominent societal institutions and as an institution, it performs some crucial societal functions. Typically, researchers recognize a few major and a number of minor functions. First - families serve to replenish society with new, socialized members. Second, they provide the emotional stability to the family members. Third, families provide economic support for their members. In addition to these major functions of replacement, emotional stability and economic support, other functions of the family include physical care (care for children and aging parents, as well as sick spouses), regulation of sexual behavior (expectation that spouses confine their sexual behavior to each other), status placement (family of the origin having a lot of impact on one's class and status), and social control (family likely to curb delinquency or criminal behavior). For this discussion question I would like for you to consider the question of family 'malfunctioning.' Please pick one of the functions and discuss what happens when family as an institution fails to successfully carry it out. What happens to family members when that is the case? Are there other institutions that can take over that function, and at what cost to the individuals and the society?