Defining Family Essay

No matter what background you come from or how you were raised, family is extremely important. According to Malinowski, “Family is a necessary institution for fulfilling the task of child rearing in society”(Conley, 2013). Society has come a long way when it comes to family and it is much different than it was in the 1950’s. Not all families are nuclear families. A nuclear family is having a mother, father, and children that are all biological (Conley, 2013). This kind of family is what some would call more “traditional.” Today in the twenty first century it is getting harder and harder to find families that have actually stayed together. There are so many different kinds of families in today’s society, and more and more families are becoming blended families. A blended family is when two families come together (Conley, 2013). Many families today have single mons, single, dads, and even same sex parents. Family is not always the people that live in the same house as you, family also consists of extended family. An extended family is a network that goes beyond the main “nuclear” family (Conley,

What is a family? How are families shaped and what effect do they have on society? In the United States a family consists of both parents, one’s self, siblings (biological or adoptive) and extended family members; however, this is not the case around the world. The concept of family and who is family changes in each culture, but is mostly centered around who is kin and who a person marries. Family, kin, and marriage are established through how society decides their lineage, which establishes cultural rituals within the society.

How a typical family is viewed in American society may vary, however, when people hear the word “family”, some will think about happiness and love, while others will think about the

Like everything else, "family" has an infinite number of definitions. One definition of family is "any group of people united by marriage, blood or adoption, constituting a single household, interacting and communicating with each other, and creating and maintaining a common culture" (Hales 14). Many contemporary sociologists have expanded this definition to include people whom or may not be related and those who for of their lives live together, satisfying their emotional needs and relating to each other to fulfill wants and desires. Regardless of the definitions, everyone has his or her own idea of what a family is. Some feel that family life "is not what it used to be" and have a very negative view on the

Defining family is a complex topic and so is the role of a family. I wasn't in class in the very first week when the topic of family was discussed extensively but, reading the textbook and having some prior knowledge on family academically, I believe I can reflect on the topic family comprehensively. Before thinking about what family is to us or to the world in general, we already know what kind of different families that are around and the three most popular are, nuclear family- a mother, the father and the kid/kids, single parent family- a parent and the kid or kids and also extended family which comprises of nuclear family but with addition of other outside family members. That being said, we also have other kind of families which can sometimes not be held in the same status as these big three like, Other (bi nuclear; cohabitators; gay couples) adoptive family- not your biological family, and step families-comprises of a biological parent and siblings maybe.

The dictionary definition of family is, “a group of parents and children living together in a household.” The definition of my family, on the other hand, would be something along the lines of, “a group of crazy parents and wild children living amongst several different households.” My parents divorced when I was young, my dad got remarried, my mom got remarried, my dad got divorced again, and then my dad got married again. Throughout all of the marriages I also acquired seven younger siblings along the way. Though the environment and family in which I have been raised is far from conventional, it has made me the open-minded, well-rounded person I am today.

In sociological terms there are many definitions of family. In the modern world however we are bombarded with images of the ideal construct of the family three advertising and other media. This ideal construct depicts The nuclear family consisting of a mother and a father and several children. Advertising shows us that this ideal construct is one of domestic bliss and fulfilling lives. These lives are enhanced by superior cleaning agents, excellent cars and nurturing home environments for the children. Occasionally the media depicts grandparents and other relatives "popping in" to help out the nuclear family.

Family I believe that friends and family are the definitions of happiness. When you have friends and family, you don't need anything else. Just by having them by your side you know there always there for you and you can count on them. You also know you can trust them with a secret or anything personal. When your surround by them you know there's nothing in the world that can replace them. Family is an important value to me and is something that should never be taken for granted. When times get rough, and it's difficult everyone looks up to their family for love and support. A family is a place where you can be yourself and nobody judge you, instead, they love you. Family also helps you grow and make your goals in life. Therefore, my family is a fruit salad.

Since the united stated has become so diverse that the definition of family has change, therefore, in my perspective, culture background, and personal experience, a family is not only blood related that lives in the same household but also someone that has been by my side showing empowerment through rough times. Therefore, I perceive the definition of family as, someone who, has seen the good and the bad side of me and still accept me who I am with judging me. Someone that has helped me through a difficult situation without asking anything in return. A family that is very supportive, therefore, making me believe in myself and feel very motivated to keep me going every day even though sometimes my life was difficult in this country. furthermore,

The definition of family to me are the people who are in my life loving, supporting and caring for myself and others in my family. My personal definition of family goes against the traditional definition as I believe nonblood related people are considered my family (i.e., really close friends). There are many changes in the American family over the last several decades that demand a change to the definition of family. There are more gay and lesbian couples forming families, people of different races marrying and more women who are single raising children without a male partner (Seccombe, 2015, p. 2). All of these are examples of how and why the definition of family is changing. Additionally, American families are changing due to social trends

My mom or dad is walking into the house, the dog is barking at nothing, the kittens are fighting, my brother is cursing at his video game, the alarm is saying very loudly “front door” and i’m upstairs devouring a lime flavored popsicle (or some cheese balls) while playing a video game. That’s pretty much what you would expect from a first glance at my family. My family is a somewhat hard working, hilarious (except for my dad) good hearted (we try to be at least) and in all likelihood insane bunch that I wouldn’t trade for all the lime flavored popsicles in the world. Except for my brother. I would gladly trade him for fifty lime popsicles. Or for fifty bags of cheese balls, that would be nice too.

This article is useful as it recognizes the rise of single-parent families and the decline in two-parent families. Nuclear families are less common today and many children are living with cohabiting parents. Similar to the other articles, this article points out the decline of two parent families being that the number of divorce, remarriage and cohabitation rates are increasing. What was considered to be “traditional family” has been replaced with the number of children living with cohabiting or single parents. Children who are living in a nuclear family are also likely to experience different family arrangement due to the increase in divorce. This article analyzes the changes in American families and the statistics in regards to those changes

There are many ways to define the word family. ‘For some it is easy to define what the family should be, namely a heterosexual conjugal unit based on marriage and co-residence.’ (Silva and Smart, 2004) Which follows on and connects with the definition that a family is "a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children." (Oxford Dictionaries / English 2017) However, in today’s society, this definition excludes many other modern family structures. Another definition of family is ‘two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another and reside usually in the same dwelling.’

There are many different ways to define the word family, which makes it difficult to create a true definition. I believe that all families are unique in the ways they communicate, grow, nurture, support and express cultures. My family is a traditional nuclear family that means the family consists of two parents and their children. In my family, I am the eldest sibling which means I am responsible for being a role model and mentor for my younger sibling. My family is known for being considerate through our daily actions. A specific incident that shows our consideration is when we helped nurse a sick dog back to health. I am glad to be a part of my amazing family.

A family can be defined in many ways, but the common denominator in all is the love and fulfillment one gets by being surrounded by family members. Families can sometimes be at odds with each other, but the strain of this type of relationship usually creates an upsetting feeling to the people involved. People want others to rely on, talk to, do things with, share, love, embrace, and be part of. No matter what the family dynamic is the qualities the word family has will remain the same, as time goes by, and life evolves once again for every person living their