Asking the question of what a family is, many find it difficult to find an answer. The relationship of two people is a story that is being written along with their lives. What is a family and how to build relationships between spouses, find out from the article.

What is a family: psychology

Every day, spoken word, deed - all this makes the relationship, collecting an impregnable castle or a stone wall from small bricks. In psychology, a group of people is called a family, generalizing the concept and depriving it of any individuality.

From the point of view of psychology, a family is a group of interacting people, united by marital relations, family ties. Families differ in structure, but the main task of the family is always the same - it is to provide conditions for the harmonious development of individual members of the group.

Simply put, a family is people living under the same roof with a common life, budget, household, family values and priorities. The members of the group are husband and wife and their children.

Family well-being is influenced by the following factors:

the level of well-being;
education and intelligence of family members;
cultural level of spouses;
relationship state.

There is no single criterion for what should be happy family. In the case of financial problems, the spouses begin to blame each other for problems. Lack of education leads to the fact that none of the family members is able to correct everyday difficulties.

The cultural level helps people to occupy a worthy social status. Lack of mutual understanding and mutual respect leads to the fact that the mutual coexistence of spouses becomes impossible.

Unhappy marriages can be caused by:

Bad parenting example.

Psychologists say that the inability to live in a family is laid from an early age. Children take everything from their parents.

Denying the fact that a child repeats the mistakes or the fate of parents in adulthood, a person deliberately refuses to realize what these mistakes were. Accordingly, he refuses to change his life and attitude towards it for the better.

Irresponsible approach to family and marriage issues.

The second reason for unhappy marriages is frivolity. The point is that many people confuse passion and attraction with relationships. Marriage and family are much more than intimacy. This is responsibility, the ability to wait, forgive, hear, understand, give in, and so on.

Over time, passion can fade, then the foundation of the relationship collapses and the bonds between the couple are destroyed. If children appeared in such a family, they will grow up on the example of parents who have no points of contact. In such a situation, we return to the above-mentioned reason for unhappy marriages.

It is correct to call love the inextricable psycho-emotional bond between a man and a woman. Those feelings that the romantics sing of are a cruel distortion of reality. Before love is born, people are attracted to each other only by passion, interest and a desire to get closer at a physiological level.

The key to family happiness is the ability to accept and love your soul mate unconditionally.

The functions of the family were formed and developed in parallel with people as objects of society. In psychology, there are several main functions of the family, namely:

Reproductive - the birth of children for procreation.
Educational - the formation of the child's personality throughout his life.
Household, or economic, - the ability to satisfy material needs and teaching the child to appreciate material goods.
Recreational - providing conditions for the restoration of physical and intellectual strength.
Emotional is the basis of a person's psychological health. This function is expressed in the ability to show and accept support, respect, understanding, good attitude.
Spiritual - the ability to develop on a spiritual level.
Social - teaching the child how to communicate with the outside world.
Sexual-erotic is an example of what a relationship between a man and a woman should be.

Family traditions, like family values, are the norms and rules of behavior adopted for a particular group of people, views, customs that are passed on from parents to children.

Family traditions should not violate moral principles or contradict them. Family values should strengthen the bonds of kinship. Traditions are passed down from generation to generation, bringing up descendants and keeping the memory of their ancestors.

The fulfillment by parents of the functions assigned to them, the observance of traditions and relations between spouses is the key to family happiness and well-being.

Family relationships: how to build

Undoubtedly, the key to a happy marriage is family relationships that do not arise in one moment, but are built by spouses step by step.

The absence of conflicts, mutual understanding in the family, a comfortable life are the components of a successful marriage.

Relationships in the family can be built in different ways. There are certain types of relationships between spouses, children and parents. For example:

Dictatorship.

The older generation categorically suppresses the younger, ignoring the interests of children. Emotional abuse can escalate into physical abuse.

Cooperation.

All family members are equal. The interests of each member of the group are important. Problems are solved together. For parents, as for children, the desires of loved ones are a priority.

The basis of this model is the lack of selfishness and the ability to compromise.

Guardianship.

Children who have never been given the opportunity to solve their own problems are indifferent to the problems of others.

Excessive guardianship on the part of parents leads to the fact that their offspring are not able to communicate with other people, peers, colleagues. Such children are not able to build relationships and start their own family.

Non-intervention or passive indifference.

