Deck 3: Theories for Studying Family Violence

Question 1

There are three different theoretical frameworks for studying family violence, as described in your textbook.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

"Grand theories, most notably______,_______, and _______ were developed to explain all of the vastness of human behaviors."

A) Family Violence Theory, Feminist Theory, and Race, Class, and Gender Theory.
B) Social Control Theory, Conflict Theory, and Situational Theory.
C) Conflict Theory, Functionalist Theory, and Symbolic Interactionist Theory.
D) Functionalist Theory, Race, Class, and Gender Theory, and Family Violence Theory.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What theory is based on the assumption that the abuse itself is situational or acute, rather than chronic, and arises primarily from the overburdening of a caregiver?

A) Social Control Theory.
B) Situational Theory.
C) Social Learning Theory.
D) Grand Theory.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to Engels, Conflict Theory in the context of family violence suggests that:

A) Marx's bourgeoisie/proletariat class system can be applied to the institution of family.
B) The power divide began during the Industrial Revolution, with men working in in the public sphere and women in the domestic sphere.
C) There is a connection between economic power and the dynamics of intimate partner violence
D) All of the Above

Question 5

Structural Functional Theory is based on the assumptions that:

A) Society is based on an effectively functioning political structure.
B) Societies consist of many parts that function to keep society in harmony, thus social change is a response to dysfunction.
C) Structural inequality is based on the relationship one has to the means of production.
D) Individuals need to be part of a social structure in order to be functional members of society.

Question 6

Which of the following statement is not a basic assumption of Symbolic Interaction Theory:

A) Humans act towards things based on the meaning they ascribe to them (social constructions).
B) Meaning is derived from social interactions.
C) Society strongly depends on various cultural symbols.
D) Beliefs, including stereotypes, shape attitudes and behaviors.

Question 7

In the context of family violence, structural Functionalists suggest that strict constructions of gender roles in the family (primarily women's domestic role) may lead to frustration and violence.

Question 8

Developed by Edwin Sutherland out of the symbolic interaction perspective, differential association theory is built on the assumption that deviance is not a learned behavior.

Question 9

Who developed Conflict Theory?

A) Karl Marx
B) Milgram
C) Frederick Engels
D) George Herbert Mead

Question 10

Which of the following are not three of the principles laid out by Herbert Blumer as being central to the Symbolic Interaction Theory.

A) Human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things.
B) The meaning of such things derives from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and the society.
C) These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person dealing with the things he or she encounters.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 11

Fill in the blank with the best choice. _________ is based on the principle that children are socialized to behave in certain ways by socializing agents (parents, teachers, coaches) and once these behaviors are learned, they are part of the individual's "tool kit" and guide to the individual's behavior.

A) Situational Theory
B) Family Violence Theory
C) Social Learning Theory
D) Feminist Theory

Question 12

Fill in the blank with the best choice. __________ are individuals who continue to accept the norms of success but reject the accepted pathways for achieving it. Examples of this type of individual would be a student who would rather cheat than study or an adult that makes his or her money through an illegitimate economy.

A) Innovators
B) Ritualists
C) Rebels
D) Conformists

Question 13

The "fathers" of Family Violence Theory are Richard Gelles and Murray Straus.

Question 14

Functionalist theory developed in response to:

A) The claim that sociology was not a real science.
B) The widely held belief that society is like an organism that has many different parts all working together to keep the society working in harmony.
C) The belief that change only occurs in situations of dysfunction.
D) All of the above.

Question 15

Theories of the Middle Range include:

A) Feminist Theory.
B) Rational Choice Theory.
C) Race, Class, and Gender Theory.
D) Answers A and C are correct.

Question 16

According to Social Control Theory, social bonds are a form of control and therefore individuals may avoid deviance in order to maintain those bonds.

Question 17

Which of the following statements does not explain Family Violence Theory?

A) Some people perpetrate violence simply because they can.
B) Violence is an "easy" response to stress.
C) Children learn violence through observing their parents' behavior.
D) People with more power abuse those with less power.

Question 18

According to Psychological theories, violence within the family is always a result of mental illness.

Question 19

Which of the following statements presents a limitation of Psychological theories?

A) Psychological theories focus on individual-level violence.
B) Psychological theories do not consider structural factors.
C) Psychological theories do not explain chronic or intergenerational abuse.
D) All of the above.

Question 20

Feminist theorists assume that a system of stratification based on gender (patriarchy) structures all institutions and thus all human behavior.

Question 21

When did family become a central issue in American sociology and why?

Question 22

Discuss why it is that social and psychological theories cannot predict with certainty any one person's behavior. Perhaps consider comparing and contrasting the limitations of a few theories.

Question 23

Write an essay about how social learning theory explains child and elder abuse.

Question 24

What does the Conflict Tactics Scale assume about all human groups and how is this tool used? Do you agree and do you think this tool is effective?

Question 25

What arguments do Karl Marx and other conflict theorists make about the social world? Give an example of how this argument has been used in the past. Compare this modified argument to a heterosexual couple from the early 20th century.

Question 26

When Talcot Parsons first began analyzing the institution of the family through the functionalist lens in the '50s, what assumption did it begin with?

Question 27

What does conflict theory focus on and what do conflict theorists mainly argue?

Question 28

Name a theory that would agree that child or elder abuse could be attributed to frustrations of the caretaker, and then expand by discussing the fundamentals of this theory.

Question 29

Weigh the pros and cons of using Conflict theory for family violence.

Question 30

What are a few main differences between theories of the middle range and grand theories?