What is family. Family is... 4 definitions of family

This term is studied by a variety of sciences, and each gives its own interpretation.

In sociology, the concept refers to several people who are united by blood or marriage.

In the legal sense, these are people living together and connected with each other by legal relations that arose after the official registration of marriage.

The law of the Russian Federation interprets a surname as an organized group of people connected by common life and moral responsibility.

Psychologists base the concept on personal relationships, noting the important role of upbringing and the continuity of traditions from elders to younger ones.

The term “family” has many definitions and concepts, but in general it is a unit of society that binds two people through a common life and relationships formalized by law.

How the family came to be: an excursion into history

At the dawn of evolution, people lived in communities or alone. According to scientists, the first unions began to emerge when ancient women stopped choosing alpha males and switched their attention to male breadwinners who were more faithful.

The change in priorities occurred for practical reasons - a reliable man could provide food for a woman and children throughout her life. It was calmer with him.

While the alpha males fought for women, the breadwinners brought meat and skins to their chosen ones and set up a home. Therefore, representatives of the fairer sex quickly figured out who was more profitable to live with.

Historians interpret meaning a little differently than lawyers or sociologists. In their opinion, a group of people who have a common ancestor can safely be called a cell of society.

Each cell has several components.

• The basis. Marriage plays this role. The conclusion of a formal union ensures that both parties have established marital rights and responsibilities.
• System of relations. This includes not only relationships between spouses, but also family ties - children, brothers, mothers-in-law, and so on. There are about 70% of these in Russia.
• Compound. Legislative legal acts list in detail the circle of persons forming one clan. In different types of codes - labor, civil or any other, the composition of this cell is different.

Features and functions

We were able to define the concept of a modern family, now let’s talk about its features and functions:

Any social unit is determined by the presence of the following characteristics:

• officially registered marriage;
• maintaining a common household, living together;
• acquisition of material assets;
• the presence of close, intimate relationships;
• the presence of one or more children.

Functions:

• Continuation of the family. The reproductive function is the most important, it is inherent in us by nature. And thanks to the traditions that have developed in society, the purpose of marriage is to give birth and raise children.
• Creation and accumulation of common material assets, joint farming.
• Upbringing. The goal is to educate and educate your children, instill in them moral values, norms of behavior in society, and also adapt them to normal life in it.
• Preservation of traditions and values. They help strengthen and preserve connections, ensure continuity of generations and shape the history of the family. Unions that have their own family traditions are more closely connected, because different generations of people interact more with each other.

Family structure

As a result of the development of society, scientists have identified several types of unions.

• By the number of partners - monogamous and polygamous. The former represent a union of one woman and one man, the latter allow living with several partners at the same time. Most families are monogamous. Religion often contributes to this. In the Orthodox tradition, the love of one man and one woman is sealed by marriage.
• According to the structure of family ties - simple and nuclear. In simple ones, parents and their children live together, and in nuclear ones, several generations lead a common household.
• By the number of children - childless, small children and large families.
• By type of accommodation. If the newlyweds live with the wife's parents, it is matrilocal; if they live with the husband's parents, it is patrilocal. Separately living spouses belong to the neolocal type.
• According to the form of government - matriarchy, patriarchy, democracy. In a matriarchal system, the woman dominates. She takes most of the responsibility and makes most of the decisions. In a patriarchal system, all power is concentrated in the hands of men. In a democracy, both spouses bear equal responsibility and make decisions jointly.
• By social status – young, adopted, established.
• In terms of moral and psychological state – prosperous, unfavorable.
• According to financial status - wealthy or poor.

Family resources and their types

This term refers to all property, material assets, sources of income of the husband and wife.

Resources can be divided into several categories.

• Material. These include real estate, cars, household appliances, valuables, and jewelry. Each clan strives to acquire certain resources, as they ensure comfortable living for its members.
• Labor. All relatives do some kind of housework: cooking, cleaning, repairs, etc. All this put together is called labor resources.
• Financial – cash, bank accounts, securities, shares, deposits. Financial resources make it possible to purchase material ones.
• Informational. They are also called technological, since they represent the technology for doing some household chores. For example, a mother prepares food and teaches her daughter or son to cook in the same way. In different cells of society, technological processes occur differently, and therefore the resources differ. The peculiarity of these processes is that they often develop into traditions.

Resources are an important component that allows us to solve various everyday problems, achieve desired goals and satisfy people’s needs.

Why is a family necessary?

Human psychology is such that he cannot do it alone; he definitely needs close people who love him and whom he loves.

The family, as already mentioned above, is the cell of society, its structural unit. Its role is to satisfy human needs, not only in the material and physical planes, but also in the spiritual.

When forming a new couple, the spiritual component comes first, since two people are in love, they like to spend time with each other, share their thoughts and experiences. In such a union, a person receives love, understanding, support, without which it is difficult to live in society.

The emotional component of a social unit consists of feelings. For some, love and mutual understanding predominate, for others, negative emotions predominate - reproaches, resentments, anger, etc.

It is believed that all unions go through different stages of their existence - falling in love, getting used to it, the stage of tolerance. Mature couples who have lived together for many years and survived all stages come to true love. Many fall apart during the grinding-in stages, when many conflicts arise.

What is a modern family and what is its significance?

Unlike the times of the USSR, modern unions are autonomous and closed to society. Intervention in their affairs occurs only in extreme cases, when this cell becomes destructive. In Soviet times it was more open to the state. Supervisory authorities monitored the development of every officially formalized relationship between citizens. When conflicts and divorces arose, they intervened and tried to influence, took possible steps to resolve quarrels and save the marriage.