This type of relationship is characterized by the complete non-interference of parents in the lives of children. Parents perform the function of purely physiological education.

Family relationships are born together with the family, as soon as a man and a woman decide to live together, raise children, have a common life.

The main condition for success is the ability to avoid conflicts or resolve them.

How relationships will develop depends on the initial conditions in which the man and woman fall. If a couple lives separately from their parents, it creates its own values, guided by what is laid down by them in the process of upbringing.

If several generations live under the same roof, it is important to know the values of each of them, respect them and adapt to a conflict-free mutual coexistence.

The key to well-being in the family is:

mutual respect between family members;
knowledge and understanding of the habits of loved ones and relatives;
the ability to communicate and reconcile;
rejection of selfish motives in decision-making;
the ability to forgive and understand.

To avoid conflicts at the stage of the birth of a family, it is important to consider the following:

the spouse's family (parents) expect respect from the chosen one of their child;
lies ruin any relationship;
do not rush to conclusions, it is important to understand the spouse, the motives and reasons for his actions;
you can not condemn and discuss the parents of the chosen one;
to receive help and support, it is important to give it.

A serious test for the relationship between spouses is always the birth of a child.

For a young mother, another object of love appears. An established life is changing radically, as is the need for financial security.

Women require more attention, understanding and support from men than before. Men with the advent of children often move away from their wives.

To avoid conflicts based on motherhood and fatherhood, it is important to understand that a child is forever. The baby is a responsibility. A small person is a natural continuation of the family, what the family was created for.

Parents should raise him in love, show him what a real family is and how it should be. The relationship between spouses will become a model that the child will take over from their parents and use in their relationship.

In search of an answer to the question of how to build relationships, it is important to consider that the family goes through certain life stages, namely:

The first year of married life: partners are just learning to be halves of one whole.
The birth of a child: all life values are rethought.
3-5 years of married life: as the child grows up, the foundations of life change. Husband and wife have to look for new forms of interaction.
8-15 years of marriage: the routine of relationships makes you look for something new and look at family life in a new way. At this stage, couples either strengthen the union or break up.
20 years of married life: the period when children create their own family, parents cease to perform most of the functions assigned to them in raising a child. Due to the lack of goals and rethinking of reality, the risk of betrayal rises sharply.
30 years of married life and more: relations between spouses are transformed, growing into absolute spiritual intimacy. At this stage, the couple builds relationships with adult children who themselves experience the stages of family life.

A family is much more than a group of people with certain interests and a common life. Family and family happiness is what every person consciously or subconsciously strives for.

On the way of married couples there are many tests. Not every family is able to easily endure all life's difficulties. Mutual understanding and the ability to forgive, trust between partners, frankness and mutual respect - these are the few things that will help build strong family relationships.

Anthropologist George Murdoch defined the concept of "family" fifty years ago. In addition, he described the approximate composition of one "cell of society." According to J. Murdoch, a family is a social group with a common place of residence, practicing economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom engage in socially approved sexual relationships, and children, either biological or adopted.

Since then, much has changed in people's lives, and the definition of the concept of "family" is now derived by each field of knowledge independently. Let us consider the generally accepted views of sociologists, lawyers and psychologists - specialists who most often encounter marital and family relations in the course of their work.

What do sociologists mean by family?

Sociology studies the life of society. However, this science, like many other similar disciplines about a person, has several sections. The family and society become the subject of research in one of the areas identified in it. The concept of the family, which exists in sociology, is closely connected with the ancient laws of kinship and matrimony, on the observance of which the centuries-old history of mankind is built.

What definition does social science offer us? A family is a relatively permanent association of people related by blood, marriage or adoption, living in the same territory and dependent on each other financially and psychologically.

Sociology, therefore, assumes that society is formed from many small related "cells", in which each person receives the necessary support from his loved ones and pays them the same. And besides, each such small community functions for the benefit of all people as a whole. That is, it works as a single social institution.

What are families?

Society as such may not exist if someone does not take the responsibility to maintain its existence. To do this, you need to perform certain functions and do it regularly. And with such a huge responsibility, a small group of people - the family - copes brilliantly.

