The Paradigm Shift in Family Studies Paradigm refers to the basic assumptions that scholars have of the social worlds they study. A family paradigm includes models of in society, and the field's important problems, questions, concepts, and methods of study. Families are shifted from traditional one to modern one. Modernization was thought to produce a standard family type. The family types were shaped by structural functionalism, such as the family was seen to fill particular social needs including socializing the young and providing psychological support to individuals. The Structural Diversity Approach View all families in society as shaped through interaction with social structures. Explore the close connections between the inner workings of family life and the structural forces that shape all families in different ways, such as the systems class, race and gender, as well as the actions of family members. 2. Family Functions Individual Satisfaction: 2.