Distinctive features: the uniqueness of modern unions

Today, it is impossible to define a family unambiguously due to the different types - Swedish, adopted, open, and so on. The essence of relations between the sexes has long gone beyond the classical formula: one woman, one man and children. In the Russian Federation, same-sex and Swedish marriages are prohibited, but in some foreign countries they are recognized by law, and this phenomenon is considered the norm.

Let us note some features that characterize the unions of our country over the past 25 years:

• Increase in the number of legal marriages. Young couples increasingly prefer to formalize their relationship at the registry office, although the institution of civil marriage still remains.
• Increasing the age of marriage. The average age of newlyweds is 22 years, while 30-40 years ago newlyweds barely reached adulthood, and 50 years ago our grandparents got married even earlier: at 15-16 years old. The growing up of newlyweds is associated with the need to obtain higher education and the need to improve their everyday life. Modern youth in most cases think about a career and preparing the ground for marriage.
• Later birth of children after the formalization of the relationship. According to statistics, the birth of the first child occurs in the 3-5th year of marriage.
• The desire to live separately from parents. Since Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, several generations have lived in the same house. After the wedding, the newlyweds did not strive to separate and lived with the parents of the wife or husband, leading a common life and even a budget. Modern couples strive to start living separately as quickly as possible.
• Showing interest in traditions. Modern youth are increasingly thinking about their roots, origins and ancestors. It has become popular to compile your own family tree, pedigree. This surge of interest is normal. At a certain period in the life of the country, it was not customary to talk about origin, especially to those whose ancestors were not peasants, but princes, landowners and merchants. You can preserve your traditions and strengthen your family ties by creating a family tree. The House of Genealogy will help with this. The company’s specialists will find information about ancestors and relatives in the archives and prepare a genealogical book, which can become not only a good gift, but also a real heirloom.

The state in the 21st century pays more attention to the development of the family institution, improving its quality, and developing spiritual values. Today, marriage is a sign of a person’s well-being, his support and support. Times change, but the basic principles of building relationships between a man and a woman remain unchanged: love, mutual respect, trust and care.

The role of family in human life

It has a huge impact on the children who live in it. It helps you determine your moral guidelines. Despite the fact that in kindergartens, schools, sections and clubs, teachers strive to convey to the little person basic knowledge, skills, moral truths, and the experience of mom and dad, their attitude towards each other plays a major role in shaping the child’s personality.

Parents and grandparents lay down:

• ability to love;
• understanding your traditions;
• attitude towards people, including the opposite sex;
• the ability to appreciate help and provide it yourself;
• line of behavior in society and the ability to live harmoniously in it.

Only among loved ones and relatives does a person feel protected. He feels needed and this gives a person self-confidence. Helps him overcome difficulties and cope with failures.

The family is the beginning of everything, it is the connection between past generations and current ones. Each cell of society has characteristic features: the presence of marriage, children, maintaining a common household. It is where a person, his views, skills, and spiritual values ​​are formed. And our task is to do everything to preserve it.

This article is about the sociological, demographic and psychological aspects of the concept of family. On the legal, cultural side of the issue, on the marriage union, see Marriage union.

The family belongs to the most important social values. According to some scientific theories, it was the form of the family that could determine the general direction of the evolution of macrosocial systems for many centuries. Each member of society, in addition to social status, ethnicity, property and financial status, from the moment of birth to the end of life has such a characteristic as family and marital status.

Definition of family

According to the classic definition of one of the leading English sociologists, Anthony Giddens, a family is understood as “a group of people connected by direct family relationships, the adult members of which assume responsibilities for caring for children.” In the context of this definition, kinship relationships are considered to be relationships that arise through marriage (that is, a sexual union of two adults that has received recognition and approval from society) or that are a consequence of a blood connection between individuals. Family is a small group based on marriage or consanguinity, whose members are bound by a common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility.

According to traditional ideas, the family develops around a heterosexual union of a man and a woman, however, sociocultural changes taking place in society are also legalizing same-sex family unions. The family changes with the development of society.

A family can also mean a parent couple or one parent with at least one child.

In law, family is understood as a legal family under the protection of the state. Typically, a “complete family” in the legal sense consists of a father, mother and child (or children); “Incomplete family” - a father with a child (or children) or a mother with a child (or children). In Russian family law, a family is defined as a circle of persons bound by personal non-property and property rights and obligations arising from marriage, kinship, and adoption.

The genealogical definition of family represents it as a collection of people related by blood or property. This definition, on the one hand, is broader than the legal definition of a family; on the other hand, it excludes adoptive parents and children from the list of family members.

Psychological approach to the family (this approach, in particular, is adhered to by Klaus Schneewind (German). Klaus Schneewind )) understands a family as a certain collection of individuals that meets four criteria:

• Mental, spiritual and emotional intimacy of its members.
• Spatial and temporal limitations.
• Closedness, interpersonal intimacy.
• The duration of the relationship, responsibility for each other, duty to each other.

Family aspects

Sociologists identify several functions of the family:

• Reproductive: birth of offspring.
• Educational: raising children, self-realization of parental feelings.
• Household: meeting the material needs of family members.
• Recreational: restoration of physical and intellectual strength.
• Emotional: satisfying the needs for sympathy, respect, recognition, support, emotional protection.
• Spiritual: joint leisure activities and spiritual enrichment.
• Social: Social control, socialization and enculturation.
• Sexual-erotic: satisfaction of sexual-erotic needs.

