In our world, the definition of the concept of "family" in the life of every person is ambiguous. Of course, first of all it is a great source of energy. And a person trying to separate from her is most likely doomed to failure. In practice, no matter how tired our relatives are, if something happens, they will be the first to come to the rescue, share your failures and help out if necessary.
Family: family definition
There are many interpretations of this term. According to S.I. Ozhegov's dictionary, this is a group of relatives living nearby.
It is also a small social group, interconnected by joint housekeeping, closeness of the emotional plan, mutual rights and obligations in relation to each other.
This group of people reacts to positive and negative changes that occur in society, as it is an integral part of it, it changes and develops simultaneously with it. Naturally, in turn, each individual family can exert its influence on its development. Defining the family as a unit of society is a priority. Its influence on the processes occurring in it increases many times. And the functions of the family, the definition of which is reduced to such as demographic, economic, social and, of course, cultural, are inseparable from society. All of them make this connection more monumental.
What rights family members have , the definition of their duties is regulated by the relevant law.
Both society and the state are interested in a prosperous existence. In addition, it can be noted that they influence each other, which is mutual. The family has the right to a separate existence with its own customs and values. The great potential that affects all development processes lies precisely in it.
Family background
Applying the definition of the word "family" to a primitive society, F. Engels outlined the circle of people between whom sexual relations were allowed. In such a society, the main reason that impeded the maintenance of a common economy was erratic ties. As a result, there was a threat to the preservation of the public, it became forbidden to have sexual relations with relatives. A certain norm of control has emerged that regulates relations between a man and a woman. But marriage was still quite rare, often a man abandoned a woman before the birth of a child.
In the process of division of labor, marriage, familiar to our understanding, began to arise. The very first manifestation of it was patriarchy. In countries of the civilized world, only monogamous marriage is legal, but at the same time there are countries in which polygamy exists.
Social content may include both economic and psychological aspects. Since ancient times, economic ones have been divided by age and gender: it was necessary to support elderly parents and children under the age of majority. The basis of moral and social relations was the birth and upbringing of children.
Legal status of marriage
In the Russian Federation, a family (the definition of a family is based on marriage) has a legal status. On this basis, the state can control activities and punish those who violate the law. Legislation is based on the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Highlights:
- the rights between a woman and a man are equal;
- democracy is a relationship that ensures rights.
The current legislation regulating the procedure for divorce is subject to significant changes. If there are no common children who have not reached the age of majority, and this decision is mutual, the marriage is dissolved in the registry office. The court may annul the marriage without clarifying the reasons, but at the same time it protects the interests of the minor child and determines how its maintenance and upbringing will take place. According to the law on the protection of children's rights , a child is a member of family relationships, he has the right to express his own opinion that will concern his life, he can defend his own interests, including going to court.
The Family Code has undergone major changes, especially the part on the property relationship of spouses. The new code distinguishes between legal and contractual ownership of property. As stated in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, property acquired during marriage, regardless of whose name it is registered in, is jointly acquired. The same code allows you to conclude a marriage contract, determines what its content should be, on what conditions it can be changed, how it can be terminated, and how to declare it invalid. The contract can determine the ownership of the property as a whole or for each individual.
Family structure
Power can be built on the basis of economic or moral authority, and if we consider the structure in the traditional view, it is necessary to distinguish two types of family relationships:
- authoritarian, when all functions are concentrated in the hands of only one member of the family;
- democratic, when spouses have equal rights in decision-making.
Today, the second type is prevailing, that is, equality. Based on what happened in Russia, a woman, as a rule, does household work, especially if there are young children. This is permissible, especially in a traditional family, where roles are distributed as follows: a man works, and a woman takes care of the household and brings up the child. The role that a man plays in the family often depends on what role the son will have in the future.
There is a classification of families by type:
- Autonomous, that is, equality. Family decisions are made together.
- The dominant role belongs to the husband. His understanding and attitude towards life itself is a priority for everyone.
- The dominant role belongs to the wife, but the opinion of the husband is highly valued, each of the spouses has the right to make an independent decision.
The way of life and relationships, including with society, depend on the structure of the family. If a violation of the structure occurs, this can lead to a change in the functions of the members of the social group in question.
Dysfunctional family
Its definition is reduced to a violation of the relationship between parents and children. Due to improper upbringing of the child, deviations in his development occur.
Fears, problems of an emotional nature, depression, manifestation of aggression, impaired speech and motor function - this is what a dysfunctional family leads to.
The definition of types of education in this case can be reduced to the following list:
- Child neglect, i.e. lack of education. In such families, the child lives on his own, he does not receive love and affection from his parents, he often goes hungry and even engages in vagrancy. The reason for such a life is not material support, but spiritual requests that were not satisfied.
- When the child is too much custody. Parents exercise constant control over each step: what he does, what he puts on, what he says. There is also a prohibition system. Such actions can lead to the inability of the child to make any decisions and the lack of his own opinion. Over time, a sense of inferiority forms, he cannot adapt to life. Thoughts and feelings that he takes for his own, in fact, are the thoughts and feelings of the father or mother.
- The child is brought up by the idol of the family. Control here also takes place, but it is much more important that the child is released from ordinary duties and placed in the spotlight. Such cases are most common in single-parent families. Often, they do homework for them, do some work, and in the future they make the same demands on their surroundings. They usually do not receive higher education, do not work in one place for more than six months, because they are not able to shift their desires in time and want their fulfillment right now.
