My Family Essay

The concept of family has changed in many perspectives throughout the years. Nuclear families started back in the 1950s also known as ‘ideal families’. Today family comes in many varieties whether it 's nuclear, accordion, or extended families and even same sex marriage. One thing that is undoubtedly true is that family will always be the one that you have an unbreakable bond with. American families have evolved in many ways leading us away from what was known as nuclear families.

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,

The word family has changed so much in the past century. A family back in the 1950’s was probably considered a husband, wife, and one or more children. Times have changed and families have become much different. The Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others book defines family as a, “Unit made up of any number of persons who live in relationship with one another over time in a common living space who are usually, but not always, united by marriage and kinship” (Beebe, Beebe & Redmond, 243). Families can be broken up into five different types. The first is the traditional family, which includes a mother, father, and their biological children. Next, is the blended family which includes

A nuclear family is a family composed of a married father and mother and their children. This type of family became increasingly popular following the industrial age in the 1900s. The nuclear family soon became the norm as people transferred from large kin groups to smaller independent families (Pulsipher, 2015). This posed a problem in the beginning because close relatives no longer played a role in raising children and no longer had anyone to look after them in old age as they did when kin groups were common. However, as time went on, nuclear families faced challenges and soon began to fallout as a result of changes in couples.

The nuclear family is defined by Conley as a “familial form consisting of a father, a mother, and their children” (Conley, 2015). I believe that this is still the traditional family form in the United States, though there are many variations possible and frequently occur. Nuclear families have always existed from antiquity, but there also have often been variations since antiquity. The most frequent variation would be a single parent family due to death or divorce. There also have been many children adopted or cared for by family members due to death or abandonment, such as when a grandparent assumes care for and guardianship of their grandchildren, or when orphaned children go live with their aunt and uncle.

     The 1950’s were a decade of growth and expansion. Growth of the middle class, expansion of religion and a growing economy kept Americans on the move- literally. Families were moving from the cities and into the suburbs. “This massive shift in population from the central city was accompanied by a baby boom that started during World War II. Young married couples began to have three, four, or even five children (compared with only one or two children in American families during the 1930’s) (The American Story, pg. 729). This style of living began making the immediate

I believe my family can best be described as a nuclear family, with minor differences. For example, both of my parents work, so my father isn’t necessarily the “breadwinner” of the household. Also, the definition of nuclear family doesn’t specifically state how each family member should act. For example, I live at home

My family structure growing up was not technically traditional. My family consist of my mom, my dad, and two older brothers. My parents are divorced so I have a single-parent family.

A family is a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Most people are familiar with the term “nuclear families”. However, today the idea of a postmodern family is becoming more and more common. A nuclear family consists of two parents and children. The nuclear family was long held by society as being the ideal in which to raise children. The single parent family consists of one parent raising one or more children on his or her own. This limits income and opportunities in many cases, although many single parent families have help from relatives and friends. The extended family structure consists of two or more adults who are related, either by blood or marriage, living in

As I endured the prospect of creating a genogram, I allowed myself to reflect and interpret the history and impacts that affected my family. During my review of my genogram, I was able to consider my family within a multigenerational, diverse, and socio-political context. By creating a genogram, a dialogue was started within my head and with my partner about which family traits, issues, strengths, and resiliencies made me who I am today. Subsequently, this dialogue made me aware that being raised in a small family has many advantages along with some disadvantages when acquiring information about influences and the history of preceding generations. Consequently, I did not have to contend with many conflicting recollections but I did have to rely mostly on my own memory, public records, and journals to piece together my genogram. Although all things discovered and recollected are not always fortunate on the surface, they subsist as basis to my personal resilience and strength as a gay man.

Family comes from the latin word familia meaning household. According to Drench, the family system is comprised of a group of individuals who work together to adapt to outside influences (p. 198). Individuals relate to each other in predefined ways (Drench, pg 198). Power and decision-making responsibilities are understood among other groups (Drench, p 198). Webster dictionary defines “family” as a group of individuals living under one roof and under one head. Hence, the “nuclear family” of the 1950s and 1960s consisted of a mother and father and one or more children. Grandparents often lived nearby and were available to assist with childcare and other family responsibilities (Drench, p 198). So that being said, a family to me consists of a father, mother, children and other relatives. We receive our identity and value from family. We don’t get to choose the family we want to belong rather our families are chosen for us by God to keep us together.

My family is a nuclear family. A nuclear family consists of a mother, father and children living in one household. Every nuclear family has advantages and disadvantages in them. The advantages are strength and stability, financial stability, which equals more opportunity, consistency which means lucrative behavior, health benefits, conflict resolution and better communication skills. In my nuclear family, we incorporate these advantages to become a better family and to be brought closer together.

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.

Family dynamics are ever changing. In the past, nuclear families were widely considered to be the “typical american family”, with 45% of families fitting into this category in 1960, compared to the less than 25% of families today. There were also many differences in how the families functioned even when compared to today's nuclear families. Job Pressures, new relationships within families, and the different expectations for each member of a family now all prove to be admirable barriers in family life. Today, more than ever, being part of a family presents many challenges.

No one can’t meet a family like mine’s. My family is well diversified. Every family member plays an important role in all my family’s lives. In my family, there are four people: my father, my mother, my little brother and me. My father is one who brings money home and is also responsible for organizing and planning family trips. My mother is the one who is in charge for making meals and makes sure everyone eats at the appropriate times. My little brother is the pet of the family. He actually doesn’t have any responsibilities, for he’s the pet. I am the rock of support in my family. I always go beyond my parents’ expectations. I also support my younger cousins and little brother, by being a role model that they can look up to. Another