Story

The scientific study of forms of family life began in the 19th century and is associated with the works of I. Bachofen, L. Morgan, M. M. Kovalevsky. In particular, it was shown that the type of family highly determined the nature of the further evolution of the corresponding society.

Social and psychological attitudes towards fertility have also changed. Representatives of older than younger generations agree much more often with the judgment that “every woman’s duty to become a mother” and “every man’s duty to raise children.” The shifts in women's attitudes are especially noticeable. To the question “Should every woman become a mother?” among those surveyed in the late 1990s. Only 20% of St. Petersburg women aged 18 to 29 answered affirmatively, and among 30-39 year olds - only 17%. This means that motherhood, which religious morality has always considered the main hypostasis of a woman, becomes only one of her social identities. In Russians’ ideas about the fair distribution of family functions and the responsibilities of mother and father, traditionalist attitudes compete with egalitarian ones, accompanied by harsh mutual accusations between men and women.

Signs of family transformation began to appear in developed European countries already from the mid-1960s, and in other European countries - from the late 1980s to early 1990s. The list of the most important changes in the state of the family was briefly formulated by Dirk van de Kaa:

Family cycle

From the standpoint of population reproduction, a very important criterion for constructing a demographic typology of families is the stage of the family life cycle. The family cycle is determined by the following stages of parenthood:

• pre-parenthood - the period from marriage to the birth of the first child
• reproductive parenthood - the period between the births of the first and last children
• socialization parenting - the period from the birth of the first child to the separation of the last child from the family (most often through marriage) (in the case of one child in the family, it coincides with the previous stage)
• primogeniture - the period from the birth of the first grandchild to the death of one of the grandparents

Family structure in demographic statistics

Family structure, like marriage, is a momentary indicator recorded during censuses or special population surveys. Therefore, it is possible to give an idea of ​​the family structure of the population only from census or survey data. At the same time, the practice of demographic statistics distinguishes families according to the following characteristics:

• family size(number of its members);
• family type(nuclear, complex, complete, incomplete)
  • Nuclear families nuclear family) - families consisting of one married couple with children
  • Complex family - other relatives are added to the family core, both in the ascending line (grandparents, great-grandparents) and in the collateral lines (various relatives of each spouse). It may also include several married couples, the members of which are related by kinship and joint farming.
• number of children in the family
  • small families - 1-2 children (not enough for natural growth)
  • medium-sized families - 3-4 children (enough for low-expanded reproduction, as well as for the emergence of intra-group dynamics)
  • large families - 5 or more children (much more than is needed to replace generations)

It is noteworthy that in Russia, until 1992, only mothers who raised 5 or more children were considered to have large families (awards were awarded for demographic achievements: Medal of Motherhood, II and I degrees - awarded to mothers who raised 5 and 6 children; Order of Maternal Glory, III , II, I degrees - awarded to mothers who raised 7, 8 and 9 children, respectively, the Order of “Mother Heroine” was awarded to mothers who raised 10 or more children). Today, officially, “large families” start from three children, that is, a family of average children is considered to have many children. It is precisely this number of children that today is the most optimal family, comfortable for the state, and enjoying comprehensive social support, in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 5, 1992 N 431 “On measures for social support of large families.”

Types of family and its organization

In a comprehensive study of family structure, they are considered in complex combination. From a demographic point of view, there are several types of family and its organization [ unreputable source?] .

Depending on the form of marriage:

• monogamous family - consisting of two partners
• polygamous family - one of the spouses has several marriage partners
  • Polygyny is the simultaneous state of a man being married to several women. Moreover, marriage is concluded by a man with each of the women separately. For example, in Sharia there is a limit on the number of wives - no more than four
  • Polyandry is the simultaneous condition of a woman being married to several men. It is rare, for example, among the peoples of Tibet and the Hawaiian Islands.

Depending on the gender of the spouses:

• same-sex family - two men or two women jointly raising adopted children, artificially conceived or children from previous (heterosexual) contacts.
• heterosexual family

Depending on the number of children:

• childless or infertile family;
• one-child family;
• small family;
• average family;

Depending on the composition:

• simple or nuclear family - consists of one generation, represented by parents (parent) with or without children. The nuclear family has become the most widespread in modern society. She may be:
  • elementary - a family of three members: husband, wife and child. Such a family can, in turn:
    • complete - includes both parents and at least one child
    • incomplete - a family of only one parent with children, or a family consisting only of parents without children
  • composite - a complete nuclear family in which several children are raised. A compound nuclear family, where there are several children, should be considered as a conjunction of several elementary
• complex family or patriarchal family - a large family of several generations. This may include grandparents, brothers and their wives, sisters and their husbands, nephews and nieces.

Depending on a person’s place in the family:

• parental is the family into which a person is born
• reproductive - a family that a person creates himself

Depending on where the family lives:

• matrilocal - a young family living with the wife’s parents,
• patrilocal - a family living together with the husband's parents;
• neolocal - the family moves to a home remote from the place of residence of the parents.

Paternal inheritance means that children take their father's surname (in Russia also a patronymic) and property usually passes through the male line. Such families are called patrilineal. Inheritance through the female line means matrilineality families.

Torokhtiy V.S. dealt with the issues of classification of modern families.

Each of the categories of families is characterized by the socio-psychological phenomena and processes occurring in it, its inherent marital and family relations, including the psychological aspects of objective and practical activity, the circle of communication and its content, the characteristics of emotional contacts of family members, the socio-psychological goals of the family and individual psychological needs of its members.