- The child feels that he is a burden. Such children are always fed, dressed, but they do not receive love. Parents do not admit that they reject their child, this can be observed when a new child appears or when the parents divorce and remarry. Less commonly, such cases occur when twins, weather, or if the age difference is less than 3 years.
- Cruel attitude. It is due to the fact that parents frustrate anger for their failures on the child and punish for small misconduct. Such relationships are usually hidden from prying eyes, and they are between all members of the family. There may not be scandals or scenes of violence in such families, but the principle of "rely only on oneself" applies here.
- High moral responsibility. Education consists in the fact that parents have high demands on the child, and he must be the best in everything. The situation may be aggravated if he has a brother or sister, and the older is loaded with care for the younger.
- Contradictory upbringing. It occurs when the demands of mom and dad are mutually exclusive.
- A child is raised without a family, that is, in an orphanage, a boarding school. These institutions cannot replace the mother, therefore, children have problems associated with trust in the world around them, but those who are in these institutions with living parents find themselves in a worse situation.
Modern family
Consider another definition. A modern family is a community of equal partners. It has differences from the traditional concept of past times and consists in changing the emotional-psychological function. The relationship between children and their parents has transformed, and for many people, children are the main meaning of life. This complicates family life, and there are reasons for that.
Incomplete family
This issue in the modern world is quite relevant, since people who have not developed a relationship with a partner form an incomplete family. The definition can be formulated as follows: these are children who are raised without one of the parents. In most cases, this complicates their material condition, and also deprives a full-fledged spiritual life that a family could give.
This is a small group with incomplete connections, it does not have traditional family relations, for example, “mom-dad”, “dad-children”, “grandparents”. A woman who raises a child alone is called a single mother. Single-parent families may appear in the event of divorce, the death of one parent, or illegitimate birth.
In the modern world, it is found quite often, and it is difficult not to pay attention to it. Every year their number is growing. The reasons can be varied:
- More divorces. Most often, children remain with their mother, and she has an incomplete family, and her father either becomes a loner, either returns to live with his parents, or marries again. The main factor in divorce is the weakening of family values.
- A large number of illegitimate children. The birth of a child from the moment of birth occurs only by mother. Such a family always includes only mother and child. There are several categories of cases in which they decide on the birth of a child without a father: consciously and involuntarily.
- Mortality among men. The main reason is that among men, mortality is much higher than among women.
One of the problems is the simultaneous combination of professional activities and parental responsibilities. In this regard, the mother is not always able to devote a sufficient amount of time to her child. In order for the financial situation to be at a high level, a woman has to shift the issues of upbringing to other people, thereby depriving herself of the opportunity to spend time with her child.
Errors arising in the process of raising a child in an incomplete family:
- hyperprotection;
- removal from the educational process;
- actions that prevent communication with the father;
- attitude to the child, which is manifested either in too much love, then in irritability;
- desire to make the child exemplary;
- detachment from caring for and raising a child.
Children who grew up in a single-parent family, most likely, will not be able to create their own unit of society.
Different categories of the concept under consideration
Foster family. The definition is formulated as follows: this is a form of device for children without parental care, on the basis of an act of guardianship authorities and an agreement between them and parents who decide to take up the upbringing of the child.
Such parents and children who are given up, called foster.
There is also the concept of a "young family." Its definition is as follows: this is the union of two young people who have been married for no more than three years, whose age does not exceed thirty years. If they have children, then the duration of the marriage does not matter.
Depending on the composition and financial situation, they are divided into several types: prosperous, full, social risk, student, minor mothers and military conscripts.
Legal family. Its definition is as follows: it is a combination of several related national legal systems, which is based on a common source of law, its structure and the historical path of formation.
The large family
In the Russian Federation there is a tendency to reduce the role of this category. Today's society has become negative about unions such as a large family. The definition is quite simple: it is a unit of society with more than three children. At the beginning of the century, the number of such groups of people accounted for most of the population of Russia. They were in different layers of society, both among the poor and the rich, this is due to the traditions of the people.
Categories of large families:
- Conscious. It has strong family traditions.
- During the second marriage of one of the spouses, the birth of a common child in the presence of children from the first marriage. These two categories belong to prosperous families.
- Often parents lead an immoral lifestyle, drink, do not work, use their children in order to receive material and natural assistance. This is a dysfunctional large family.
The definition of the problems of this union is reduced to insufficient material security. The average monthly income per family member is very low. The main part of the family budget is spent on food, while products such as fruits, meat, eggs and fish are practically not included in the diet. The budget of such families does not include the costs of cultural, sports, musical development of children.
Also relevant is the problem of finding a job. If the mother does not work, and the father does not receive a salary for a long period of time, and the child allowances are irregular, a problem arises with finding a job.
The problem associated with housing in our country is also acute.
The psychological and pedagogical problem is that in such families children live in equal conditions, there is no shortage of communication, older brothers or sisters always take care of younger ones. But due to the fact that parents, as a rule, work hard, there is not much time left for raising children. The psychological climate here is complicated, and this affects health.
In conclusion, we can say that a huge number of children are born orphans, and their main dream is to find mom and dad. Unfortunately, those who have parents do not always treat them well. But it is they who will always help in difficult times, even if they know that they will not receive gratitude in response. What our ancestors put into the concept of the word “family” (the definition of a family was given above), we need to value and pass on to children.