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Using material from Item B and elsewhere assess the usefulness of functionalism for an understanding of the family. Functionalists emphasize the integration and harmony between different parts of society, organic analogy, and how these parts work together to maintain the whole, society. They therefore see the 'family' as a vital organ in maintaining the 'body' of society as it performs a number of functions that contribute to society's well being. Although functionalism is useful for exploring functions that families perform it fails to consider influences such as ethnicity, social class and religion. Moreover, the rosy and harmonious picture of family life painted by functionalists ignores social problems such as high divorce rates, child abuse and domestic violence. Sociologists may be in broad agreement that the family institution is clearly related to other institutions within in society, however individuals and sociologists differ in the way they interpret this relationship. Functionalists believe...

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