Social functions of the family

Researchers are unanimous that the functions reflect the historical nature of the connection between family and society, the dynamics of family changes at different historical stages. The modern family has lost many of the functions that cemented it in the past: production, security, education, etc. family function one should understand the external manifestations of the properties of any subject in a given system of relations (family), certain actions to realize needs. The function reflects the connection of the family group with society, as well as the direction of its activities. However, some functions are resistant to change, in this sense they can be called traditional. These include the following functions:

A) reproductive- in any family the most important problem is childbirth. The integrity of the sexual need, which ensures procreation, and love as the highest feeling makes it impossible to separate one from the other. Marital love largely depends on the nature of the satisfaction of sexual needs, the characteristics of their regulation and the attitude of the spouses to the problem of childbirth and to the children themselves;

b) economic- includes feeding the family, purchasing and maintaining household property, clothing, shoes, home improvement, creating home comfort, organizing family life and everyday life, forming and spending a household budget;

V) regenerative- (Latin regeneratio - revival, renewal). Means inheritance of status, surname, property, social status. This also includes the transfer of some family jewelry;

It is not at all necessary to literally understand “jewelry” as jewelry, they can be given to any stranger, but such a treasure as an album with photographs cannot be given to a stranger - only to your own, dear

G) educational- (socialization). Consists of satisfying the needs for fatherhood and motherhood, contacts with children, their upbringing, self-realization in children;

Family and public education are interconnected, complement each other and can, within certain limits, even replace each other, but in general they are unequal and under no circumstances can they become so. Family upbringing is more emotional in nature than any other upbringing, because its “conductor” is parental love for children, which evokes reciprocal feelings in children for their parents;

d) sphere of initial social control- moral regulation of the behavior of family members in various spheres of life, as well as regulation of responsibilities and obligations in relations between spouses, parents and children, representatives of the older and middle generations;

e) recreational- (lat. recreatio - restoration). Associated with rest, organization of leisure, care for the health and well-being of family members.

and) spiritual communication- personal development of family members, spiritual mutual enrichment;

h) social status- providing a certain social status to family members, reproduction of the social structure;

And) psychotherapeutic- allows family members to satisfy the needs for sympathy, respect, recognition, emotional support, and psychological protection.

While traditional functions began to sharply weaken, this new, previously unknown psychotherapeutic function arose.

A marriage is successful or not depending on the activation of this function, that is, at present, family existence largely depends on the stability of close emotional relationships.

Family psychology

The family as a complex formation becomes the object of attention of various sections of psychology: social, developmental, clinical, pedagogical, etc. The subject of study becomes the family as a social institution, a small group and an open self-organizing system.

Psychological climate of the family

In the scientific literature, synonyms for the concept of “family psychological climate” are “family psychological atmosphere”, “family emotional climate”, “family socio-psychological climate”. It should be noted that there is no strict definition of these concepts. For example, O. A. Dobrynina understands the socio-psychological climate of a family as its generalized, integrative characteristic, which reflects the degree of satisfaction of the spouses with the main aspects of the family’s life, the general tone and style of communication.

The psychological climate in the family determines the stability of intrafamily relationships and has a decisive influence on the development of both children and adults. It is not something immutable, given once and for all. It is created by members of each family and it depends on their efforts whether it will be favorable or unfavorable and how long the marriage will last. Thus, a favorable psychological climate is characterized by the following features: cohesion, the possibility of comprehensive development of the personality of each member, high benevolent demands of family members towards each other, a sense of security and emotional satisfaction, pride in belonging to one’s family, responsibility. In a family with a favorable psychological climate, each member treats the others with love, respect and trust, also with respect for parents, and with readiness to help the weaker at any moment. Important indicators of a favorable psychological climate of a family are the desire of its members to spend free time in the home circle, talk about topics that interest everyone, do homework together, and emphasize the virtues and good deeds of everyone. Such a climate promotes harmony, reduces the severity of emerging conflicts, relieves stress, increases the assessment of one’s own social significance and realizes the personal potential of each family member. The initial basis for a favorable family climate is marital relationships. Living together requires spouses to be willing to compromise, to be able to take into account the needs of their partner, to give in to each other, and to develop such qualities as mutual respect, trust, and mutual understanding.

When family members experience anxiety, emotional discomfort, and alienation, in this case they speak of an unfavorable psychological climate in the family. All this prevents the family from fulfilling one of its main functions - psychotherapeutic, relieving stress and fatigue, and also leads to depression, quarrels, mental tension, and a lack of positive emotions. If family members do not strive to change this situation for the better, then the very existence of the family becomes problematic.

Psychological climate can be defined as a more or less stable emotional mood characteristic of a particular family, which is a consequence of family communication, that is, it arises as a result of the totality of the mood of family members, their emotional experiences and worries, attitudes towards each other, towards other people, towards work, to surrounding events. It is worth noting that the emotional atmosphere of the family is an important factor in the effectiveness of the family’s vital functions and the state of its health in general; it determines the stability of the marriage.

Many Western researchers believe that in modern society the family is losing its traditional functions, becoming an institution of emotional contact, a kind of “psychological refuge.” Domestic scientists also emphasize the increasing role of emotional factors in family functioning.

V. S. Torokhtiy speaks about the psychological health of the family and that this is “an integral indicator of the dynamics of vital functions for it, expressing the qualitative side of the socio-psychological processes occurring in it and, in particular, the ability of the family to withstand the undesirable influences of the social environment,” is not identical to the concept of “socio-psychological climate”, which is more applicable for groups (including small ones) of heterogeneous composition, which often unite their members on the basis of professional activities and the availability of ample opportunities for them to leave the group, etc. For small a group that has family ties that ensure stable and long-term psychological interdependence, where the closeness of interpersonal intimate experiences is preserved, where the similarity of value orientations is especially significant, where not one, but a number of family goals are simultaneously highlighted, and the flexibility of their priority and targeting is maintained, where the main condition for it is existence is integrity - the term “psychological health of the family” is more acceptable.

