Chapter 3. Family Structure

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CHAPTER 3

FAMILY STRUCTURE

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ESSB4263 FAMILY COUNSELLING


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TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOME

To identify the traditional family

structure

To identify the types of family structure

To identify the roles and relationship of

family

To identify the family functioning

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What is Family Structure?

Family structure is the invisible set offunctional demands that organizes the ways inwhich family members interact. A family is asystem that operates through transactional

patterns. Repeated transactions establishpatterns of how, when, and with whom torelate, and these patterns underpin thesystem.Minuchin (1974)

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What is Traditional Family

Structure?

Traditional family structure is considered a familysupport system involving two married individuals

providing care and stability for their biologicaloffspring.

The family is created at birth and establishes tiesacross generations. Those generations, the

extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents,and cousins, can hold significant emotional andeconomic roles for the nuclear family.

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Families

Families - organizationally complex emotional systems. comprise at least threefour generations. A family attempts to

arrange itself into functional or enabling group so that it can meet itsneeds and goals without preventing members from meeting theirindividual needs and goals (Kantor & Lehr 1975).

A family develops rules that outline and allocate the roles and

functions of its members. Those who live together develop patterns fornegotiating and arranging their life's to maximize harmony andpredictability.

Affection, loyalty, and a continuity or durability of membershipcharacterize all families. When these qualities are challenged, in crisissituation or severe conflict , families are typically resistant to change,

likely to engage in corrective maneuvers to reestablish familiarinteractive patterns.

All families promote positive relationships among members, attend topersonal needs of their constituents, prepare to cope withdevelopmental or maturational changes ( children leaving home) aswell as unplanned or unexpected crises (divorce, death, a suddenacute illness).

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Family Types

1. Nuclear family

The nuclear family has been considered the "traditional" family sincethe communist scare in the cold war of the 1950s.

The nuclear family consists of a mother, father, and the children.

The two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent, and pre-American and European family forms have become more common.

These include homosexual relationships, single-parent households,adopting individuals, and extended family systems living together.

The nuclear family is also choosing to have fewer children than in thepast.

The percentage of married-couple households with children under 18has declined to 23.5% of all households in 2000 from 25.6% in 1990, and

from 45% in 1960.

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_structure_in_the_United_States


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Family Types-cont.

2. Single parent

A single parent (also termed lone parent or sole parent) is a parent who caresfor one or more children without the assistance of the other biological parent.

Single-parent families often resulted from death of a spouse, for instance inchildbirth.

Single-parent homes are increasing as married couples divorce, or as

unmarried couples have children. The percentage of single-parent households has doubled in the last three

decades, but that percentage tripled between 1900 and 1950.

The sense of marriage as a "permanent" institution has been weakened,allowing individuals to consider leaving marriages more readily then they mayhave in the past.[6] Increasingly single parent families are due to out ofwedlock births, especially those due to unintended pregnancy.

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Family Types-cont.

3. Step FamiliesStepfamilies are becoming more familiar

nowadays especially in America.

Divorce rates are rising and the remarriage

rate is rising as well, therefore, bringing twofamilies together making step families.

Statistics show that there are 1,300 newstepfamilies forming every day. Over half of

American families are remarried, that is 75%of marriages ending in divorce, remarry.

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Family Types-cont.

4. Extended family The extended family consists of grandparents, aunts,

uncles, and cousins.

The extended family comes to live either with or in placeof a member of the nuclear family (ex: elderly parents

who move in with their children due to old age). Among certain Asian and Native American cultures the

family structure consisted of a grandmother and herchildren, especially daughters, who raised their ownchildren together and shared child care responsibilities.

Romantic relationships between men and women wereformed and dissolved with little impact on the childrenwho remained in the mother's extended family.

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Family Functioning

Boyer and Jeffrey describe six elementson which families areassessed to be either functional or dysfunctional.

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Family Functioning (cont.)1. Communication

Family members are encouraged to expresshonest feelings and opinions, and all membersparticipate in decisions that affect the familysystem.

Behaviors that interfere with functionalcommunication include Making assumptions

Belittling feelings

Failing to listen

Communicating indirectly

Presenting doublebind messages

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Family Functioning (cont.)

2. Self-concept Reinforcement Functional families strive to reinforce and

strengthen each members self-concept, with thepositive result being that family members feel lovedand valued.

Behaviors that interfere with self-conceptreinforcement include

Expressing denigrating

remarks

Withholding supportive

messages

Taking over

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3. Family Members Expectations

In functional families, expectations are realistic,flexible, and individualized.

Behaviors that interfere with adaptive functioning interms of member expectations include

Ignoring individuality

Demanding proof of love

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4. Handling Differences

Functional families understand that it is acceptableto disagree and deal with differences in an open,non-attacking manner.

Behaviors that interfere with successful familynegotiations include

Attacking

Avoiding

Surrendering

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5. Family Interactional Patterns Family interactional patterns are functional when

they are workable and constructive and promotethe needs of all family members.

They are dysfunctional when they becomecontradictory, self-defeating, and destructive.Examples are patterns thatCause emotional discomfort

Perpetuate or intensify

problems rather than

solve themAre in conflict with each

other

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6. Family Climate A positive family climate is

founded on trust and is reflected

in openness, appropriate humor and laughter,

expressions of caring, mutual respect, a valuing ofthe quality of each individual, and a general feelingof well-being.

A dysfunctional family climate is

evidenced by tension, pain, physical

disabilities, frustration, guilt, persistent

anger, and feelings of hopelessness.

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End of Chapter 3

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CLASS ACTIVITY

Discuss in a group the concepts of familyand family functioning for differentethnic groups:

1.China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan

2. Indonesia and Philippines

3.Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam

4.Africa5.Europe

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Chapter 3. Family Structure

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