SH1687

Family Structures and Legacies

Families can be seen as social systems which have established a set of rules, have ascribed and assigned
roles, power structure, and strategies for solving disputes. There are different types of family’s examples
are nuclear, extended, step, and single parents. The traditional family structure involves two married
individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family
has become less prevalent, and unconventional family forms have become more common. The family is
created at birth and establishes ties across generations. The extended family of aunts, uncles,
grandparents, and cousins, can all hold significant emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family.

Types of Family Structure:

1. Nuclear Family - the nuclear family is considered. the "traditional" family and consists of a mother,
father, and the children. The two-parent nuclear family has become less prevalent, and alternative
family forms such as homosexual relationships, single-parent households, and adopting individuals
are more common. The nuclear families at present prefer to have fewer children than in the past.
2. Single Parent - a single parent is a parent who cares for one or more children without the
assistance of the other biological parent. Historically, single-parent families often resulted from the
death of a spouse, for instance during childbirth. Single-parent homes are increasing as married
couples separate, or as unmarried couples have children. The sense of marriage as a "permanent"
institution has been weakened, allowing individuals to consider leaving marriages more readily than
they may have in the past. Increasingly, single-parent families are a result of out of wedlock births,
especially those due to unintended pregnancy. In the Philippines, at least 13.9 million Filipinos are
single parents who carry the burden of raising their family by themselves as to a 2012 survey by
the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
3. Step Families - stepfamily is formed by the marriage or long-term cohabitation of two individuals,
when one or both ha at least one child from a previous relationship living part-time or full-time in
the household. The individual who is not the biological parent of the child or children is referred to
as the stepparent Stepfamilies are also called blended families
4. Extended Family - the extended family consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In
some circumstances, the extended family comes to live either with or in place of a member of the
nuclear family. About 4 percent of children live with a relative other than a parent. For example,
when elderly parents move in with their children due to old age, this places large demands on the
caregivers, particularly the female relatives who choose to perform these duties for their extended
family.

In a published book by D. Nicholson and H. Ayers, titled Adolescent Problems in 2004, patterns of parenting
styles are the following:
1. Authoritarian - parents who are depending on force alone to control their children rather than
reasoning with them or praising them.
2. Permissive - parents who do not consistently enforce rules and do not have high expectations of
their children.
3. Authoritative - parents who maintain firm control over their children through reasoning with their
children rather than depending on the force.
4. Rejecting/neglecting—parents who do not provide supervision, and do not have any
expectations, and who are not supportive of their children.

A family member with an emotional or behavioral difficulty disturbs harmonious family relationships and
may in turn result in the creation of factional conflicts.

Family Assessment
Methods of obtaining family information include structured interviews, self-report questionnaires, and
observations Genograms or family trees are often used to summarize relationships and issues within the
family.
A genogram is a graphical representation of a person's family relationship and/or medical history. It is a
unique type of family research diagram. It not only records family members and their relationships to each

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other but also many of their physical and physiological attributes by utilizing an elaborate system of
symbols.

Common symbols:
In a genogram, female family members are represented by circles and males by squares.

To represent someone who is deceased, draw an x through symbol.

A pregnancy is usually represented with a triangle and through the triangle reflects a miscarriage or
abortion. The between people represent inherited traits related to emotional relationships.

Examples of Genogram:

Common Uses of a Genogram

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Genograms are useful in almost any profession that deals with patterns of heredity and psychological
issues. They are useful in the study of disease, behavior, and social interactions.
1. Medical genograms enable physicians to evaluate an individual's health risks. Knowledge of pre-
existing health conditions can help doctors accurately diagnose and provide appropriate treatment
of health problems. For the individual, having knowledge of diseases or illnesses common to the
family can give, an individual a chance in taking preventive measures. Documenting four
generations may prove to be sufficient detail.
2. Sociologists use genograms to gather objective information and track developments across
generations. This allows them to view the client's issues as it relates to the client's marital and
family relationships.
3. A genogram displays the emotional bond among individuals composing a family or social unit. A
genogram function as an assessment tool to measure the cohesiveness of the group in order to
determine the proper care needed. This type of information is invaluable for a social worker.
4. Genograms provide family counselors or therapists with information on family dynamics to a client
who is going through personal or family therapy.
5. Genealogists are able to use genograms to document complex family trees that include information
regarding marriages and divorces, adoption, strained relationships, etc. The genogram can be used
to examine interesting family histories such as naming patterns, rivalry, or significant events

What Makes a Family Strong and Successful?

According to Dr. Wayne Matthews of North Carolina State University, published by North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service in 2008 for Advocates for Youth publications, there are at least five "L's"
which contribute to strong family relationships.
1. Learning - families are where values, skills, and behavior are learned. Strong families manage and
control their learning experiences. They establish a pattern of home life, guide theft children into
the world outside the home. They do not let social forces rule their family life. They involve
themselves in neighborhood, school, government, church, and business in ways that support their
family values. Strong families teach by example and learn through experience as they explain and
execute their values.
2. Loyalty - strong families have a sense of loyalty and devotion toward family members. The family
sticks together. They stand by each other during times of trouble. They stand up for each other
when attacked by someone outside the family. A family is a place of shelter for individual family
members. In times of personal success or defeat, the family becomes a cheering section or a
mourning bench.
3. Love - is at the heart of the family. All humans have the need to love and to be loved; the family is
normally the place where love is expressed. Love is the close personal blending of physical and
mental togetherness. It includes privacy, intimacy, sharing, belonging, and caring. The atmosphere
of real love is one of honesty, understanding, patience, and forgiveness. Such love does not
happen automatically; it requires constant daily effort by each family member. Loving families share
activities and express a great deal of gratitude for one another.
4. Laughter - is a good family medicine. Humor is a regulator: of family tensions. Through laughter,
the family learns to see each other honestly and objectively. Laughter can help release tensions
and balances each other's efforts in order to view things accurately.
5. Leadership - family members, usually the adults, must assume responsibility for leading the family.
If no one, accepts this vital role, the family will dwindle. Each family needs its own special set of
rules and guidelines. These rules are based on the family members' greatest understanding of one
another, not forces. The guidelines pass along from the adults to the children by example, with
firmness and fairness Strong families can work together to establish their way of life, allowing
children to have a voice in decision making and enforcing rules. However, in the initial stages and
in times of crisis, adult family members must get the family to work together.

Reference:
Bernabe G. (2016). Personal development for senior high school. Manila, Philippines: Mindshapers Co., Inc.

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