1. Approaches to Studying Individuals and Families Chapter 2

2. Opinions and Perceptions • We tend to form opinions based on our observations and discussions we have had in our own families, or of those close around us • However, we tend to base our perceptions on the media portrayal of families

3. Studying Individuals and Families • As we study this topic, we will need to examine our own beliefs, perceptions, and opinions so that we can approach the topic objectively and with an open mind

4. What are people concerned about? • How is marriage and family changing? • Who is responsible for that change? • What should be done to support families? • What can governments and other institutions do to help? • Some are concerned because of moral reasons –many alternatives to choose from

5. Concerns cont’d • What is financially viable to do • What is politically appropriate? • Central question: what choices should Canadians make in their own lives

6. What is a Pre-Conception? • Many are worried that the number of children raised in one parent families is on the rise, that the divorce rate is going up

7. The Trends • According to Stats Canada: • Canadians are not avoiding marriage, they are just waiting longer to get married • More couples are ‘co-habiting’ before marriage • 1/3 of marriages will end in divorce, but that rate is not going up • Have a look at the pie graph on pg 27

8. How do we study the Canadian Family? Challenges: • People tend to generalize from their personal experiences and observations • Canadian society is very diverse – so it is quite likely that we will come across ones that contrast with our own • Individual and family behaviour are popular in the media – but are they realistic and factual in nature

9. Are there any dangers in setting aside all of our preconceptions?

10. Academic Study of Family • Just as in the field of scientific research, Reliable research methods must be used in the social science field as well in order to put forth theories with some backbone

11. Read the case study p. 28 and answer the questions

12. Theoretical Perspectives • This text uses a variety of theoretical perspectives from several disciplines (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology) • A theoretical perspective identifies a point of view based on a specific theory • A theory is a framework for organizing and explaining observable evidence • You need to have facts to support a theory, but you also need that theory to organize the facts

13. 4 Fundamental questions of Science Research • What happens? • How does it happen? • Why does it happen? • How can people change what happens? Each discipline approaches their research in slightly different ways • Macro studies: a large-scale study of a society • Micro studies: small – scale of individual cases

14. Anthropology • The study of human behaviour in societies, or, the study of culture • Methods used: • Live within the culture to observe behaviour Cultural anthropologists study contemporary societies to determine cultural patterns and regional or national variations

15. Anthropologists study the diversity of behaviours that fulfill the functional requisites of society • Ethnocentrism: the tendency to evaluate behaviour from the point of view of our own culture

16. Sociology • Explains behaviour of individuals in social groups, families, and society • Sociologists are concerned with the patterns of behaviour of large groups of people • They look at social sources of behaviour in order to explain rates of behaviour

17. Sociological Methods • Uses statistical analysis to produce demographics of Canadian population • Statistics Canada is the arm of the government that does much of it in Canada • Politicians then use this info to make policy decisions

18. Reginald Bibby has done a large amount of research in the field of adolescence and youth in Canada He also done much research in the area of religious trends - trying to explain why there has been a decline in church attendance over the last 20 years Sociologists don’t necessarily explain behaviour – they make note of it

19. Psychology • Study of behaviour based on mental process • Psychologists are the ones who like to ‘explain’ individual behaviour, based on their understanding of how our brains function and our ‘personality’ • They also look at how we as individuals interact and influence each other

20. THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT