THE FAMILY

ENCARNACION, JULIUS
HAMLIG, NEIL JOHN
PERUCHO, ANDRONICO
SIMON, ROMNICK
LAO-ANG, RIA LESLIE
MANAUIS, KATHLEEN FAYE
MENESES, CHARY
ULEP, MARJORIE KATE
 THE FAMILY
A. “The family is a group of persons usually living together and
composed of the head and other persons related to the
head by blood, marriage or adoption. It includes both the
nuclear and extended family”
B. Sociologist tend to define family in terms of a “social unit
interacting with the larger society”
C. In terms of kinship, marriage and choice: “a family is
characterized by people together because of birth, marriage,
adoption or choice”
D. Friedman incorporate the idea of many nontraditional
definitions: “a family is two or more persons who are joined
together by bonds of sharing and emotional closeness and
who identify themselves as being part of the family.”
 FORMS OF FAMILY
• NUCLEAR FAMILY- defined as the family of
marriage, parenthood, or procreation
composed of a husband, wife and their
immediate children- natural, adopted or both.
• DYAD FAMILY- consisting only of husband and
wife such as newly married couples.
• EXTENDED FAMILY- consisting of 3
generations which may include married
siblings and their families and/ or
grandparents.
 FORMS OF FAMILY cont…
• BLENDED FAMILY- results from a union where
one or both spouses bring a child or children
from a previous marriage into a new living
arrangement.
• COMPOUND FAMILY- where a man has more
than one spouse approved by Philippine
authorities only among Muslims by virtue of
Presidential Decree No. 1083 known as the
Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the
Philippines.
 FORMS OF FAMILY cont…
• COHABITING FAMILY- commonly described as
a “live-in” arrangement between an
unmarried couple who are called common-
law spouses and their child or children from
such an arrangement.
• SINGLE PARENT- results from the death of a
spouse, separation or pregnancy outside of
wedluck.
 FORMS OF FAMILY cont…
• GAY OR LESBIAN FAMILY- made up of
cohabiting couple of the same sex on a sexual
relationship. The homosexual family may or
may not have children. Because the Family
Code of the Philippines (Executive Order No.
209) expressly states that marriage is a special
contract of permanent union between a man
and a woman entered into accordance with
the law for the establishment of conjugal and
family life, same-sex marriage is NOT legally
accepted.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
• The family fulfills two important purposes.
The first is to meet the needs of society, and
second is to meet the needs of individual
family members (Friedman et al.,2003).
• The family is the “buffer” between individuals
and society.
FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY cont…
The family meets the needs of society through:
• PROCREATION
- Despite the changing forms of the family, it has
remained the universally accepted institution for
reproductive function and child rearing.
• SOCIALIZATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS
- Socialization is the process of learning how to
become productive members of society. It involves
transmission of the culture of a social group. For
children, the family is the “first teacher”, instructing
the children in social rules.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY cont…
• STATUS PLACEMENT
- Society is characterized by a hierarchy of its
members into social classes. The family
confers its social rank on the children.
Depending on the degree of social mobility in
a society, the family and the children’s future
families may move from one social class to
another.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY cont…
• ECONOMIC FUNCTION
- Medina (2001) observes that the rural family
is a unit of production where the whole family
works as a team, participating in farming,
fishing, or cottage industries. The urban family
is more of a unit of consumption where
economically productive members work
separately to earn salaries or wages. It is also
a frequent occurrence that families may
engage in business enterprises, thereby
serving as units of production.
FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY cont…

“ The basic unit (Family) so strongly

influences the development of an
individual that it may determine the
success or failure of that person’s
life.”
 FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY cont…
Specifically, the family meets the needs of individual
through:
• PHYSICAL MAINTENANCE
- The family provides for the survival needs (food, shelter
and clothing) of its dependent members, like young
children and the aged.
• WELFARE AND PROTECTION
- The family supports spouses or partners by providing for
companionship and meeting affective, sexual and
socioeconomic needs. By developing a sense of love and
belonging the family gives the children emotional
gratification and psychological security. The family is also
a source of motivation and morale for its members.
 THE FAMILY AS A CLIENT
Regardless of the definition of family accepted
or the form that it may take, what is evident is
the importance of the family unit to society.