However, the constancy of society is supported by other social institutions: economic, political, cultural. They perform certain functions, thereby strengthening the ties of people within themselves and streamlining the life of a huge organism - all of humanity. The family also assumes obligations to organize the life of society. It performs certain functions, educating new members of society and creating favorable living conditions for them. This is the concept of the institution of the family.

Functions of the family as a social institution

What functions are assigned by society to the family system? What makes her important social institution?

Firstly, the family is the environment where they grow and learn the world children. No society can exist without adequate socialization of its young members. In most cases, the upbringing of children is taken over by their parents. Sometimes older siblings, grandparents or other relatives are involved in this process. Thus, the family brings up new members of society. It is she who instills in the individual all the values and moral principles, sets the course for the successful realization of oneself in society.

Secondly, ideally, the family is the main source of material and psychological support for each of its members. She provides food, clothing, shelter and other necessities, as well as love, emotional comfort and help in any difficult situation. It is thanks to her that a person can feel what well-being is.

Thirdly, the family helps regulate people's sexual activity. Thanks to her, sex education is carried out and appropriate norms of behavior are laid, she keeps a person from promiscuous love affairs through marriage bonds and obligations.

Fourthly, social identity is provided to a person in the family. Each of us has a certain gender, belongs to any race and nationality, professes the religion closest to his views. And all this a person receives from his parents. In the future, social identity can very seriously affect his life. For example, a person may have a hard time if he belongs to a class at the bottom of the social ladder. However, hierarchy is an indispensable attribute of society. As practice shows, the ideas of equality of classes are utopian, but the family can teach a person to adapt to his position in society or give him the necessary support so that he can change his status if he wishes.

What is marriage? How is marriage different from family?

The concept of family is inseparable from the category of marriage. However, these two words do not mean the same thing, although they are very often used as synonyms. How is marriage different from family?

The family, as we already know, unites people related by blood. Marriage, on the other hand, binds two together through eros, attraction. And these two should not be relatives, since marriage implies the birth of children.

It is accepted in society that a family is formed through marriage. First, people get married, start living together, get used to each other. And only after some time they feel like a single whole, a real "We" instead of the two separate "I" that existed before.

Marriage is not only approved by society, but also regulated by it. We can say that the bonds of matrimony are also a social institution, which, however, regulates only the relationship between husband and wife, while the family is also other family ties.

The marriage must be legally registered. Young people who want to start a family not only speak words of love and fidelity in the church, but also seal the union with their signatures. From this moment, their marriage comes into legal force.

Jurisprudence and marriage

And in jurisprudence there is also a concept of marriage and family. It differs from the sociological one in that a legal union of two people arises only where there are rights and obligations fixed by law between two people. That is, if a man and a woman live together in love and harmony, raise children, but their union is not registered anywhere, from a legal point of view, they are not a family. "Family member" is a legal concept that refers to spouses and their children, as well as elderly parents.

Marriage is a voluntary union of two people. It is concluded according to certain rules in order to create a family. Registration is carried out by authorized state bodies. If necessary, the parties sign an agreement that specifies the rights and obligations of the husband and wife.

Marriage may be dissolved in connection with the death of one of the spouses or by mutual consent. In addition, there are a number of restrictions imposed by society and the law on the possibility of creating a family. Circumstances prohibiting marriage include:

failure of one or both potential spouses of marriageable age;
their belonging to the same sex;
blood relations.

The age at which young people can enter into legal family relationships varies across different countries. In addition, some states allow same-sex marriage. But consanguinity is a much more serious obstacle, and the legislatures of civilized countries are not so easily allowed to bypass it.

The concept of the legal system of the family

Public life is regulated by legal rules and regulations. They cover all aspects of human existence. However, it is interesting that the concept of law and family is not regulated by any separate legislative act. That is, the family code, of course, exists, and it has tremendous power. But it can be applied not to family relationships as such. Legal obligations arise not because of the existence of family ties themselves between people, but rather because of the emerging marriage relations and kinship ties. It is these circumstances that are considered in the relevant codes.

Thus, in jurisprudence, a family is understood as a group of persons connected by some relationship of kinship and for this reason bearing legal obligations to each other. Of great importance are the debt of parents to young children and grown-up children to their elderly parents, the relationship of spouses, grandparents with their grandchildren, guardians and adopted persons.