Psychological health - this is a state of mental and psychological well-being of a family, ensuring regulation of the behavior and activities of all family members that is adequate to their living conditions. To the main criteria for family psychological health B.C. Torokhtiy includes the similarity of family values, functional-role consistency, social-role adequacy in the family, emotional satisfaction, adaptability in microsocial relationships, and aspiration for family longevity. These criteria for the psychological health of a family create a general psychological portrait of a modern family and, above all, characterize the degree of its well-being.

Family traditions

Family traditions are the usual norms, behavior patterns, customs and views accepted in the family that are passed on from generation to generation. Family traditions and rituals are, on the one hand, one of the important signs of a healthy (as defined by V. Satir) or functional (as defined by E. G. Eidemiller and other researchers) family, and, on the other hand, the presence of family traditions is one of the most important mechanisms for transmitting the laws of intrafamily interaction to the next generations of the family: the distribution of roles in all spheres of family life, the rules of intrafamily communication, including ways to resolve conflicts and overcome emerging problems. Family traditions and rituals are based on social, religious and historical traditions and rituals, but are creatively transformed and supplemented by their own, so they are unique to each family.

Ethnocultural marriage and family traditions were one way or another persecuted and supplanted by unified requirements. Changing in accordance with the requirements of a higher order environment, the family preserves family traditions as one of the main ways of education and continuation of oneself. Family traditions bring all relatives closer together, making a family a family, and not just a community of relatives by blood. Home customs and rituals can become a kind of vaccination against the alienation of children from their parents and their mutual misunderstanding. Today, the only family tradition we have left is family vacations.

see also

Notes

1. , With. 9
2. , With. 275
3. Bim-Bad B.M. , Gavrov S.N. Family as a sociocultural phenomenon // . - M.: Intellectual book, New chronograph, 2010. - P. 27-53. - ISBN 978-5-94881-139-0
4. Korotaev A.V. Family in the socio-economic structure of pre-capitalist class formations // History and philology of the ancient and medieval East / Responsible. ed. Vasiliev, D. D., and Volkov, S. V. M.: Nauka, 1987, pp. 3-11.
5. , With. 20
6. // Big Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2000
7. Family- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
8. , With. 25
9. Familie - article in the explanatory dictionary of the German language "Duden".
10. // Legal Dictionary, 2000
11. , With. 10
12. , With. 10-11
13. , With. 26-27
14. Engels F. Origin of the family, private property and the state. - St. Petersburg: Azbuka, 2009. - 256 p. - ISBN 978-5-9985-0470-9
15. Marinova, M.A. The main social and economic approaches to housekeeping study // RUDN University Bulletin: Sociology series. - 2004. - No. 6-7.. - P. 202-211.
16. Chayanov, A. V. Organization of peasant farming // Selected works. - M.: Mosk.rabochiy, 1989. - 366 p. - ISBN 5-239-00639-3
17. Is the family at the center of socio-demographic policy? // Independent Institute for Social Policy: Sat.. - M., 2009. - No. 1. - P. 192.
18. Demographic forecast until 2030
19. Statistical collection “Family in Russia”
20. Brief results of the pilot survey “Family and Fertility”
21. Family // Max Vasmer. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language (unavailable link)
22. Family // P. Ya. Chernykh. Historical and etymological dictionary of modern Russian language (unavailable link)
23. Kolesov V.V. Ancient Rus': heritage in the word. Human world. St. Petersburg, 2000. P. 40.
24. Morgan in the book “Ancient Society” () identifies a number of historical stages in the evolution of family and marriage, which, however, later, in particular, Yuri Semyonov ( Origin of marriage and family), was found to be incorrect.
25. See, for example: Korotaev A.V. Family in the socio-economic structure of pre-capitalist class formations // Vasiliev, D. D., and Volkov, S. V., eds., History and philology of the ancient and medieval East. M.: Nauka, 1987, pp. 3-11.
26. Kohn, I.S. Child and society. - M.: Academy, 2003. - 336 p. - ISBN 5-7695-1420-5
27. Van de Kaa D.J. Europe’s Second Demographic Transition // Population Bulletin, Vol. 42, No. 1. Population Reference Bureau, Washington D.C., 1987
28. cit. By Mitrikas, A. Family as a value: state and prospects for changes in value choice in European countries // Sociological research. - 2004. - No. 5. - P. 102-183.
29. Williams Brian Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships. - Boston, MA: Pearson, 2005. - ISBN 0-205-36674-0
30. Article w:en:Family (family) on the English-language Wikipedia site
31. Wikipedia in Spanish, article w:es:Familia (family)
32. About the subject and methods of demography (.doc format)
33. Torokhtiy V.S. Psychology of social work with families. - M.: EKSMO Press, 1996. - T. 3. - P. 224. - 500 p. - ISBN 5-900578-03-8
34. Ryabova G. B. Family studies. Tutorial. - Tomsk: TMCDO, 2004. - 171 pages.
35. Schneider L. B. Functional-role structure of family relations // Psychology of family relations. Lecture course . - M.: April-Press, EKSMO-Press Publishing House, 2000. - P. 132-133. - 512 s. -

Family is a group of people united by kinship (by marriage or blood). Family members are connected by a common life, mutual assistance, moral and legal responsibility. The family can be considered as a social institution, as a pedagogical system, as a group. From the perspective of psychology, the essence of the family as an institution of child socialization is of particular interest. What types of families are there and what functions do they perform? Let's find out.

