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Family Functions and Their Crisis

Whether it is the 'National Year of the Family' advocated by the UN or not, we should be interested in the family. Since the family is a basic unit in a society and a primary group for an individual. Also both social stability and individual development can be achieved when the family is stable. While we know the fact fairly well, we are tend to be insensible about the family, because family itself is too an ordinary environment. in this paper, the followings are examined with focusing on the family functions. First, are the family functions surely important? Second, what kind of functions has been the family's performance? Third, is the modern family in the crisis of the functions? Fourth, how should the future family functions be? The findings of this study were as follows: First, the result of related empirical studies of family functions in Korea shows that functions of family are essential condition and also important to keep healthy family. Second, by the scholars, such as G.P. Murdock, T.Parsons, N.W.Ackerman, R.M.Maciver, Joo Soo Kim and Young Ju Yoo, functions of the family that is sexual relations, reproduction, socialization and economical cooperation are suggested. And stabilzation of personality, sufficiency of affection needs, stability placement, protection, social status placement, rest, recreation, religion, and so on are accepted or rejected by the various scholars. Third, Ogburn predicted the crisis of family function by using the term "loss of family functions". But C.Vincent, E.Burgess, and T.Parsons had different opinions about them. Through empirical studies on what kind of functions and how many functions are performed by Korean family, it show that functions of the socialization of a child, child-rearing, and relationship between relatives are fairly well performed. Also sexual relation, reproduction, and economical functions are maintained. Even though functions of child education and protection are performed decreasingly, emotional support which are newly appeared shows its weakness in the extreme of performance. Therefore we cannot say that functions of Korean family are in the state of crisis but suitable functions of modern family characterized by companionship-oriented are not performed as it is. Fourth, in accordance with characteristic of modern family, family-related theory, and received family functions, I suggest the direction of family functions that must be performed by modern family. Universal functions of the family should be related to sexual relation, socialization of child and a emotional support between family members. If the function of sexual relation is restricted within the family, reproduction becomes the family function. And emotional support between family members will be more met if economical coorperation should be kept up. Therefore we can say that both reproduction and economical coorperation are important. And functions of education, religion, protection, recreation, and so on should be either receiving aid of specialized institutions or transferring to there.