The Student Room Group
Some people use it as an analogy to describe Functionalist perspectives (just like they use the "human body" analogy).

Just apply what you've learnt about Functionalist principles to "the family group".
Talcott Parsons described the family as a warm bath, because he believed that the family helps to relieve stress and tension from work, and helps adults personalisities stabilize, and make the family members content.
Reply 3
What ^^^ said :smile: Bascially relieving the pressures of eeverday life. Marxist theorists would say it leaves out the sections including abuse, violence, the 'dark side' of the family etc :smile:
Reply 4
thanks for your help everyone
Reply 5
Parsons believes that the family unquestionably benefits individuals and society. He uses the idea of ‘the warm bath’ to represent the home and family. The husband worries about competition, money, job insecurity etc and takes these strains home. The husband’s home and family act as a ‘warm bath’ washing away his troubles so that he is refreshed and ready for the next day at work where he is able to contribute to society.
Reply 6
This is the Marxist Comfort Zone- I'm sure
Reply 7
Original post by LuCy.A
This is the Marxist Comfort Zone- I'm sure

lool replying after 8 years!!! this thread was made in 2006
Reply 8
I'm a foreign A-Level student so expect mistakes. This was theory made by talcott parsons and this theory was named the warm bath theory because parsons said that the nuclear family is like a warm bath because it distresses you, e.g: the male/husband or the person with the instrumental role is the main breadwinner and the female/wife or the expressive role person is supposed to deters her husband, provide him food and make him relax himself and he relaxes the family by doing good on the job as he won't be stressed but in this theory parsons didn't consider the mother role as she gets no break and no one distresses her because she takes care of the children all the time and when her husband comes home she takes care of him, also parsons says this is why nuclear families are the best because then they prevent conflict, maintains harmony and keeps a stable society. while on the other hand there are many negative points regarding the nuclear family.
The warm baths theory is a functionalist theory. It basically means that the family provides a loving home which relieves the stress of work and provides emotional support and security.
So it’s basically talking about how - when a man comes home from a “hard day at work” (fulfilling the duties of a husband) he will come home and feel relaxed and stress free (because the woman has completed her roles of cooking and cleaning) so like when sitting in a ‘warm bath’ (you instantly become relaxed)
The warm bath theory, formally known as the Stabilisation of Adult personality is a functionalist idea endorsed by Talcott Parsons. The idea essentially means that the family relieves the stress of modern day leaving, providing a warm and living home for individuals. Functionalists believe that this stabilises society because workers are less likely to rebel if they relieve their stress at home.The theory is often criticised by Radical Feminists e.g. Delphy and Leonard, who argue that women often get abused as a result of these stressed any angry men, serving an emotional burden. Marxists , such as Zaretsky argues that the private sphere is not separate from the public sphere due to the fact that working class men take out their frustrations from the capitalist system out at home. This means the smooth machine of capitalism runs smoothly, and thus impacting the family negatively.