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FAMILY

This unit discusses families, including definitions of family, different family patterns, and the family life cycle. It addresses the functions families serve in providing physical, emotional, and social support to their members. The family life cycle describes the typical stages families progress through, from marriage and child rearing to empty nesting and retirement. Factors both within and outside the family can cause changes and require adjustments at different stages of the family life cycle.

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Caphas Kaptain
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313 views4 pages

FAMILY

This unit discusses families, including definitions of family, different family patterns, and the family life cycle. It addresses the functions families serve in providing physical, emotional, and social support to their members. The family life cycle describes the typical stages families progress through, from marriage and child rearing to empty nesting and retirement. Factors both within and outside the family can cause changes and require adjustments at different stages of the family life cycle.

Uploaded by

Caphas Kaptain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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unit 1.

FAMILY

Introduction

This unit presents to you contents on Family under which the sub
topics will be Family patterns and Family life cycle. We shall
discuss and look at different terms and concepts that are used in
family.

What is in this unit?


The Unit consists of three (3) parts as outlined below:
Part 1: Family
Part 2: Family patterns
part 3: family life cycle
1.1 Family
What is a family?
If you asked people to define what a family is, you would probably
get different descriptions. A person’s definition of the word family
comes from experience, which can vary a lot. A family can be
defined as a group of individuals who share common values, goals
and resources. Or is a collection of related people either by blood or
marriage.
1.2 Family patterns
You may live in a family where there are only father, mother and a
child which is known as nuclear family. Some families have only
one parent and one or more children living together-single parent
family. A blended family is where two people with children marry
and form a new family. A married couple without children is a
family. Sometimes a couple, children and other relations live
together to form extended family. Can you add some other types of
family?
5.4 Functions of the family
Families despite having different patterns their responsibility of
providing satisfactory basic needs of all members regardless of their
age is cardinal. The family provides not only physical needs such as
food shelter and clothing but also emotional needs as well the need
to belong to a home, to share with others, to feel loved and cared
for. It also provides nurturing; your family helps you grow as a
person. You have to gradually grow emotionally and socially too.
social skills are first learnt from the family. You saw how older
family members got along with their friends and people showed you
how to take a new responsibility additionally, a family provides
guidance to its members. Members of family need to be taught
values that keep them determine the kind of behaviour acceptable
in society and guidance is always set to family members.
Family Life cycle
Just as a human being develops from a dependent baby to a
toddler, an adolescent, then finally an adult, so every family goes
through different stages, from birth to maturity. This growth is part
of the family life cycle, the stages of life that the average family goes
through.
Learning about the family life cycle will help you understand the
changes that families go through. At each stage of the life cycle,
families have some common characteristics even through their
experiences are different. The following is the life cycle of a
human being:
a) Beginning stage a couple marries and establishes a home
b) child bearing stage the couple prepares for and adjusts to
parenthood
c) Child-Rearing stages as the child grows, parents work to
meet their child’s needs and to help them develop
independence.
d) Launching stage a child gradually leaves home to support
himself/herself. Parents help him/her adjust to their new
way of life
e) Empty-Nest stage after the child has left home; the couple
renews the marriage relationship and adjust to the change in
their parenting role.
f) Retirement stage the couple adjusts to the aging process
g) Death stage end of life
Factors causing family changes
Some changes in a family are set in motion by factors outside the
home. A parent may get a job transfer, for example, or may be the
victim of an accident. Other factors come from within the family and
may happen more slowly. A new baby may be born or parents may
divorce. All these events require adjustments by family members.

Activity
a) In your own words define ‘family’
b) Differentiate family patterns from family cycle
c) Outline with examples the major functions of the family
d) Describe the factors that influence change in the family.
Unit Summary
In this unit, you have learnt about Family considering family ,
functions of the family, family patterns, family cycles as well as
factors that cause changes in the family .
The next unit will be on Life Skill Management try to define life
skills prior to learning about it.

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