Three Social Theories and Polygamy

Polygamy and Social Theories

Societies typically set up clear boundaries for acceptable behavior , in to maintain some degree of unity within the group . Although some behaviors that fall outside the norm might pass without comment , some groups deviate significantly from the norm , forming sub-cultures . In many cases , sub-cultures that deviate significantly are looked upon with suspicion . Polygamy is one behavior that deviates significantly from the accepted norms our society looks upon groups that practice polygamy such as the Fundamental Latter-Day Saints (FLDS , with suspicion and often with distrust

Several theories

that discuss how individuals interact within society have significance when used to examine polygamy . In this society , we practice serial monogamy ' that is , an individual may have more than one partner over a lifetime , but is in a committed and exclusive relationship with only one partner at a time (Class Notes . From the beginning of the Mormon Church , of which the FLDS is an offshoot , the polygamous nature of its teachings has been considered worthy of suspicion . To understand the reasoning behind this thinking , it is important to examine polygamy from the viewpoints of symbolic interactionism , structural functionalism , and conflict theory to have an idea of how the practice interacts on both macro and micro levels of culture

Symbolic Interactionism and Polygamy

Symbolic interaction theory examines society at a micro level determining how individuals learn the meanings of things in their environment (Ballantine , 2006 . In the United States , children soon learn to identify the Stars and Stripes as being the national flag , they learn about religious symbols appropriate to their family , and maybe even the logos of their favorite games , restaurants , or television programs . Over time , they learn other symbols , such as words and monetary values and many other things . The symbols learned during this process summarize shared meanings with others with whom we interact and define what is real and normal (Ballantine , 2006 ,

. 86 . In the polygamous community , the child learns the symbols of what is normal in that subculture at a very early age . The family is composed of one father and many mothers the representation of the faith , at least in terms of the Fundamental Latter-Day Saints , is that of a photograph of the prophet ' that hangs on the wall of the family home . The games restaurants , and programs that may have meaning to other children have in the FLDS community , in that televisions are prohibited providing no context to the children in the community . Kathy ' quoted in Brown describes how the prophet Rulon Jeffs was kept changing the context of things even in his own community : some days wearing clothes with stripes were bad , other days the color red became forbidden Looking and smiling at members of the opposite sex was wrong . Symbols such as colors , patterns , and expressions became stripped of all meaning that the greater society provided them

Structural Functionalism and Polygamy

According to Ballantine (2006 ) structural functionalists view society as being composed of interdependent parts , each fulfilling certain necessary functions...