Modernization, emigration, and the family: the Finnish case

Abstrakti

There is a basic tension in human society between change and tradition. Even in the most stable of traditional societies, people have continually dealt with the consequences of change. Even during periods of fl ux, like that marked by the modernization (and industrialization) of Western societies, social attitudes and customs have changed with glacial slowness. People are by nature conservative, fi nding comfort in the familiar, but also venturous, always seeking and welcoming improvement. Because of this, human reaction to forces for change, such as industrialization and modernization, has been extremely complex. As the basic social unit of Western culture, the family has contributed much to that complex reaction. It has been a powerful force for constancy, but at the same time it has been deeply involved in the changes that have transformed that culture.