However, there is the so-called concept of the legal family, which is often mistaken for a legal category related to marriage. In fact, we are talking about abstract things here. On the territory of a certain state or countries close in mentality, as a rule, a special system of legal relations develops, different from the one that may appear, say, on another continent. And the concept of a legal family here does not mean the “cell of society” that is familiar to us, living according to the law, but a system of legal relations and categories of a certain state. Such education may also arise due to differences in views on the law of a certain group of people. Thus, for example, a religious legal family, unlike the traditional religious family, was formed.

Marriage and family in psychology

In psychology, there is a concept of marriage and family. Thus, the researchers supplemented the already known sociological definition of a “small cell of society”. The new definition is as follows: a family is an association of people who are close emotionally and meaningful to each other, arising on the basis of marriage, parenthood or blood ties. Marriage is a union of people bound by marital ties and vows.

We see that psychology puts in the first place not the usefulness of the family for society and not the legal grounds for its occurrence. Special importance is attached to sacred family ties, and the spiritual comfort of each person is valued above the usefulness of the individual for society.

In psychological science, the family is considered as a system, since certain relationships arise between its members. The position of each individual person in it, his role and spiritual ties with relatives are studied.

But even in psychology, the family is assigned special functions. Let's compare them with the previously considered sociological ones.

Family Functions

In psychology, the concept and functions of the family are interrelated. Usually each scientific school displays their own list. In some ways they have something in common, in some ways they differ, but the family psychologist T. V. Andreeva systematized all these functions. Here is a list of them:

The reproductive function lies in the fact that in the family people reproduce their own kind. Thus, a person gets the opportunity to leave a mark on the earth after his death.
The educational function is revealed in the formation of the child's personality. Mother, father and other close relatives lay the foundations of character by their behavior little man. In addition, they set an example for him with their actions.
Very similar to the previous teaching function of the family. It consists in the fact that all elementary skills and basic knowledge about the world around the child receives from his parents.
The communicative function of the family is revealed in the communication of its members among themselves, as well as in their appeal to the media, culture and art. Thus, a person not only finds an interlocutor in the person of his closest relative, but also joins the beauty of the world around him.
The emotional function of the family is to give others sympathy and care, to provide psychological support. Without this, it would be very difficult for a person to cope with the difficulties of everyday life.
Some researchers single out a spiritual and psychotherapeutic function. After all, it is in the family that a person is enriched spiritually. In addition, relatives turn out to be the most accessible psychologists and analysts for many people.
The sexual-erotic function implies the satisfaction of the need for love and sex. A family man enjoys his partner not only spiritually, but also physically. And the reciprocity that can be experienced in marriage is very important.
Household and economic functions consist in the joint management of the household by people, the creation of coziness and the usual way of life, the acquisition of material comfort and well-being.
The function of socialization means that here a young person, an emerging personality, learns to live in society. From his parents, he gets an idea of what norms of behavior are encouraged by society, and which ones are rejected.
The status function means the transfer to the child from the parents of skin color, nationality, place in the social hierarchy. We have previously used the term "social identity" to describe the similar role of the family in social science.
The function of primary social control. It implies that the family can act as a kind of "primary conscience." That is, the attitude of close people to certain actions of a person shows how the whole society will perceive it. Norms of conduct and permissibility in this case instilled in society.
The protective function implies that in the family each person can find the necessary help and protection.

As we can see, psychology and sociology have similar basic concepts. The family is considered by them as a system that performs certain functions. However, sociology focuses on the usefulness of the individual for society, and psychology considers intra-family relations. "Family member" is a more legal concept, but each person also has his own ordinary idea of these social science terms and their meaning. And such a simple, unscientific understanding is also correct.

The concept and types of family in psychology

Psychologists like to classify everything, so this fate did not bypass the category of the family. The division is carried out according to many criteria, but the most famous, perhaps, is the classification according to the time lived by people in marriage.

There are young families with an experience of 1-3 years, mature ones, in which the spouses spent from 3 to 20 years together, and elderly "cells of society". Thus, it can be concluded that there is a certain life cycle, which goes through every marriage during its existence.

"Young family" is a concept that psychologists are more interested in than others. During this period, people adapt to living together. Their mutual charm passes, giving way to the establishment of life. It was at this time that a single, holistic mechanism was formed - the family.

Mature couples devote all their time first to raising children. The concept of family is becoming central among people: dear people are given warmth and care, almost all free time is devoted to them. And then the grown children "fly away from the nest."

