Psychology and sociology/13.

PhD in Sociology, assistant professor A. I. P'yanov

The North-Caucasian federal university, Russia

FAMILY IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE TRANSITION STATE OF THE RUSSIAN SOCIETY

Process of changes of modern family proceeds in conditions and under influence of a transitive status of the Russian society. The family the traditionally high adaptive properties owing to which in history of mankind she has affirmed as an irreplaceable generality of its life, saves in all social layers of our society. However under influence of objective public transformations they at times give failures and the family quite often loses the social appeal. Having accepted the given thesis as a hypothesis, we shall examine separate aspects of change of functional essence of family that is the important parameter of an interlinking of the steady and changeable person in family life.

Before to start consideration of the subject declared by us reflecting families happening in sphere processes, we shall concern specifications of such conceptual categories as «a modernization», «transformation» and «a transitive society». These categories to some extent reflect a status of change and development of family as social institute and the family attitudes developing in family as small social group.

In the Russian sociological literature of concept «a modernization» and «transformation» concerning family are treated any way and are used as synonyms. Meanwhile, on the essence and the contents these concepts far are not identical. In the encyclopedic dictionary the concept «a modernization» is determined as «change, the improvement meeting modern requirements» [1, p. 817]. According to the Ozhegov's dictionary of Russian language, concept «to transform» means «to transform from one into another, to transform» [2].

Concerning family as fundamental social generality use of concept «transformation» not legally as this process, apparently from definition, assumes transformation of object, its transformation into new quality. Transformation is characteristic for a society of a transition period, more likely. In a status of transition in other quality transforming processes have objective character, are accompanied by formation new societal systems. Social institutes and attitudes developing between them are built anew, according to needs of radical changes for economy and the politics.

The concept «a modernization» reflects an essence of the family processes happening in a society more precisely. The family concerns to number of the most conservative subjects of a society and consequently possesses quality of relative stability and autonomy. System changes in her happen both as a result of its internal development, and under influence of public processes. But as she remains essential the characteristic of forms of life of the person be transformed to other quality she cannot.

Process of modernization (upgrade) of family us is understood as process of change of all spectrum of its structure and system of functions which, however, does not conduct to its denying as the form of life of the person.

The concept «a transitive society» determines a specific status of society as open system which is characterized by a status of unstable dynamic balance, social anomie, growth of social conflicts. Objectively the transition period in historical development of a society comprises both constructive, and the destructive potential, that is a society in the development approaches to a point bifurcation. It is a point of a choice of variants of the further development of a society. This process find reflection in social institutes of a society and, first of all, in family, influencing on its change.

The family of a transitive society possesses approximately the same properties, as a society. She is characterized by structural and functional instability, mixture of old and new valuable systems and sociocultural samples of behaviour. In other words, the modern family is a society in a miniature, with the formula of dichotomizing type: «traditionalism – «modernism», with inevitable contradictions and conflicts.

The family is the independent subject of society, but its isolation from it is relative. As the part of the whole family through system of functions is in integrative connections with other elements of social system, first of all with the state and other social institutes. Integration these connections in a democratic society it is dictated by change of a paradigm of ability to live of the person in which an imperative becomes development of subject and achievement of an ego of identity.

The family acts as the form of life of the person, as the fundamental structural unit of society having the dual nature of institute and group. The elements making structure of family create set of variants of cumulative activity. As the link between the individual and a society family represents itself as the subject of activity and is the spokesman of collective consciousness of the members. In this connection a prominent aspect of consideration of the put problem are structural changes which in many respects throw light on character of modernization of family.

Interest of researchers to family structure steadily high as the structure predetermines many phenomenological aspects of social institute as integrity. In particular, there is a direct communication between a valuable choice of the individual and structure of a family generality, which element he is. Materials of our researches speak that the more difficultly structure of a family generality on number of generations, the above orientation on all-family values. Dynamics of family including a few generations and numerical structure, in turn, as a mirror reflects demographic foundations of a society (for example, types of marriage behaviour, sociocultural norms of quantity of children), strategy of socialization, a degree of an individual autonomy of subjects in family group.

It is necessary to recognize, that character of family structure is determined by social and economic conditions of ability to live of family dominating over a society. Hierarchy of social attitudes generates and determines patriarchal type of family. Democratization of social attitudes conducts to becoming and development of family equal in rights where spouses (the husband and the wife) have the equal rights.