The study of the family is carried out by familistics, a science that emerged from sociology in the 1960-1970s and is at the intersection with psychology and pedagogy.

A distinctive feature of the family as a social institution is the combination of biological and social. That is, the upbringing, training, and development of family members occurs in close connection with blood relationship and subjective attitude.

Functions of the family as a social institution

The main functions of the family include:

• reproductive, that is, procreation;
• education and training, socialization;
• maintenance and provision of family members (household and economics);
• spiritual and emotional development of family members;
• organization of joint recreation and family activities.

In the modern world, there is a distortion of the work of the family, its dysfunction and degradation as an institution. The current state of the family is characterized as a crisis. The main problems and difficulties include:

• decreased birth rate;
• an increase in the number of divorces;
• devaluation of family values, including in relation to raising children;
• an increase in the number of low-income and single-parent families;
• deterioration in the health of children and spouses;
• changing family roles;
• increase in domestic violence.

Structural and functional changes in the institution of the family have led to a breakdown in the traditional parent-child relationship. There is a decrease in the role of family education. More often, the functions of the family are assigned to other social institutions. Which, in my opinion, is not true and leads to qualitative and quantitative negative changes in society.

Family functioning is in turn influenced by:

• cultural norms and values;
• economic sphere of society;
• demographic changes;
• government institutions;
• physiological processes;
• psychological dynamics of intrafamily relationships.

It is worth noting that no other social institution can fully replace the family. As well as correcting the mistakes, consequences and pedagogical neglect of those generations who grow up during the crisis of the social institution of the family.

Therefore, it is important to talk about what a family should be like for the successful socialization of the child and its other members. And, of course, change the situation.

Family types

There are 3 types of families that have different effects on social development and the child.

1. Families are close-knit, harmonious, with a high degree of moral orientation. These are socially prosperous families who can and want to raise a child. In case of any difficulties, it is easy to help them.
2. Families are coordinated, but periodically unstable, with an average degree of social and moral orientation. These families are preoccupied with their own internal affairs, therefore they would like to raise their children, but they cannot always (it does not always work out). Relationships within the family are tense. Parents make many mistakes, the goals of education are seen vaguely, the methods and means of education are not fully understood and are not used to their full extent.
3. Families are disorganized, conflict-ridden, with a low degree of social and moral orientation. These are “problem” families. Are asocial or antisocial. There are several subtypes of such families: outwardly calm families, volcano family, sanatorium family, illusion family, “third wheel” family, family with an idol, masquerade family.

Prosperous and dysfunctional families

A person’s entire future life is shaped according to how his parents treated him and each other. Parents are constantly open and must monitor themselves every second and be aware of their parental pedagogical responsibilities. Whether they want it or not, the child systematically correlates his parents’ teachings with their way of life.

Based on the type of relationship, we can distinguish prosperous and dysfunctional families. I propose to get acquainted with this material in the form of a table.

According to educational potential

Based on the level of educational potential, the following types of families can be distinguished.

Educationally strong family

The educational capabilities of such a family are close to optimal. Attention is paid to the microclimate in the family, the nature of the relationships between its members and the style of family education that has a beneficial effect on the child.

Educationally sustainable

Overall favorable educational opportunities. Emerging difficulties are overcome with the help of other social institutions, such as schools.

Educationally unstable

The incorrect pedagogical position of parents is characteristic. For example, overprotection, authoritarianism, connivance, etc. But at the same time, this position is easily closed and corrected. That is, the educational potential of the family is great, but the results of education require correction in relation to parents and children.

Educationally weak, with loss of contact with children and control over them

Families in which parents, for certain reasons, are not able to raise their children properly. For example, poor health, excessive workload, lack of education and pedagogical culture. Conflicts as such are not noticed, but there is a constant loss of family influence on children. Often the child goes into an informal subculture.

Within this group, several more types can be distinguished:

• educationally weak with a constantly conflicting atmosphere or aggressively negative;
• marginal, that is, families with any social deformations and deviations;
• delinquent;
• criminal;
• psychologically burdened family.

Parental authority

The effectiveness of the family as a pedagogical system and social institution depends on the level of parental authority. Speaking about the authority of parents, I would like to turn to the theory and classification of the great teacher A. S. Makarenko.

• a decent life for parents;
• decent work for parents;
• their behavior;
• their knowledge of the child's life;
• helping a child;
• a sense of responsibility for raising a child;
• civilian parents.

At the same time, Makarenko identified several false authorities that have a detrimental effect on the child and family relationships.

1. Suppression. The child begins to lie, becomes cowardly and cruel.
2. Distance. The family is ultimately of no value to the child.
3. Swagger. The child grows into an arrogant and authoritarian person.
4. Pedantry. The child becomes passive and submissive.
5. Reasoning. The child becomes alienated from the family and, possibly, the entire society.
6. Bribe. Raises an immoral conformist.
7. "Love". Unreal parental love cultivates deceit and selfishness in the child.
8. "Kindness". The same “kindness” brings up an authoritarian and selfish person.
9. "Friendship". Trying to become best friends leads to the formation of a cynical and unprincipled child.

Pedagogical culture of parents

The pedagogical culture of parents is a separate, powerful factor influencing the development of the child. An abnormal atmosphere in the family often contributes to the formation of anger, aggressiveness, deceit, or, on the contrary, isolation, passivity, and timidity. Such manifestations in the child’s behavior indicate a weakening of protective psychological mechanisms.