Elderly spouses learn to live again only together. Sometimes they begin to travel the world together, sometimes they part. Some find solace in hobbies and creativity.

Let's think about family.

The concept of family is ambiguous. In each branch of knowledge, this term implies its own structure, a separate scientific definition is given.

But how long has each of us thought about our family and tried to understand what family ties mean to him? And is it really so easy to try to give this concept its own, not scientific, but based on personal considerations, definition? Indeed, despite the fact that we are all born and live in families, revealing our own everyday experience is often more difficult than speaking in general terms.

All people are different, they all realize their own ideas about what the ideal "cell of society" should be. And that is why the concept of family is different for each person.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Have you ever thought about what a family is? What is its meaning, and what significance does it have in your life? From the school curriculum, we remember that "family is social unit of society».

Most are afraid of being alone in life and build close ties with people - this is due to the structure of our psyche. It turns out that the family is one of the ways to “be with someone, someone else” in this world? Let's understand in more detail.

History of the concept

According to scientists, initially wild people, descended from monkeys, lived in communities. The instinct of procreation encouraged men (males) to fight among themselves for the right to possess a woman (female), i.e. for having sexual relations with her. The latter allowed only the strongest and most active in order to have healthy offspring.

Psychic evolution allowed men to understand that if you bring your chosen one a “mammoth”, protect her from wild animals, then you can become her permanent partner. And while others measured their strength, the most cunning hunted.

Women have also changed their priorities: permanent partner gave stability, protection, provided food, shelter and protection in return for her favor. So the first families began to appear, which over time changed their appearance, organization, acquired new conditions of existence, internal responsibilities.

Definition of family - what is it

Different scientific currents have their own views on this issue: they interpret the definition of the family in different ways. Let's analyze some of them:

Sociologists mean by this concept the union of several people related by blood relationship or legalized their relationship in the registry office.
That is, a husband and wife are already a family. A married couple, their parents and children are collectively referred to as a family.
In jurisprudence a family is people living together who are officially married.
Psychologists A family is a group whose members are connected by personal relationships, common values, interests and traditions.

If we combine all these definitions, then:

a family is a separate unit of society, confirmed at the state level (not always), within which people are connected by a common life, similar goals, interests and worldview.

Among the features of the family the following can be distinguished:

relations;
joint life and accommodation;
the presence of jointly acquired material assets;
relationships of a close, intimate nature;
the presence of children (optional, because childless spouses are also considered a family).

What are families

There are a great many types of families, so scientists have combined them into a classification:

What is it for (family functions)

The family performs a number of important functions:

Why does a person need a family

Answering this question in broad sense, we can say that the family is what determines social status person.

If you think more narrowly - from the point of view of psychology, this is what gives people the feeling of someone near, support. Something that helps to cope with difficulties, for which you want to live and achieve high results.

A family is a place where you will always be understood, listened to and helped. This is human, spiritual warmth. Native people give us a sense of need and self-worth. Aspirations are embedded in our psyche as important needs, which, remaining unsatisfied, bring a lot of suffering and sadness to a person.

lonely man deprived of such privileges. He is in no hurry to go home, because no one is waiting for him there. No one will be happy about his arrival, ask how you are doing and treat you with delicious tea. No one will say “You are the best anyway” when they suffer some kind of defeat in life or make an unfortunate mistake. No one will say "I believe in you" when he is preparing to do something important.

No matter how strong people are, they will always want to lean on someone's shoulder.

Portrait of a happy family

One day, two people of different sexes (whoops, now there may be options), who fell in love with each other, decide to create their own separate cell and register their relationship in the wedding palace.

Their relationship is built on love and mutual respect. putting on wedding rings, partners secretly undertake to be together under any circumstances, not to be interested in people of the opposite sex and to take care of each other.

They bear equal responsibility for their union and, in case of problems, do not shift it to another. Spouses behave honestly, openly and confidentially. They relax together, get impressions, enjoy life, and also decide to have children.

Also, in a normal family, everyone has the right to their own personal life - the opportunity to be alone, to have their own friends, hobbies and interests. The ability to have your desires and realize them.
Partners must understand that each person has their own characteristics - accept and respect them.

For example, if the husband turned out to be an avid football fan, then a normal wife will not insist that her husband give up this hobby. And vice versa. The personal hobbies of a woman should not be infringed upon by a man, even if he does not like them.

