We often live under the delusion, therefore, that the way we were raised, or the way our family operates, is the only correct, or even only possible, form. Other people must simply be wrong or dysfunctional. Families are also difficult to study because few of us have taken the time to analyze our own families systematically. First, this analysis is very difficult to do without good sources of comparison. But also, it is exceedingly difficult to separate our emotionality from our analytical investigation.
Families are just too personal.
Finally, families are difficult to study because we often do not take the time to recognize the impact that such basic sociological principles as race, class, and gender have on their structure. We know from studies of other forms of social life that these variables are crucial, but we somehow resist the notion that such factors influence our family structure or those of others. This course has several, somewhat related goals. First, I want you to understand and appreciate the systemic nature of family life. I want you to see the ways in which family relationships are patterned and how these patterns themselves are persistent and have a strong effect on future interactions within and across generations.