Definition Essay Defining Family

Definition of family: The Western world regards the family as consisting of two or more people who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption; also known as a nuclear family. The extended family includes grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.

A family is two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. (Barker, 1999. p.155). Families create patterns that are passed on from grandparents to parents and from parents

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.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is "a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption" (U.S. Census Bureau). How would we fit what today’s society calls a “family” in this definition? Families no longer live together. Some live in different houses, different cities, and even different states. Children go long periods of time without seeing either mommy or daddy, sometimes both. We have become so adapt to a single-parent household it is what has become “normal.” Family structure has changed quite abundantly, this definition does not fit for every “family”.

What is Family? According to the online dictionary family is all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor. I view family in a whole different perspective. The word family is a powerful and meaningful word. To me, it means people who accept you for who you are where there 's no hatred or judgement and love you unconditionally. A dog or pet can simply become family. A person who you can count on through your emotional or financial distress can also be family. Growing up my parents and siblings weren 't always supportive or loving. I’m the youngest and pretty much seeked love and attention elsewhere which made me view my friends, colleagues, pets, and counselors as family.

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.’

The word family is such a perplexing and tricky topic to define and describe. That’s because of how many ways a single person can explain it. Nowadays, there are so many arguments about what a family actually is. Is a family considered to be made up of a heterosexual married couple, and that has two kids? Well, that 's what Brian Powell, author of Changing Counts, Counting Change: Toward a More Inclusive Definition of Family, found when he explored the web in search of what a family was.

The word family means everything you could ask of a person and more. The real definition of family is, “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household”. This definition of family is not the one a use. Family to me is everyone who is there for you, blood or not. I consider my close best friends as family because they are always there, and I know I can come to them. I also consider most people who are related to me by blood family. However, since I don't talk or really know my biological father, I don't consider him as a part of my family and I never will. I think it's important for people to know that you are able to choose your family and block out those that you know you should. The best thing to do is to make sure

A definition of the family is; people who are related through marriage or blood such as mother, father, sister or brother. Also linking in the legal bond of adoption can have as much of an impact on the family as blood ties. It’s important to remember that the family is a universal concept.

While all of this can be true, it isn’t the only way or the correct way that family can be defined. Family is more accurately described as a group of people who may not be related by blood or marriage, but rather who genuinely

There are many different definitions about what the family is. Different theoretical positions influence these variations. For example, the functionalist sociologist George Peter Murdock defines the family as “a social group characterized by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain

Family is a term that is everyone is familiar with and in the English language it has a multitude of uses. The word family originated from Latin and was actually called familia. Familia was used for describing a family or servants. Fast forward to the 21st century and we use this word for everything from relatives to a way to classify an organism. Now I agree that all of these definitions of family make sense in the ways that they are used, but the common way of thinking about family I think should interpreted differently. As for a certain few people with, myself included, they may not be very close or be in good standing with their families and with that being said a new type of family tends to be created. Family comes down to four core qualities to me; being a close friend whom I am able to open up to, loyalty, trust, and being compassionate.

My definition of family is having people there for no matter. Feeling loved and joined with them, regardless if biologically or not. On the other hand, the dictionary is a tool we use when we don’t know what something is or means. The definition of “Family” in the dictionary is “a basic unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family.” I think my definition is better than the dictionary’s

The word “family” is a word that is loosely defined in today’s society. The U.S Census Bureau defines family as, “…two or more persons who share a household and who are related by blood,

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