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MODULE 11:

Family Structures and


Legacies
The family is our source of love and strength. From our
family, we learn the basic skills in relating with others and
sustaining such relationships by overcoming the conflicts
and challenges.
Our support mainly comes from our family. When the
family is intact or emotionally supportive, we have a good
chance of realizing our fullest potentials.
The family is seen as a social institution that has certain
important roles for society (Lamanna and Riedmann,
2009), such as meeting the needs of its members and
enabling society to survive through its members who
contribute significantly to the community.
The family provides a source of intimate relationships
among family members through familial expression of
love, warmth, acceptance, and nurturance.
Family Structures
A family is a group of people who are related by
marriage, blood, or adoption, live together, and share
in the finances of its member (Thomas 2010).
This definition is reflective of the NUCLEAR or
TRADITIONAL FAMILY, which comprises the father,
mother, and children.
Filipino families are usually composed of two or more
nuclear family units, which make up an EXTENDED
FAMILY structure.
BLENDED FAMILIES, or STEPFAMILIES- refers to a
couple living with at least one child from his and her
previous relationship.
ADOPTIVE FAMILY- a couple who wants
to take good care of a child born to others
commits legally to raise and provide for the
child.

SINGE-PARENT FAMILY- either the father


or the mother takes good care of one or
more children, which may have resulted
from death of the partner, separation, or
lack of marriage.
Parenting Styles
Parents who favor authoritative child-rearing
techniques make use of positive reinforcement
and seldom use punishment. This style can be
both demanding and responsive.

The authoritarian child-rearing style is


characterized by a high level of demandingness
and may not be that responsive to their children’s
needs. The primary important thing for them is
to maintain control.
Having parents who practice authoritarian
child-rearing techniques means that you
need to be obedient. Trust in them that they
know what is best for you and that they want
you to be successful in life.

Deal with them smartly because they


respond cognitively and not emotionally.
You gain your parent’s respect when you
abide by the house rules, focus on your
goals, and work hard to realize them.
Permissive or indulgent child-rearing
Manifested by parents who are lenient and give
their children freedom to do what they like.
They make few demands on their children to
take household responsibilities.
Children who come from permissive family
background have higher chances to become
juvenile delinquents, engage in premarital sex,
drugs, smoking, and alcoholic drinks, and fail
in school.
Having this kind of parents may result in you
being too pampered or spoiled.
Uninvolved parenting
Refers to those who do not respond to their
children’s needs or even demand from them any
behavioural expectations. This family system
affects the children’s social competence, academic
performance, psychological development, and
problem behaviour.

Rebellion against their parents can not make them


successful; rather, they decided to become better
persons despite their situations. Their hard work is
the key to their success.
Handling Family Stressors
Maintaining Healthy
Relationships
8 Difficult Challenges
Addition of a family member- any additional
member in the family, through birth, adoption,
marriage, remarriage, puts pressure or stress to the
family. It involves changes in the family boundaries to
make room to the new family member(s).

The loss of a family member- a temporary loss, such


as parents who need to work abroad or children
studying and staying in a dormitory, creates changes in
the family system which all the family members need
to adjust to. The ambiguous loss of a family member is
difficult to accept because there is uncertainty whether
the family member is “really” gone.
Sudden and unexpected changes in the family- make
you feel uneasy, worried, and at times, frightened. Some
changes can also cause trauma and wreak havoc in your
life. Even some positive changes such as winning in an
organization election or taking charge of big projects in
school can cause stress.

On-going conflict in the family- having quarrels with


your siblings can be emotionally draining. You may feel
alone and frustrated by this experience, and anger may
escalate anytime. Your academic performances gets
affected by this misunderstanding because you may not
focus on your studies.
Taking good care of a sick family member-
takes up your family’s energies, money, and
time. It means lesser time to study and fewer
chances to hang out with your friends. Given
the responsibilities to look after a disabled
family member is also stressful.

Family experiences demoralizing events-


such as job loss, poverty, scandal, family
violence, mental illness, alcoholism, drug
abuse, or suicide (Grekin et al., 2005).
Daily family hassles- one significant stressors for
parents is balancing their work with the demands of
their important roles in the family. Your parents strive
to provide for the needs of each family member.
Keeping you safe is also a priority for them.

Putting you in a pedestal- is a stressor that your


parents love to do for you. Each family has its own
idiosyncrasies and unique characteristics. We may
not be proud of some things that in our family, but we
may learn to accept and love them. The family
eventually rises to recognize again as emotional
support is given to one another.
The Factors that make
Families Resilient in the
midst of Adversity
Positive Outlook
Blaming family members for what happened,
being close-minded to explanations, and being
proud to say sorry only lessen the chances of
viewing crisis as a challenge (Stratton, 2003).
Having a positive outlook helps a person or the
family deal with any difficulty situation creatively.
You gain insights with each experience so that you
become a stronger person.
Spiritual Values and Support Groups
Spirituality is said to be a comfort during
difficult times (Thomas, 2005). Praying
when you feel really sad or angry release
pent-up emotions. It relaxes the body and
the mind, which allows you to think more
objectively.
Open Supportive Communication
Families, whose members openly and
supportively interact with one another, meet
difficult situations more creatively. Open
communication facilitates ways to
understand the stressor, and collaborative
efforts are brought about from each member
to cope positively with it.
Adaptability
Families that are capable of adapting to
crises and are willing to embrace them
respond more effectively to difficult
situations. Thus, they are more able to
bounce back from the state of disintegration
to one of resilience.
Informal Social Support
The support that one receives from the
family, as well as the support that the family
receives from others, allows them to feel
that there are people around them and that
they are not alone.

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