Nuclear vs Extended Family

Firstly, a nuclear family is a family consisting of a man and woman (usually married) in a sexual relationship with one or more children. One reason for this type of family becoming less common is due to the rising number of divorces. Getting divorced has become much easier than in the past. 40% of all marriages end in divorce. There is much less stigma attached to divorce in modern society so people are less afraid to do it,

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.

A conscious level can be teaching other family member whereas an unconscious level is emotional behaviors or reactions (Bowen Theory, 2014). Parents actively shape their children while children respond to their parent attitudes, moods and actions. The consequence of parents shaping their children is parents cause their children to have the same level of differentiation as the parents. The children may then seek out mates with the same level of differentiation as mentioned in nuclear family emotional process. The levels of differentiation becomes more distinct over multigenerational as the differentiation is repeated through generations (Bowen Theory, 2014). The different levels of differentiation can affect the whole life functions of a multigenerational family from marital stability, longevity, health, reproduction, educational success or failure, and occupational success (Bowen Theory, 2014). The transmission occurring through multigenerational not only affect an individual’s sense of self but how the interact with other people.

Nuclear family emotional system is a concept describing four primary relationship patterns of emotional functioning, which are matrimonial conflict, dysfunction in a spouse, impairment in children, and emotional detachment (Haefner, 2014). Family reactions to such are imitations of previous generations, as well as predictors of how future generations will react. The family projective process is when children inherit the strengths and weaknesses of their parents, such as emotional issues (Haefner, 2014). Multigenerational transmission is the progression of family ideals and traditions to multiple generations, which are either supportive or detrimental (Haefner, 2014).

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,

Today's nuclear family with mom, dad, 2.3 kids, and dog only came into being just after the Industrial Revolution (Swerdolow 15). This leads to the idea that perhaps the desengration of the nuclear family isn't necessarily a negative things, but more of a retirement of a one way of life in favor of a new one. Even if this is true, the current period of decline still spurns numerous problems and attempted solutions.

Although families may not always feel this connectedness, it is always there. The emotional climate of the family is interdependent of what is going on in the family as a whole. If one unit of the family is distant emotionally, it can have a great affect on the whole family. These attitudes are reciprocated throughout the entire family. It is important that most family members are able to stay healthy emotionally and have that ability to communicate their feelings to one another. Problems arise when individuals don’t fulfill their roles that are needed from all family members. Michael Kerr, explained this idea in an article he wrote to explain the family system theory. He explained that “heightened tension can intensify these processes that promote that promote unity and teamwork, and this can lead to problems” (Kerr,

The article Family and Social Memory: Why History Matters mentioned the concept of the nuclear family. The ideal white-picket fenced family, with a mother, father and children who happily live together in privacy. It was during the postwar era when technological discoveries were rapid and mind-blowing, an era where hope was renewed and the ideal family was remodeled. It involved a father being the head of the house, and the mother being the primary caretaker. It was this notion that reigned as the ideal family for a long period of time. However, I find this stereotype to be rather poisonous because, as the article also mentioned, soon the media uncovered the dark realities behind the nuclear family. During the post-war era, abuse and sexism

A nuclear family is universal and is defined as a two generational grouping; consisting of a father, mother and their children, all living in the same household. The idea of the nuclear family was first noticed in Western Europe in 17th century. The concept that narrowly defines a nuclear family is essential to the stability in modern society and has been promoted by modern social conservatives in the United States and has been challenged inadequate to describe the complexity of actual family relations. In this essay, I shall be assessing the views that the nuclear family functions to benefit all its members and society as a whole, from a

Though most people would believe that the majority of families in the United States are nuclear families, because that is what is considered to be normal, that is untrue. The majority of families in the U.S. deviate from nuclear households. My family is no different. My family has not been considered nuclear for several years now. My family constists of my mother, stepfather, my older stepbrother, me, my younger stepbrother, and my younger biological brother. As for extended family, I still have all four of my grandparents, one great grandmother, three aunts, three uncles, and several cousins. Each of these people all still play a role in my life, and I am very close to them.

During the industrial revolution, the nuclear family was considered the norm, consisting of a mother and father living together with two biologically related children. Traditionally, the wife stayed home as the homemaker and looking after the children without pay. While the husband earns the money through working at a job away from the home. Furze (2015 p. 174) states that ‘in the 1940s and 1950s, many sociologists and the general communities of Western countries such as Australia and New Zealand considered the traditional nuclear family the most widespread and ideal family form.’ Additionally, backing this statement up Fletcher (2017) claims that ‘from a functionalist perspective the nuclear family is ideally suited to meet the necessities

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a nuclear family can be described as a group of people who are united by ties of partnership and parenthood, consisting of a pair of adults and their socially recognized children (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015). Because most children are most exposed to their parents in this manner, the nuclear family is regarded as the basic social unit where a child learns adult conduct. Based on Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the way an adult perceives life is determined by the experiences the person had as a child (Moynihan, 1965). Consequently, the stability of a child’s nuclear family can have a large impact on their subsequent behavior as they age.

My personal experience can relate to chapter 15: Families and Intimate Relationships. A nuclear family is a family group consisting of a wife, a husband, and dependent children. Growing up in a nuclear family has given me the ability to see how my parents make decisions equally. For example, if I ask for something, they both think about it and let me know their final decision almost as if they were a team. The

In a sociological perspective, family is interpreted as a social group whose members are bound by legal, biological, or emotional ties or a combination of all three. The sociological theories the connect to this concept are functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionalism. First, functionalism states that the family socializes children, it provides emotional and practical support for its members, and it provides its members with a social identity. Secondly, conflict theory states that members create disagreements, and create emotional support and comfort. Finally, symbolic interactionism claims family members and intimate couples interact on a daily basis. "Families are defined as a relationship by blood, marriage, or affection" (Seccombe 5).

My family has always been very close. We spend a great deal of time together and express our deep feelings and emotions with one another. If one of us has an issue, every member of the family is aware of it and shares the burden. When a person in the family does not share significant information about one’s life with the rest of the members, there is hurt feelings. Also, if a member cannot attend a family event, the family feels disappointed and misses the absent member. It is evident that connectedness is held as extremely valuable.