Ecology of Family 1

Families are organized differently cross the world, but some of the common pursuits all

families share are the family of orientation, the family of procreation, as well as the extended

family. There are different types of families where the mother or father has the most amount of

power and control over the family unit such as the matriarchal or the patriarchal families. The

egalitarian type of family is one where the power is shared equally between mother and father.

Divorce – when a mother or father separate from the family organization – can have drastic

effects on children’s socialization, no matter what structure of organization the family of

orientation observes.

The family of orientation refers to the family that one is born into: mother, father,

grandparents. The family of procreation refers to the family that develops once the union of

marriage is put into place: husband and wife. The nuclear family refers to a mother, father and

children. The extended family refers to family members that aren’t part of the nuclear family,

such as an aunt or uncle. The importance of the nuclear family is that the central unit that has the

single most impact on child development and socialization. The extended family is important as

well, since it provides the nuclear family with extended emotional and physical support and

guidance that’s apart from the immediate family. The nuclear and extended family have a large

impact on the socialization of children since they spend the majority of his first years being

socialized by the family.

In a family there are three different types of authority figures. In the matriarchal family

organization, the mother is the main authority figure and therefore does most of the socializing.

In the patriarchal family the father is the main form of authority and dominance, making the

father the central figure of the child’s socialization. In the egalitarian family the mother and

father try to have an equal amount of authority or delegate particular responsibilities to which
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they feel themselves more capable of teaching, whereby the child is obtaining valuable social

experiences and lessons by both parental figures. The egalitarian seems to be the most effective

type of parenting since the child is receiving care and instruction from both figures, as well as

experiencing the different type of discipline that comes from a mother and a father, thereby

aiding a child in recognizing their gender identity. An large-scale example of a matriarchal

family can be likened to that of the Queen of England, who is respected as the top authority in

the country. The purely patriarchal type of family is pretty much extinct in today’s Western

societies, although examples of it can be found in the bible and among the patriarchal systems of

the Middle East. In the United States, among households where there are still two parents, the

egalitarian family is the most common type found.

When there is a divorce in the family of orientation, the effects it can have on a child’s

social development are very problematic. Outside of the breach of trust for authority that comes

from a sudden break in a child’s social support and learning system, there are also other complex

emotional consequences that will last and impact the child for years if not decades. It is

important that parenting continues so that the child will continue to get the best form of learning

possible and not just turn to others like peer groups for their continued socialization. Morals and

values still need to be imparted to the child as well as their intellectual education must continue

as well. In the case of divorce the parents need to make a decision on who is going to be doing

the majority of caretaking, and socialization, and then normal life must continue for the child as

much as possible. One of the largest mitigating factors of divorce is the amount of funds being

brought in to ensure the child’s being taken care of properly. Not only is it essential that parents

recognize the need to provide a proper lifestyle for a child after a divorce, but they also need to

make sure that their child emotional challenges are being me in the fallout. Sadly, too often do
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these issues go unaddressed during divorce, which is why it is important for the law to ensure

that all children in a divorce will receive enough nurturing care so that they will continue to

develop properly.

The nuclear family is one that consists of mother, father, and children. The role of the

nuclear family is to set the best socializing examples and provide the best experiences for their

children to maximize their growth. The family of orientation is the family into which one is

naturally born, and will have the largest impact of anything on one’s socialization since the child

spends the first years of life mostly being socialized by the parents. The importance of the

extended family is that it provides and extra layer of emotional and physical support to the

nuclear family. The matriarchal and patriarchal family systems are where either mother or father

take the dominant role in most to all of the child’s development, whereas the egalitarian family is

the most common type of family found in the United States, consisting of father and mother

generally trying to share and balance their authority. This is also one of the more effective types

of families. Divorce in family should be dealt with in the most effective way to prevent harm to

the child, and parents should ensure that their child’s care and well-being is made the priority to

the best extent that divorce will allow.