Family

Structures and
Legacies
 What are Family Structures?
• The definition of a family has changed and continues to
change as lifestyles, social norms, and standards are also
shifting.

• The simplest definition of what a family is according to

Merriam Webster Online Dictionary is “a group of
individuals living under one roof and usually under one
head,” which may also be the definiton of what a
household is.
The Four Essential Types
of Family Structures
 The Nuclear or Traditional Family
• is comprised of a father, a mother, and their offspring/s.
Usually, the father in the traditional family plays the role of
the breadwinner while the mother stays at home to
manage the house and the children.

• Contemporary lifestyles are changing this traditional set-

up, with the reversal of roles between the mother and the
father. We now have families where the mother is the
breadwinner, while the father, also called as
“househusband”, manages the home.”`
• Another variation of the traditional family is where both
husband and wife are working and earning a living for the
family while entrusting their growing child or children to
hired caregivers or relatives. Adopted children are also
considered as part of the nuclear or traditional family.
 The Single Parent Family
• This single parent may be supported by relatives or hired
caregivers to take care of the growing children, which is
now a common occurrence in many Asian countries such
as Singapore and Hongkong.
• A Filipino single parent may be assisted financially by the
parents or relatives. Sometimes, the single parent will
decide on cohabiting with a parent` who is not the
biological partner of the child. The cohabiting partner may
not necessarily reside with the single parent or the child.
 The Extended Family
• is a very common family arrangement found in many parts
of the world and most particularly in Asia. The extended
family is the nuclear family plus the parents of either the
husband or the wife, or both their parents, depending on
the arrangements they make.
Sometimes, a single brother or sister of either one of the
couple may also be part of the extended family.
• If there is a need for household help, the first option is to
seek out a poorer relative from the provinces to serve the
family's need.
• In an extended family, there could exist some friction
when it comes to making decisions. Traditionally, the man
of the house is the breadwinner and often makes most of
the decisions related to family affairs. However, with the
prescence of the couple's parents, the decision-maker
may vary at times.
 The Childless Family
• is just the couple without any child or children, and who
may be living all by themselves. They may or may not
have household help assisting around the house.
Influence of Family Structure on the
Adolescent
• As society progresses and diversity is more
acknowledged by many, new variations of the basic family
structures are surfacing such as interracial marriages,
adoptive families, and lately, same-sex marriages. More
and more countries are allowing same-sex marriages
today, and more states in the US are following what is
becoming a norm.
• The family is considered the first place where growing
children learn their basic social skills. The interaction and
quality of relationship between parent and child are said
to determine the child's future relationships as he or she
matures toward adulthood.
Parental Authority and
Parenting Styles
• Authoritative parenting is a key factor in the physocial
development of an adolescent, and it is believed to foster
a healthy and positive impact on the adolescent's
develoment.
• Authoritative parents are those who insist on their child
learning important values, norms, and rules, but are also
willing to sit down to listen and negotiate with them should
they resist.
• A parent wielding behaviorial control over a child such as
providing curfews during weekends or limited time for the
child to be online is believed to develop better adjusted
children.
• Authoritative parenting is about exercising control over a
child's behavior but not the child's emotions, beliefs, and
self-concept.
Family Heredity
• When you look around the members of your family, you
might have observed certain physical similarities that exist
among yourself, your sibling, and your parents. There are
some characteristics that are influenced by heredity, and
even by the environment. One of them is obesity or
leanness, where the predisposition toward one or the
other is often found throughout the generations from
either side of the family.
• Intelligence is another thing that is passed on due to
heredity, but is also due to other factors like brain size and
structure, and the compilation of many genes resulting to
intelligence. Of course, there are environmental factors
that can affect intelligence such as proper nutrition during
pregnancy and childhood.
• There is 40% to 50% chance of personality traits being
passed on through heredity such as temperament, which
is the characteristic manner by which an individual looks
at situations and how they react to them.
• Some believe that personality traits can also be learned
through observation. A child may imitate a calm and
retrospective parent in the same way that a child may
imitate an agitated and irritable parent.
Genogram
• A genogram is a graphical map of a family's history that
traces and illustrates patterns in its structure and
characteristics using special symbols to describe
relationships, major events, diseases, traditions, social
and personal beliefs and rituals, cultural heritage,
religious beliefs, value systems, philosophies about life,
and the dynamics of a family over several generations.
There are possible traits you may want to trace in your
family. Here are some suggestions:
• Physical characteristics such as skin tone, shapes of
eyes, nose,and ears, hair type, baldness, disease
tendencies, etc.

• Genetic or external factors such as artistic, musical, or

literary abilities, sports abilities, and personality traits like
being reserved and introverted, being friendly, being
spendthrift, etc.
• Social and economic backgrounds such as occupation or
careers, educational level, club memberships, school
affiliations, political affiliations, and others.

• Religious values including religious affiliations, religious

practices, and religious beliefs.

• Family values like family cohesion, exclusivity,

educational attainment, respect for elders, etc.
• Cultural background such as provincial origins, languages
or dialects spoken, social skills like table manners, family
traditions, how family members got their names, favored
cuisiness and special food served, world views such as
the practice of feng shui, karma, superstitions, etc.