Functionalist, Precieve Child Abuse As A Dysfunction Played In The History Of Children?

The role children have played in the history of America has changed drastically over the years. In most cases, for the better, but that is not true for all children. In the early years, children were put to work, some even as indentured servants, others alongside their parents. They were made to work long hours under bleak circumstances. The industrial revolution saw the continued abuse of children. They did not possess the rights adults did and therefore, were expected to work long hours for little pay and were often mistreated (Crosson-Tower, 2013). The turn of the 20th century brought new attention to the plight of children in America. Several reformers stepped up to transform policies regarding child labor laws. Most families were grateful …show more content…
When there is a breakdown in any of these systems it creates a dysfunction. Functionalists, precieve child abuse as a dysfunction affecting all of society. Child abuse causes a failure of the nuclear family and likely has been passed through many generations. Functionalism states that while there could be a recovery from the breakdown, when that does not happen the dysfunction creates a social problem, like child abuse (Henslin, 2014). Multifactor theories, “Suggest that numerous variables account for a perpetrator’s propensity to abuse” (Crosson-Tower, 2013, p. 192). Finkelhor’s Preconditions Model is the oldest multifactor theory. There are four influences that cause the sexual abuse of a child. Finkelhor states that, “The perpetrator must be motivated to abuse, the internal inhibitors that would tell people not to abuse must not be working, the external inhibitors that normally protect children must not be in place and the child’s resistance must not be sufficiently strong” (Crosson-Tower, 2013, p. …show more content…
Mother’s are responsible for taking care of a child, keeping him or her safe and cared for and the person whose love should make all that is wrong with the world, right. Yet sometimes women neglect to fulfill this role. After researching mother’s, Polinsky describes five types of neglectful women. The apathetic futile mother is numb, burdened with needs and is indifferent. The impulse-ridden mother is impulsive and lack consistency. She is easily frustrated and stressed out. Next, the mother experiencing reactive depression is grief ridden and depressed and gives up without a fight. A mentally retarded mother may neglect her child out of a lack of understanding how to parent a child properly. Many find it hard to meet their own needs without support. Lastly the psychotic mother is depleted from thoughts, anxiety and behaviors and therefore unable to parent a child without being