Community health workers has long viewed

the family as an important unit of health care,
with awareness that the individual can be best
understood within the social content of the
family. Observing and inquiring about the
family interaction enables the worker in the
community to assess the influence of family
members on each other.
 Why is it important for health
workers to work with families?
1. The family is a critical resource.
- The importance of the family in providing care to its
members has already been established. In this
caregiver role, the family can also improve individual
members’ health through health promotion and
wellness activity.
2. In a family, any dysfunction (illness, injury, separation)
that affects one or more family members will affect
the members and unit as a whole.
- Also referred to as the “ripple effect”, changes in one
member cause changes in the entire family.
Why is it important for health workers
to work with families?
3. Case finding
- While assessing an individual and family, the
health worker may identify a health problem
that necessitates identifying risks for the
entire family.
4. Improving care
- The health worker can provide better and
more holistic care by understanding the
family and its members.
 THE FAMILY AS A CLIENT cont…

The family provides feedback and influences

health services.

The family is not only a health resource in

terms of providing care to its members and
promoting health and wellness activities.
Decisions for a personal care and health
action are usually made in a family setting.
 THE FAMILY AS A SYSTEM
• The general system theory has been applied
to the study of families.
• It is a way to explain how the family as a unit
interacts with larger units outside the family
and with smaller units inside the family.
• Each member of the system is, to a certain
extent, independent of other members, yet
the members are in so many ways dependent
to each other. Thus, the family is certainly
more than just the sum of its members.
 THE FAMILY AS A SYSTEM cont…
• The family may be affected by any disrupting
force acting on a system outside the family.
• The family is embedded in social systems that
have influence on health (education,
employment, and housing), just as it is
affected by systems within the family.
 5 Characteristics of the Family System

1. External and internal family boundaries;

2. Family rules;
3. Family role organization;
4. Power distribution among family members;
and
5. The communication process.
 External Boundaries

Ann Hartman (1979) has defined the external

boundary of a family as "that invisible line that
separates what is 'inside' the family and what
is 'outside' the family." This outside boundary
defines the whole family in relation to other
systems such as schools, churches, or other
families, and outside individuals.
 Internal Boundaries
• A family system contains a number of subsystems which
create internal boundaries. The subsystems could consist,
for instance, of those members who belong to the same
generation (such as the children) or the same sex (the
men of the family) or those who have the same interests
or functions. Obviously, one individual might belong to
more than one subsystem. Over a period of time, rules
develop about how the subsystems interact with each
other, who is included in the subsystems, and how each
member participates. In other words, a kind of boundary
exists that defines the relationship between and among
the subsystems.
 Role Organization

• A family is organized in terms of roles. Every

family has to work out such things as who
cares for the children, who does what work
around the house, who makes what decisions,
and who handles the money. To function well,
a family must have some clarity and
agreement about these roles. However, roles
need not be so rigid and narrowly defined that
there cannot be changes.
 Family Rules
• Over a period of time, family members develop rules about
how they relate to each other and to the external
environment. Many of these rules are "silent contracts," not
openly recognized. There are rules about communication,
such as "parents never argue in front of the children." There
are rules about how decisions are made, how problems are
solved, and about how people are supposed to think, feel,
and behave. The rules are repetitive, predictable, and stable,
although, like many traditions, how and why certain rules
were established may be lost or forgotten. To understand
families it is important to learn about the operating rules and
the behavioral patterns that maintain them. The rules that
are developed by the family system ensure its stability,
promote cohesiveness, and help to establish the identity of a
family as distinct from other families.
 Distribution of Power
• All families must have ways to make decisions and to
resolve conflict. In most families all members have, and
need to have, a certain amount of power and influence
in some areas. As Aponte (1976) has pointed out, "Family
members must have enough power in the family to be
able to protect their personal interests in the family at all
times, while keeping the well-being of the other
members, and of the family as a whole, in
mind." Normally, one thinks of power and decision-
making as being vested primarily in adult members of
the family. However, there can be a great variation in
how power is distributed and used in families.
 Communication

• The final characteristic of family systems

included here is communication. It is
impossible not to communicate. All behavior
is communicative. Even silence is a message. A
family works out its role organization, its rules
of operation, all of its activities, through a
process of communication. The
communication system parallels the
relationship system, since it is through
communication that relationships are defined.
 Elements in System

• Members interact in reciprocal

relationships, responding to one
another in the context of roles.
– Interaction – the interplay between
members
– Reciprocity – both parties influence each
other as they interact with each other
– Roles – a character or function one plays
 DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY

Duvall (Duvall and Miller, 1985), a noted

sociologist, is the forerunner of a focus on
family development. In her classic work, she
identified stages that normal families traverse
from marriage to death.