The family in the Western Europe developed in two directions:

1) achievement of equality of genders;

2) rationalization and industrialization of house work.

Character of a duality of the Russian family differs certain originality:

- the aspiration to an establishment of democratic principles in sphere of family attitudes and to equal in rights division of house work is accompanied by a low level of its industrialization;

- the desire to live in conditions of free leisure and a high level of material security proceeds in conditions of absence of profamily ideology and falling of a level of the general culture.

These features of the Russian family are reflected in all shape of family life of the person. So, the family ideology with its values of a duty and the family responsibility, domination of authority of parents gives up the place of ideology «egocentrism» with its values of individualism, independence, personal achievements. Centralized family-related the family is replaced decentralized nuclear family, in which determining the tendency becomes ego identity.

Noted changes mark an epoch of transition from child centrically models (which on time coincides with classical monogamies and adequate division of family role functions) to egocentrically (for which equality of intersubject attitudes in vertically-horizontal a direction is characteristic). In such family character of interpersonal attitudes of social connections are done more complex, inconsistent and a stable. On the foreground it is put forward, as that is demanded with a democratic social system, realization of personal interests of subjects of family life. It conducts to strengthening contradictions with former order of an estimation of a place of a member of family under their real contributions in all-family a coin box. Transferring to the center of attention of individual interests and needs leads to infringement as material welfare, and emotional stability of family.

Egalitarism as new institutive, not dominating, but gradually legalized the family right the type of social attitudes in family sphere has marked itself stage-by-stage transition to formation of new type of the family functioning already on other principles. This process in the Russian society has regional specificity. For example, in social space of people of Russia operate, are crossed and two hierarchical principles contact: one is based on tradition, another on a nonconventional way of an establishment of attitudes. The given dualism accordingly forms new shape nuclear families, and he finds reflection in all variety of interaction of people in conditions of family life, making symbiosis of traditions and innovations. But in Russia characteristic feature egalitarian families is a display and reproduction paternal attitude at various levels of a social reality. First of all, it is long, down to education of affiliated family, material dependence of children on parents.

The processes happening in family sphere are evidently visible on an example of modernization of system of functions. The society always had own expectations in relation to family that finds reflection in investment with its whole set of social functions. They are deeply historical and vary together with a society. However here again there is a contradiction between social and family needs which follows from the main contradiction of a modern epoch – contradictions between the person and a society. This contradiction is the radical reason infringement of balance of the modern world and conceals in itself opportunities of increasing social explosions and accidents.

The system of functions of family comprehensively covers all forms of ability to live of its subjects. Therefore studying of functional essence of family means research of all spheres of ability to live of the person.

If to consider the active party of individual life of the person it is necessary to correlate it with satisfaction needs of the person. These needs can be realized both in family, and outside of family. In a science have already received a wide circulation of concept «the world of family» and «the world outside family». Family and out of a family parties of human life reflect space of human life and are in dialectic interrelation: indissolubly, and the same time without merging with each other. The degree of domination any of them is determined by a place of the individual in system of social attitudes and that role which thus the individual carries out in family as the basic, and also its valuable installations. The dialectics family and out of a family life’s of the person is expressed in their addition each other, creating complete system of its social life. Proceeding from it, the most correct methodological approach is the approach at which in studying family to the differentiated analysis needs and are exposed to function, important for the individual and family, and on what counts concerning family a society. In aggregate they express socially-active essence of family.

In system of functions indissoluble connection of family and a society is distinctly shown. Function as a set of historically caused forms of activity, reflects connection of family group with a society, and also an orientation of its activity. The contents and hierarchy of these functions varies during each historical epoch. At the same time, historical variability of the contents and hierarchy of family functions testifies to «limiting stability» families as the organizations of a life of people and its adaptive properties. Therefore quite natural is elimination, destruction, partial loss by modern family of many functions, replacements by their other social institutes, no less than purchase by it is qualitative other, new functions responding realities of modern social development.

