Conceptual Lifestyle Of The American Family

It was once said by Leonardo Da Vinci that “The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.” Opinions are what block you from viewing something from another perspective. Cultural elements can hinder a person from changing and viewing other’s opinions. Someone’s community, family and location considerably hinders their ability to form their own unique point of view.

This essay, The Myth of the Model American Family, is a discussion of the concept of an ideal family in the different perspective specifically social, cultural and economic. This is also an attempt to identify the structural changes in relation to the global development and the international economic crisis that immensely created impact on their lives. However, the discussion will limit itself on the different identifiable and observable transformations as manifested in the lifestyles, interrelationships and views of family members and will not seek to provide an assessment of their psycho-social and individual perceptions.

Change is inevitable, and history has shown us that change in family status has been both positive and negative. Historically, the flux in family diversity can be traced back for centuries, and we see many different practices that have had successes and failures amongst families in the United States. Over the last six decades, the image of the ideal American family has changed, as well as the political and economic status of women. The development of relative economic power for women has led to a change in family structure. The evolution of families can be seen in the media and television shows, and the contrast between shows in the mid 20th century and now, is shell shocking. As new developments in human society continue to grow, family

Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.

The families in America are steadily changing. While they remain our most valued and consistent source of strength and comfort, some families are becoming increasingly unstructured. In the past, the typical family consists of a working father, a stay at home mother and, of course, well-rounded children. Today, less than 20 percent of American families fit nicely into this cookie cutter image. American households have never been more diverse. Natalie Angier takes stock of the changing definition of family in an article for the New York Times.

The standard of living in our domestic lifestyle has change over the past 100 years such as the cost of a galloon of gas from 11 cent to $2.56, the population demographic in the United States has changed rapidly; America is more diverse and different ethnicities around the world. The equal opportunities, allowing women equal opportunities to work and equal pay among men, technology has improved rapidly as well such as the way communicate among others and using the internet. In these past 100 years, our domestic lifestyle has changed and improved

When the idea of a family life first began, the man was supposed to be the sole breadwinner while the wife stayed home to cook or clean or take care of the children. A traditional American family used to be a mom and a dad, with a few kids. However, that white picket fence lifestyle has become almost abnormal now. Ever since the choices of divorce, homosexuality, even role reversal have been offered to families things have never been quite the same. In the early days, divorce was an extremely shameful thing. The concept of for better or worse truly held it's meaning. A man and a woman would almost never split up, no matter how bad things got. Today, divorce papers can be mailed and signed with virtually no hassle, making the ending of a marriage

Sunday morning, the mother is in the kitchen making breakfast for the family while the father is feeding the animals getting the children up to do their chores before breakfast. The children do their chores, eat breakfast with their parents and then get ready dressed to go to church. The mother after finishing cooking breakfast, gets herself cleaned up to get ready for church, as well has the father. Then off to church and then a Sunday afternoon spent with the family together, no electronics, no shopping, just together working on takas at home. Does this life exist anymore?

Today, family still remains alive and well. Although many forces have attempted to change the American family, it has managed to prevail and preserve the basic values and principles it was first found upon. What Americans need to realize is that what works for a family in one economic and cultural setting doesn’t work for a family in another. This study is relevant because most people don’t understand that families are just doing what they have to do to survive the new ways of society.

The notion of being part of a family is a very important part of cultures around the world, and the idea of family itself is a common theme in a large variety of entertainment media, but what really is a “family?” In Richard T. Schaefer’s 8th edition of Sociology A Brief Introduction, the word family is defined as “a set of people related by blood, marriage or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share the primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society (288). The idea of a nuclear family, in which a family consists of a married couple and their unmarried kids, fits in very well with this definition of a family, and is thought of to “traditional” family norm (Schaefer, 289). Alternatively, Urban Dictionary’s top definition of family provides a more broad view of the notion of family, defining it as “a group of people, usually of the same blood (but do not have to be), who genuinely

The word “family” dates back to the 13th century and is derived from Old French word famelie (“Family”). The word originally defined the relationship of “group of people living under the same roof, household [including servants] (1337), group of people related by blood, lineage (1442–4), a group of people who share a common philosophy (1658)” (“Family”). Growing up in a different country, my culture taught me an immediate family only consists of a mother, a father and siblings. But in America it’s not as simple because there are many variants of a family.

Modern family, what does this mean? The importance placed on families is seen all over the world and every country is quite different. Here in the United States we are seeing a drastic shift in the American family dynamic. In the past, a family where the mother and father both had equal power was uncommon. In fact, if the father was not seen as the head of the household and the mother did not stay at home to raise the children there family was seen as abnormal. This dynamic is changing as other unique types of families become accepted. We are now seeing unusual families such as two gay men, two gay women, single parents, and even roommates now falling under the category of “family”. “We expose the institution of marriage as one of the most insidious and basic sustainers of the system,” proclaimed the Gay Liberation Front in 1969. Yet by the 1980s, gay men as well as lesbians were insisting that “ love makes a family” and demanding rights for “families we chose”. There has also been a trend of birthrates declining, children being raised by single parents, and couples getting married much older than in the past. While there may be several similarities between traditional and modern families, there are some new and important differences. This paper explores the history of the traditional American family and describes how the definition of family is being redefined as society evolves.

Society has many different definitions of what a traditional family may consist of. The idea of a traditional family systems has changed significantly over the years. The American family is a tradition that is quickly and rapidly changing. Stereotypically the family system consisted of two parents and one or more child, the father who would work outside the home to provide for the family and a mother who would stay at home with the kids and take care of the house. That has changed tremendously on throughout the years. Today, with some many women incorporated into the workforce, with the increasing divorce rate, rising number of single parent homes and even in some cases families with same sex marriages. Family systems is a rapidly changing society. Today, with so many women into the workforce, the increasing divorce rate, and with the growing number of single-parent homes, other family structures have become more common. The family as a psychosocial unit can be viewed in many different ways. A family unit can be determined by relatives, siblings, parents, spouses, and children. Psychosocial units can be based on psychological, social, and spiritual growth in a family unit. If and when a family is strong, then it is to be assumed that the society is strong.

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

What does your family look like? Is it big or small? The fact is that family’s come in all shapes and sizes. So what is a family? Webster’s dictionary defines family as “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.” However, I feel that this this is not the only qualification of being a member of the family. Family members should love each other unconditionally and bring each other happiness, family members should always be there for each other and take care of each other in hard times, and lastly family members should give advice and comfort.