27
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY cont..
• Family Life Cycle
1. Beginning family through marriage or
commitment as a couple relationship.
2. Parenting the first child.
3. Living with adolescent(s).
4. Launching family (youngest child leaves
home).
5. Middle-aged family (remaining marital dyad
to retirement).
6. Aging family (from retirement to death of
both spouses).
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY cont..
• Stages and Tasks of the Family Life Cycle
1. Marriage: joining of families
a. Formation of identity as a couple
b. Inclusion of spouse in realignment of relationships
with extended families.
c. Parenthood: making decisions.
2. Families with young children
a. Integration of children into family unit
b. Adjustment of tasks: child rearing, financial and
household
c. Accommodation of new parenting and
grandparenting roles.
 DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY cont..

• Stages and Tasks of the Family Life Cycle

3. Families with adolescents
a. Development of increasing autonomy for adolescents.
b. Midlife reexamination of marital and career issues
c. Initial shift towards concern for the older generation.
4. Families as launching centers
a. Establishment of independent identities for parents and
grown children
b. Renegotiation of material relationship
c. Readjustment of relationships to include in-laws and
grandchildren
d. Dealing with disabilities and death of older generation
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY cont..
• Stages and Tasks of the Family Life Cycle
3. Families with adolescents
a. Development of increasing autonomy for adolescents.
b. Midlife reexamination of marital and career issues
c. Initial shift towards concern for the older generation.
4. Families as launching centers
a. Establishment of independent identities for parents and
grown children
b. Renegotiation of material relationship
c. Readjustment of relationships to include in-laws and
grandchildren
d. Dealing with disabilities and death of older generation
 DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF THE FAMILY cont..

• Stages and Tasks of the Family Life Cycle

5. Aging families
a. Maintaining couple and individual
functioning while adapting to the aging
process.
b. Support role of middle generation
c. Support and autonomy of older generation
d. Preparation for own death and dealing with
the loss of spouse and/or siblings and other
peers.
 FAMILY HEALTH TASK
• In addition to its developmental tasks, the
family serves as an essential resource for its
members by carrying out health tasks.
• An important responsibility of the community
health worker is to develop the family’s
capability in performing health tasks.
• The first family health task is providing its
members with means for health promotion
and disease prevention.
 Other Health Tasks of the Family
according to Freeman and Heinrich
• Recognizing interruptions of health or
development.
- This is a requisite step the family has to take
to be able to deal purposefully with an
unacceptable health condition.
• Seeking health care
- When the health needs of the family are
beyond its capability in terms of knowledge,
skill, or available time, the family consults
with health worker.
 Other Health Tasks of the Family
according to Freeman and Heinrich cont…

• Managing health and nonhealth crises

- crisis, whether health-related or not, is a fact
of life that the family has to learn to deal with.
Crises may include maturation crises, which
can be anticipated by the family, or incidental
crises, which may not be easily foreseeable.
The family’s ability to cope with crises and
develop from its experience is an indicator of
a healthy family.
 Other Health Tasks of the Family
according to Freeman and Heinrich cont…

• Providing health care to sick, disabled or dependent

members of the family.
- In addition to care of the very young and very old,
many minor illnesses, chronic conditions, and
disabilities require home management by
responsible family members.
• Maintaining a home environment conducive to
good health and personal development.
- In addition to a safe and healthy physical
environment, the home should also have an
atmosphere of security and comfort to allow for
psychosocial development.
 Other Health Tasks of the Family
according to Freeman and Heinrich
cont…
• Maintaining a reciprocal relationship with
the community and its health institutions.
- Just as the family utilizes community
resources, the family also takes interest in
what is happening in the community and,
depending on the availability of the family
members and the family’s perception of its
need and appropriateness, gets involved in
community events.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY FAMILY
Otto (1973) and Pratt (1976) characterized
healthy families as “energized families” and
provided descriptions of healthy families to
guide in assessing strengths and coping.
• Members interact with each other; they
communicate and listen repeatedly in many
contexts.
• Healthy families can establish priorities.
Members understand that family needs are
priority.
• Healthy families affirm, support and respect
each other.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY FAMILY
• The members engage in flexible role relationships,
share power, respond to change, support the growth
and autonomy of others, and engage in decision
making that affects them.
• The family teaches family and societal values and
beliefs and shares a spiritual core.
• Healthy families foster responsibility and value
service to others.
• Healthy families have a sense of play and humor and
share leisure time.
• Healthy families have the ability to cope with stress
and crisis and grow from problems. They know when
to seek help from professionals.