Functions in family represent the form of activity of its subjects, system of their mutual relations, and functions of family are the certain actions on satisfaction of needs of the person in conditions family and social being of the person. Carrying out the functions, the family enters the certain interaction with other social institutes of a society. Results of the given interaction are usually adequate to the contents of family ideology dominating over a society and valuable samples of the profamily cultural environment whom the majority of members of a society adheres. As the phenomenon two-uniform, representing inconsistent unity natural and social, the family always tries to commensurate the internal needs with needs of each of subjects of family life, that proving the collectivist essence.

Satisfying diverse needs, the person reproduces conditions of the existence, develops itself as the person, and promotes satisfaction of needs of other subjects of family life. Therefore it is possible to consider personal and public needs the basic sources of historical variability of functions of family. Concurrence of activity of the person and its results to objects in view gives rise to the law of increase of needs according to which the satisfaction of one needs stimulates occurrence new. These new needs are stimulus for the further creative activity of the person. Depending on changes of needs of the person and a society the family differentiates the functions: appear new, others change, the third leave in nonexistence.

In conditions of a transitive status of a society the family gets the increasing value in a social system. The new, information phase in historical development of a postindustrial society puts forward a priority of knowledge and its carrier – the person, as its basic value. Value of family as main investor in development of education (training and education) the members considerably increase. That, the basic functional loading of family in these conditions is based in sphere of socialization and an increment of knowledge – formation of a mental potential of a society. The significant share of expenses for all kinds of education falls on family. The knowledge becomes the major factor of valuable life of family and a society. The function of socialization sold by family concerning rising generation in sphere of its education and education, become priority in movement to new type of a society. In an ideal this movement should be materialized on a way of achievement by family of a level of economic self-sufficiency and expanded (in interests of a society) reproduction of human resources.

Reaction of family to the changed conditions immediately has affected and realization of its unique social function – reproductive. The family is connected by this party of the activity with such conditions of a life of people as development of production of goods and reproduction of society.

Sociologists and social demographers connect reduction of level of birth rate (reduction of quantity of children in a family) to change of valuable orientations of individuals and social samples of home life. Transition to from traditional to an industrial society involves change of requirements in a considerable quantity of children in a family. On change to social norms of high level of birth rate social norms of low level of birth rate come.

Reduction of norms of quantity of children was characteristic in XX century for all developed countries of the world in which the new type of reproduction of the population and democratic principles of family attitudes have affirmed. By estimations of the majority of experts, in all developed countries birth rate considerably below a level of simple replacement of generations. It is accompanied by growing ethnocultural pluralism which we shall compare to social transformation of a world scale that causes opposite estimations. One see in them development by the western civilization of new type of reproduction of the population, others – decline of this civilization, loss of unity and national identity because of intensive injection of elements of other culture.

Fundamental social necessity for reproduction of the population is in the best way satisfied with family as such form of the organization of a birth and education of children at which public needs are realized through personal motivation of individuals. The future of family as social institute is provided only until a society in a status to reproduce this personal motivation.

Other reason of increase of a social role of family is caused by its value as factor of democratic transformations in a society and achievements of a significant level of an individualization of behavioural stereotypes of people in conditions of family community. The given function of family was included into a scientific turn under the name «particular function». Development of modern family in many respects is connected with increase of a role and value of personal potential in family and social attitudes. In our opinion, it means formation of such type of family where the maximum value becomes development of the person of the individual, its rights and freedom. It will cause gradual change of substantial potential of function of the primary social control. Concurrence of the social and family control, and also increase of a role of self-checking in sphere of social and family behaviour of the individual will lead to that the accent from the social and family control will be transferred on internal regulators. Hence, from our point of view, supervising function from external regulators (and families) will pass the states to internal self-checking the behaviour from the legislative and moral person.

In summary it is necessary to emphasize especially, that the family is the system, the most adapted to influence as the individual, providing its needs, and on a society as a whole, increasing its riches. The human civilization cannot be presented without family and a family way of life. On the contrary, only in conditions of the given civilization can and necessary preconditions for development of family which will be the effective and long-term factor of social progress of a society should be created all. The inclusiveness of system of functions of family in process of social transformation in many respects will depend on the chosen paradigm of social development of Russia.

References:

1. The Soviet encyclopedic dictionary [Text] / edited by A. M. Prokhorov. – Moscow: Publishing house “Soviet encyclopaedia”, 1982. – 1600 pp.

2. Ozhegov S. I. The Explanatory dictionary of Russian language [Electronic resource]. – URL: http://slovarozhegova.ru.