Family: Types,Structures, and

Dynamics

Rhoda M. Sumagka
Eunice Lee S. Tubio

What is family?
is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity
(by recognized birth), affinity (by marriage), or
co-residence/shared consumption (see Nurture
kinship).
family is the principal institution for the
socialization of children.
Sexual relations among the members are
regulated by rules concerning incest such as the
incest taboo.

What is Family Dynamics?

are the interaction between family members as
well as the varying relationships that can exist
within a family.
are affected by many factors, including the
number of children or a family's culture. For
example, a family with many children may have
rules pertaining to which child does certain
chores.

Nuclear Family
Nuclear family is a family unit that includes two married
parents of opposite genders and their biological or
adopted children living in the same residence.
Parents
Children

Nuclear Family(Structures)
Parents (Father and Mother)
Child/Children

Nuclear Family (Dynamics)

1. The firstborn child-often very dependable, responsible,
loyal, and protective
2. The second child-often take the role of rebel, clown,
entertainer, artist, troublemaker, peacemaker, or
negotiator in families.
3. Some middle children-often feel unappreciated by and
uninvolved with the rest of the family.
4. Only Children-often becomes the sole caretaker with no
siblings to help out.
5. Late-Born Only Children -shares some of the
experiences of an only child, especially if the older
children have already grown up and left home.
6. Forging the Family Unit

Single Parent Family

The single parent family consists of one parent
raising one or more children on his own.
Single parent families are generally close and
find ways to work together to solve problems,
such as dividing up household chores. When
only one parent is at home, it may be a struggle
to find childcare, as there is only one parent
working.

Single Parent Family(Structures)

Mother/Father
Child/Children

Different Types of One-Parent Families

A family headed by a divorced parent

A family headed by a widowed parent
A family headed by a single parent who isn't
married yet or is a single parent by choice

Special Challenges of Single Parenting

Finances and Poverty

Adjustments for Widowed and Divorced Parents
Single Parent Families and Stress
Challenges for the Children

Single Parent Family (Dynamics)

Separated or Divorced Parents
Never-Married Mothers
Widowed Parents

Extended Family
Extended families is simply a family unit that
extends past the nuclear family to include other
relatives such as aunts, uncles, and
grandparents.
Great-grandparents
cousins

Extended Family(Structures)
aunts
uncles
grandparents

Extended Family (Dynamics)

But even when extended family members
are relatively close by, there is no escaping
the fact that families do live more privately
than they once did. In some cases,
extended families still give each other dayto-day assistance with shopping, child
care, and household tasks. More often,
though, each branch of the family retains
its basic independence. What does all this
mean for kids? Essentially, with fewer
significant adults in their lives, children
become more emotionally dependent on
their parents.

Childless Family
The childless family is sometimes the "forgotten
family," as it does not meet the traditional
standards set by society. Childless families
consist of a husband and wife living and working
together. Many childless families take on the
responsibility of pet ownership or have extensive
contact with their nieces and nephews as a
substitute for having their own children.

Stepfamily
Stepfamily which involves two separate families
merging into one new unit. It consists of a new
husband and wife and their children from
previous marriages or relationships.
Stepfamilies are about as common as the
nuclear family, although they tend to have more
problems, such as adjustment periods and
discipline issues.

Stepfamily(Structures)
New wife or new husband
New Extended family
Children from previous marriage or relationship

Stepfamily (Dynamics)
The Development of Love-the expectation that if
you love your spouse, you will, of course, love
his or her children.
Yours, Mine, Ours, and Theirs - Each additional
member of the family system allows for another
relationship or another role with every other
member in the system. There can be biological
parents and grandparents, stepparents and
stepgrandparents, siblings, half-siblings, and
stepsiblings.

Grandparent Family
Many grandparents today are raising their
grandchildren for a variety of reasons. One in
fourteen children is raised by his grandparents,
and the parents are not present in the child's life.

The end