• An unfavorable family environment and the child’s internal personal negative traits together create loose soil under the child’s feet; he becomes vulnerable to external influence and antisocial behavior.
• Children from disadvantaged families with a low level of pedagogical environment grow up cynical about the world; they are proud of their immoral actions and ignorance of generally accepted values.

I would like to introduce you, dear readers, to the levels of pedagogical culture of parents.

High level

Parents are aware of the goal of education (the formation of a harmoniously developed, socially active personality), understand what areas education consists of, and imagine what personality traits need to be formed at each age stage of the child’s development.

The requirements are reasonable, love and severity are in adequate proportions. Relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. Problems are solved together through situation analysis.

Mastery of parenting methods

Parents focus on the child’s positive qualities, provide him with initiative, support independence, encourage introspection and self-education, and teach him to overcome difficulties. Parents and other family members adhere to a single educational position.

Average level

Awareness of the goals and objectives of education

They understand the directions of education, but do not connect them with the main goal. They imagine what traits need to be formed, but do not always correctly associate them with the child’s age.

Ability to cooperate with children

The requirements are reasonable, but not systematic. Parents often take the initiative in solving problems. There is mutual respect in the family, but the parents do not want to move towards cooperation and try to maintain a dominant role.

Mastery of parenting methods

Parents focus on the child’s positive qualities, but do not provide him with initiative, do not prepare him to solve problems, independently overcome difficulties and self-improvement. Sometimes in a family there is a discrepancy in the educational position of parents, grandparents.

Low level

Awareness of the goals and objectives of education

Parents do not know the goals and objectives of education, do not understand the direction, and do not know what traits need to be formed. Sometimes they can imagine these traits abstractly, but not in relation to their child.

Ability to cooperate with children

Children and parents do not understand each other, do not respect each other, do not trust each other. Requirements from parents are of an everyday nature. Parents are not interested in the child's problems.

Mastery of parenting methods

Authoritarian methods predominate: order, instruction, demand, punishment. Parents either suppress the child’s initiative or, on the contrary, provide uncontrolled freedom. They don’t pay attention to the child’s positive traits. There is no single educational concept in the family; the behavior of family members varies from permissiveness to excessive punishment.

Obviously, the higher the level of parental pedagogical culture, the more favorable the relationship is for the family and the child.

By the way, the family may not know the pedagogical subtleties, but by their own successful example they can raise a harmonious personality.

Basics of family education

Ultimately, the peculiarity of family functioning comes down to 4 components: parental control, parental requirements, ways of communicating with the child and emotional support. But everything is good in moderation.

Parental control

With sufficient control, parents maintain authority in the eyes of their children and are consistent in their actions. Adequate control – prevention of addictions and aggressiveness.

Parental requirements

Adequate demands develop the maturity of children. With the help of demands, parents support their children’s right to autonomy and independence. Helps develop children's intellectual, emotional and social abilities.

Ways to communicate with your child

It is good to use persuasion and explanation. But at the same time, be ready to listen to the children’s arguments and understand their point of view, discuss all options.

Emotional support

Parents' emotions should contribute to the psychophysiological and personal growth of children. This is possible through compassion, love and warmth. As a result, parents are proud of their child and satisfied with their own activities.

An adequate model of parental behavior: a combination of emotional acceptance and high demands (requirements are clear, consistent, consistent).

Children from such families are distinguished by developed self-control and social competence. They are active, independent, adapt well to school and in communication, are proactive, friendly, and show empathy.

Afterword

N. O. Losskoy wrote: “A family is more than a combination of two people: it is a superhuman living being, organically whole.”

The success of a family and family education depends on 3 factors:

• individual psychological characteristics of the child;
• personal characteristics of parents (mental health, parenting style, ideas about the relationship between spouses and parents with children);
• living conditions and family development (security, place, support, etc.).

“Family is a “saving haven” for a person in difficult life vicissitudes. And it should be a healthy, strong team of like-minded people who love, understand and support each other, providing conditions for the formation and fullest self-realization of the child’s personality,” - G. M. Iksanova.

What distinguishes close-knit families from disjointed ones? And why is loneliness in the family dangerous? Find out from the video.

Almost every person living on this planet sooner or later finds a soul mate. Some couples live together for decades, enjoying each other's company, and do not complicate everything with stamps in their passports. Others go to the registry office to tie the knot. In any case, this is a family. After all, they are united by love and feelings. But what is a family for? This question has probably crept into the minds of many of us. Well, it's worth trying to find the answer.

Definition

To begin with, we can note how it is customary to characterize a family in words. That is, turn to terminology. The definition states that it is a social institution and the basic unit of society. And it is characterized by certain characteristics. In particular, the union of two people who love each other and voluntary marriage. Subsequently, they become connected by a common life. But the most important thing is that family is, first of all, the most important social value.

Benefit

For an adult, it is a source of satisfaction of certain needs of a very different nature: from care and intimacy to the help of a partner at home and the performance of work.

For younger members of society, the family is an environment in which favorable conditions for development are created. Not even so much physical, but emotional, mental and intellectual. The parents are obliged to give all this to the child. Which, in turn, must themselves become established as individuals capable of raising a full-fledged member of a civilized society. Therefore, the birth of a child, if planned, must be treated with maximum responsibility. In modern society, many people, unfortunately, do not realize it.

Other features

Now we can talk in more detail about why a family is needed, in addition to the above. Sociologists additionally highlight several more of its functions.