Common mistake- strive to be like each other in everything. This leads to the fact that the spouses become the same: they become bored with each other, more and more scandals arise based on mutual irritation. Paradox (?), but the more people differ, the higher the probability of a happy family life.

Good luck to you! Before see you soon on blog pages

FAMILY

family) The family in psychoanalysis is always what anthropologists call the nuclear family, consisting of mother, father and children who see themselves and are considered by society as a starting cell, and not big family clan or tribe. As a result, phenomena such as the Oedipus Complex and rivalry between siblings (see SIBS) are always described in terms that would lose their meaning if applied to cultures where uncles and grandparents are no less important than fathers, and between cousins and siblings make no distinction. Furthermore, phenomena like the crisis of youthful IDENTIFICATION, which occur only in nuclear families, are defined as if they were human nature. family therapy is PSYCHOTHERAPY, which considers as an object of treatment not an individual patient, as a "representative" of the family, but the whole family as a whole. In the United States, the journal "Family Process" is published, where studies are published based on the assumption that neuroses are family disorders. family romance - a child's fantasy that his parents are not real, and that in fact he is of noble, even royal origin.

Semes

Sems). "Socially formed conductive structures of ergs". Learned or acquired dynamic traits, intermediate goals, linking the attitude to the original erg. The semes take their energy from the ergs and give the attitudes some organization and stability.

FAMILY

1. In its strictest sense, the term "family" refers to the fundamental unit of kinship. In its minimal or nuclear form, the family consists of mother, father, and offspring. In broader usage, it may refer to the extended family, which may include grandparents, cousins, adopted children, etc., who collectively act as a distinct social unit. Sociologists and anthropologists have many other special classifications for different kinds of families, according to how they are presented in different cultures and societies. 2. A broader meaning is a group of people with close social or personal ties, even if there are no blood ties between them. 3. An even broader meaning is a term applicable to any set of closely or formally related objects or events; in mathematics it refers to the family of curves, in social psychology- to a family of traits or relationships, in linguistics - to a family of languages, etc. 4. In biology, a level of classification of related species (or sometimes a single species) that are grouped in a specific order.

FAMILY

a small group based on marriage or consanguinity, whose members are connected by common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility. As a stable association arises with the decomposition of the tribal system. The main historical forms of S. are: steam room (with unstable ties between husband and wife and separate property), large (including several generations of relatives), polygamous, monogamous. The majority of modern S. consists of spouses and their children (nuclear S.). The sphere of origin and development of family conflicts.

FAMILY

a stable association based on marriage or consanguinity of people connected by common life and mutual responsibility. The most important function of S. is reproductive, that is, the birth and upbringing of children. S. provides the most adequate conditions for the sexual education of children and the formation of their sexual identity. Individuals brought up in S., especially those who have both a father and a mother, are less likely to encounter sexual perversions, and the process of sexual socialization proceeds more easily and naturally.

Family

slavyansk. "seven" - worker, servant, household; lat seima - household) - 1. fundamental unit of kinship. In its minimal or nuclear, nuclear form, the family consists of a father, a mother, and their offspring. In a broader sense, the term refers to the "extended family", which may include grandparents, cousins, adopted children, etc., who collectively function as a separate social unit. There are many other special classifications for different types of families, according to how the latter are presented in different cultures and societies; 2. broader meaning - a group of people with close social or personal ties, even if there is no blood connection between them; 3. even broader meaning - a term that denotes any set of closely or formally related objects or events. For example, in social psychology - a family of traits or relationships, in mathematics - a family of curves, in linguistics - a family of languages, etc.; 4. in biology, the level of classification of related species (sometimes individual species), which are grouped in a certain order; 5. in psychoanalysis, what anthropologists call the nuclear family, consisting of a father, mother and their natural and / or adopted children, who consider themselves and are considered by society as a starting cell, and not a large family of a clan or tribe. As a result, phenomena such as the Oedipus complex and rivalry between siblings are always described in terms that lose their meaning when applied to cultures where uncles, grandparents, and other relatives are by no means less important to children than their fathers, and between cousins and native siblings, no significant differences are made. In addition, phenomena like adolescence identity crisis (in psychopathology, "disidentification"), which usually occur only in nuclear families, are defined as if they represent inherent properties and always existing properties of human nature. There are studies based on the assumption that neuroses are predominantly intrafamilial disorders. The term family romance refers to the child's fantasies that his parents are not real, and that in fact he has a high, noble, even royal lineage.

