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Understanding Family Structures and Functions

The document discusses the concept of family, defining it as a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living together. It outlines distinctive features of families, their functions such as socialization and emotional support, and various forms including nuclear, extended, and compound families. Additionally, it highlights the roles of family in society and its structural compositions.

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SUJITH SAI
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43 views11 pages

Understanding Family Structures and Functions

The document discusses the concept of family, defining it as a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption living together. It outlines distinctive features of families, their functions such as socialization and emotional support, and various forms including nuclear, extended, and compound families. Additionally, it highlights the roles of family in society and its structural compositions.

Uploaded by

SUJITH SAI
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

FAMILY

How to understand family?

• Household vs. Family


• Definitions of family
• Distinctive features of family
• Functions of family
• Forms/Types of family
Definitions of family

• Family has been defined (by Bureau of the U.S. Census,


Current Population Reports, 1948) as “a group of 2 or more
persons related by blood, marriage or adoption and residing
together.”
Distinctive feature of family

• 1. Universality

• 2. Emotional basis

• 3. Formative influence (educative role)

• 4. Limited size
• 5. Nuclear position

• 6. Sense of responsibility among members

• 7. Social regulation

• 8. Persistence and change


Functions of the family

• 1) Socially approved sexual access/relationship


• 2) Reproduction (replacement of society’s members)
• 3) Nurturance of children
• 4) Socialization (of new members of the society)
• 5) Economic cooperation
• 6) Psychosocial/emotional support
Forms of the family
• Membership, composition, descent, residence, authority, and
number of mates/spouses.
• On membership:
• Family of orientation
• Family of procreation

• On marital and blood relations:


• Conjugal family
• Consanguineal family
• Structure/size/composition

• 1) Nuclear family
• 2) Extended family
• 3) Compound family
• Nuclear family

• Extended family
• Extended family consists of two or more nuclear families [affiliated
through] united by consanguineal kinship bonds such as those
between parent and child, or between two siblings [rather than of the
husband-wife relationship].
• Compound family
• Compound/Composite/polygamous family – consists of two or more
nuclear families affiliated by plural marriages, i.e., by having one
married parent in common (i.e., several nuclear families linked
through a common spouse)

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