The first is household. That is, the essence of the function is to satisfy the material needs of both family members. People get married, work, buy an apartment with jointly accumulated funds, furnish it with appliances and furniture - this is the most primitive example. But visual. After all, by pooling you can buy everything faster.

Emotional component

But of course, the first and main thing a family is needed for is feelings. Love, sympathy, care, respect, recognition, mutual support. The desire to engage in spiritual enrichment together, after all. This is all that is needed for a family.

And of course, another important function is sexual and erotic. Each partner must satisfy the corresponding needs of the other. At will, of course. Although, in fact, is it really different in happy couples?

No, but in other families - yes. Often unions break up due to sexual incompatibility. Adult and young married couples collapse, as partners dissatisfied with each other begin to get angry, break down and, finally, seek consolation on the side.

Ideas about a normal family

There are no “standards”. In our time - certainly. What a family is for has been said, and now we can pay attention to its characteristics. Still, there are some ideas about a healthy union now. And they are quite adequate and correct.

In a family, each partner should perceive the other as an equal person. Show trust, openness, be honest and remain faithful. The last aspect becomes more and more utopian every year. But he is correct. People get married because they love each other and cannot imagine life without their partner, who suits them in everything. Then why look for something else?

What a family needs is the responsibility of each member. If any problems arise, you need to solve them together, and not try to shift the blame onto your partner.

Also, in a healthy family, people relax together, enjoy something and are happy. They also respect each other’s traditions. If one of the partners is of German origin and the other is Russian, then why not celebrate the national holidays of both?

Even in a normal family there should be a right to privacy. We all sometimes need to be alone with the most precious person - ourselves. And he understands correctly. And not as a desire of his soulmate to move away. And one more thing: both partners are obliged to accept each other’s characteristics and differences, without trying to “reshape” the essence of the beloved person. If all of the above is observed, and not because it is necessary, but because it comes from the soul and heart, then happiness is guaranteed.

About problems

So, it was told in great detail about what a family is. The definition of a normal, healthy relationship is also given. And now we can pay attention to the key points that indicate the couple’s failure and incompatibility in marriage.

Partners should think about it if they deny problems and support illusions. If, for example, a wife spends 15 of 24 hours in a day at work, this is worth discussing. Most likely, in this situation, the man feels single.

Lack of intimacy is also a problem. As well as the rigid distribution of roles in the family. If a woman is at work, and a man has a day off that day, why doesn’t he spend 30 minutes wiping off the dust? Many people have great prejudices about this and all others like it.

The problem is conflictual relationships. Especially hidden ones, when the couple creates the illusion that everything is normal. Let's say a wife finds out about her husband's infidelity, but says nothing and behaves as if nothing had happened, but subconsciously hating her husband. Any problem must be solved, otherwise the microclimate in the family will be extremely unfavorable.

conclusions

Well, the key to a happy life together is mutual tolerance, correct prioritization, the ability to find compromises, as well as maintaining your individuality (after all, this is what people fall in love with). By the way, it is important to preserve that very “spark” that many people love to talk about. But to do this, you just need to get rid of the routine and regularly introduce variety into your life.

Relationships are never perfect, but they can be built. And put love at the core. And under no circumstances should you follow standards. The union will be happy if the partners live the way they both want. What else is a family for, if not for this?

Every year at the beginning of July our country celebrates a holiday - the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. It is dedicated to Saints Peter and Fevronier, who created a strong married couple. In search of an answer to the question “what is a family,” many immediately recall the meaning of this word, known from school: “a family is a unit of society.” Indeed, every person lives in society according to certain rules of his country and environment. But in any part of the world a person lives in a family.

Family composition

The word “family” itself implies a group of people, a “cell”, which is created by a man and a woman who have entered into a marriage relationship. The family grows as children are born. It includes parents and children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. They maintain contact with each other and observe the traditions accepted in the family.

Family support

The answer to the question “what is a family” may also sound like this: “This is a “society within a society” where they support each other, protect each other, provide assistance when necessary, and experience successes and troubles together.” Strong ties between people are created by blood ties and kinship by marriage. Family affairs are subject to a certain order, which represents established norms and rules. People need something like this for personality formation and self-actualization, as well as in order to exist safely, thereby supporting the life of society and preserving the human race. Even a child can understand what a family is.

Family, love and children

Relationships in it are built on mutual love and sympathy. A strong family takes care of its well-being and solves life problems that arise together. A small group of people, consisting of family members, jointly confront weaknesses and illnesses, mistakes and misdeeds. Family and children are inseparable concepts. Here they take care of their development, parents are the first educators of children and are responsible for their life and health. Children, in turn, pay attention to the older generation so that their representatives do not remain abandoned, lonely, and useless to anyone.

The value of family

You need to appreciate those who are nearby, and not forget that there are those who do not know what family is. For children raised in orphanages, family is a ray of hope for love and mutual understanding, the joy of communicating with each other. It helps to get rid of fatigue and anxiety, rejoices at successes, and is proud of its members who have achieved prosperity in life. In a family, a person learns responsibility, patience, generosity, endurance, and reliability.

Family is one of the social institutions

The family and school, as well as the kindergarten, are part of society. Only the family, unlike these social institutions, is a miniature society. Living in her circle helps to adapt to life in the outside world. A person understands that he is a piece of the vast Universe. The family becomes a single organism, its members show mercy, sympathy and love for each other, relatives work together so that the life of society moves forward and becomes better. Such an “organism” protects against diseases, destructive crimes occurring around, and strengthens the confidence of family members in their future. I would like families in Russia to be large and prosperous. “Seven I” is what this unit of society is sometimes called, assuming that the number of people in the family is at least seven.