Family

a small social group consisting of people connected by ties of kinship and / or marriage. Represents dynamic system, the functioning of which is determined by the action of two laws: the law of homeostasis and the law of heterostasis. According to the law of homeostasis, each family strives to maintain its position, to remain at a given point in development. According to the law of heterostasis, each family system must go through its own life cycle: a certain sequence of stages. The family performs a number of functions, the most important of which are: the function of spiritual (cultural) communication, emotional, sexual and erotic, the function of primary social control, reproductive, educational, household.

Become successful in modern world, does not always mean having a good car, real estate or climbing the career ladder. Family plays a huge role in the success of any person. And in most cases, it becomes the most valuable gift of fate for each of us. As a rule, we value our family members and listen to their advice. We will discuss what a family is and how to achieve harmony in relations with the family in our article.

What is a family: definition

A family is a group of people based on consanguinity or marriage. You may have already guessed what a family is. But do not forget that, according to the definition, family members are interconnected by mutual assistance, common life and legal, as well as moral responsibility. The family is the property of public values. Every person from the moment of his birth already has such a characteristic as a family and marriage state. In life, you can often hear the question: what is a family? The definition is also given in family law. It states that a family is a group of persons bound by property and non-property obligations and rights arising from kinship, marriage or adoption.

To understand the definition of a family, check out its main features:

Cohabitation;
the presence of common children (in most cases);
observance of the rights and obligations provided by law;
the presence of material and moral community;
mutual support of family members.

Family structure

The family structure is taken into account during population censuses and plays an important role in the life of society and the state. On the this moment There are many types of families with its different organization:

For example, a monogamous family differs from a polygamous one in that, as a rule, it consists of two partners. While in a polygamous family, one of the spouses can have several marriage partners at once.
A family can be same-sex or heterosexual. A Swedish family is a family in which three people (two of whom are of the same sex) live together. At the same time, the relationship between partners can be different and does not always mean joint sex.
Families can differ in the number of children and can be divided into several types: a childless family; one-child family (1 child); small family (1-2 children); average family (3-4 children); large family (from 5 children);
AT modern society the most common nuclear family. What is the nuclear family and what is its peculiarity? The nuclear family consists of one married couple with or without children. A complex family includes several generations (grandfathers, grandmothers, sisters and their husbands, brothers and their wives, nephews, etc.)
One of the vulnerable groups of the population is a young family. What is a young family and how does it differ from other families? The fact is that a family can be considered young if it meets the following parameters: the age of the spouses must be from 18 to 30 years; the marriage must be entered into for the first time, and the duration of the joint life must not exceed 3 years.

What are family resources: their types

To meet the needs of family members, it is necessary to have certain resources that can ensure the development of the individual, as well as his life. Family resources are material, monetary and production means, opportunities, values and sources of income.

There are several types of resources:

Material resources. Includes any real estate, household appliances and vehicles.
Labor resources. They mean family members with their ability to run a household.
Financial resources. Includes money securities, bank accounts etc.
Technological resources. Repair technology, cooking technology, etc. are used.

How to build family happiness

Many books have been written about what family happiness is and how to achieve that very harmony. But in order to create a solid foundation in the family, you need to work on yourself and develop the necessary qualities. They will help you get through the ups and downs together. Thus, in order to build family happiness, you must have understanding, respect and self-sacrifice for your partner. Be responsible for your happiness and remember that it is yours. There is no "I" in the family, only "we". So you will create a strong and happy family.

What is a family for children, and what should be the conditions for their development? For a child, the family is, first of all, the environment in which the conditions for his mental, physical, intellectual and emotional development are laid. In order for this development to take place, you must pay attention to the upbringing of the child and conduct various activities with him. It is also necessary to find that contact with the child in which you can identify his interests and fit into them. If your child preschool age, then pay attention to the development of the semantic sphere so that in the future the child does not have problems with obtaining new information and personal development.

Thus, in order to know what a family is, the essay will be meaningless. Listen to the information provided in our article, and remember that the happiness of the family depends only on you.

Storms on the Sun