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By Ms.C Jeannette Vía Ampuero. Updated: 2 May 2018
The study of the family has been approached by different scientific bodies according to the particular interest of each one of them. We can say then that philosophy, sociology, law and psychology, just to name a few, have provided a definition of the concept with different degrees of social, academic and scientific scope.
The literature today has an important and vast amount of definitions of the concept of family. Those who research and study it develop their own definitions for the sake of their own research interests. In this article of Psychology-Online, we will make Some Reflections on the Current Family.
You may also be interested in: Some Reflections on GenderThe evolution of the concept of family
The family is defined, says Louro Bernal, I (2001), as “ the fundamental cell of society, a very important form of organization of personal daily life, based on the marital union and kinship ties, in multilateral relations between the husband and the wife, the parents and their children, the brothers and the sisters, and other relatives who live together and manage the household finances together ”.
It is necessary to pause in this context and consider an aspect that, relatively new, leads us to reconsider, or at least, to rethink the content of this type of definition. Note that it refers to the character of heterosexuality reflected in the term marriage, however, the concept of marriage is no longer described as the old formula of the union between man and woman, this concept has been redefined and is now understood as the union of the human couple (Dictionary of Spanish use, María Moliner, 3rd Edition, 2007).
It is easy to observe that in this new way of naming, the concept becomes broader and more encompassing, it is not reduced to the only man-woman relationship, but also reaches other relationships.
What has been said gives rise to important changes in the conception of the family, especially in what is usually called the traditional family.
The above is also addressed by Arés Muzio, P (s / a) who says that “Until a few decades ago it was said that the family was the legal union between a man and a woman who come together, with the aim of procreating, educating children, and satisfy human needs for union and companionship.
No such definition corresponds to the current changes. The union may or may not be legal, it may be for life, but separations and divorces are frequent, the members of the union are no longer always heterosexual, the union is no longer just for procreating. By this we mean that we are currently facing the phenomenon of family diversity and complexity. "
All of the above leads us to think about how especially difficult it is to reach a consensus as a definition of family. The new types of family, their new considerations, their members, the dynamics of their relationships, among others, pave the way to hinder consensus.
In any case, it is necessary to approach a definition and it seems convenient to do so from Psychology, we then take the one offered by Arés Muzio, P, and which says: “From the psychological point of view we can say that the Family: It is the union of people who share a vital project of existence in common that wants to last, in which strong feelings of belonging to said group are generated, there is a personal commitment among its members and intense relationships of intimacy, reciprocity and dependency are established ”.
It is no secret to anyone that the different changes that have occurred in today's world have given rise to another series of changes in different spaces and contexts, and the family is not immune to all these dynamics of events.
Therefore, the family has evolved and we are witnessing the emergence of new types of family, which is why it would be more accurate to speak of “families” since the concept of “family” is becoming outdated.
These new types of family make a break with the traditional family, with traditional schemes, although we cannot say that the traditional family has disappeared, but that we are living with that traditional family and with the new family or modern family. Coexistence that also brings with it many conflict situations.
As we said before, the changes that have occurred in society have led to modifications in the traditional family causing ruptures in it.
In this sense, we can point out the category that specialists in the field call "upward and downward trends", alluding to the high rates of divorces and consensual unions that correspond to the former and to the decrease in the number of children, in correspondence with the second. All of which affects the decrease in fertility.
We must point out that this phenomenon is not exclusive to Cuban society but rather a worldwide trend. In developed countries there is also an increase in divorce rates and a marked decrease in the birth rate.
There are also other reasons that are transforming the traditional figure of the family and many of them are reflected in our country (Cuba), for example: equal rights, shared obligations between the members of the couple, the economic autonomy of those who make up the group, increase in single-parent households, increase in people living alone, high rates of separation and divorce, decrease in extended families, (housing difficulties prevent this from being possible in our society), marked trend of increase in rebuilt families, delegation in institutions of roles that were typical of the family, among others.
However, even when these changes are manifested, the traditional family coexists with the new family, since cultural values, prejudices and stereotypes are still present today that respond to a secular history of patriarchal education, sexist culture and hegemonic masculinity, which, of course, they make the transition to the new conception of the modern family difficult.
Current context of the concept of family
In addition to the causes indicated as those that print changes in the aforementioned traditional family, we cannot ignore an event that is taking place in different countries: the approval of homosexual civil marriage.
News such as those reflected below, although that occurred in other societies, although we cannot consider them within the daily routine, neither can we see them, at this point, far from it.
“A male homosexual couple presented in the media their children, a girl and a boy, five-year-old twins. The conception was carried out with sperm from one of them that fertilized an egg. These same days, in Córdoba, a couple of lesbian women had a baby by artificial insemination.
The controversy was installed immediately, with the usual fury of these combats in which the other is never listened to: on the one hand, the traditional sectors, with deep religious convictions, who see in this type of phenomenon a thorough and sacrilegious attack on the genuine family and, on the other, those who call themselves "progressive" and who see these experiences as a fall from anachronistic prejudices and the longed-for end of discriminatory practices. " (Moreno, M., 2005).
It is not the purpose of this work to promote a debate in this regard, but the truth is that in recent times the family has been developing types and schemes that differ from the inherited one. The prism goes from those single-parent households (one of the parents in charge), to those composed of the sum of children of a couple separated in the style of "yours, mine and ours", passing through the trend, each More and more frequent, of marriages that choose not to have children or postpone them until the limit to develop professionally. Also the so-called "independent productions" in their different forms, and cloning and assisted human reproduction arise as the possibility of children being born without the presence of anyone.All this leads us to affirm that the procreation function of the family also changed.
Social discourse projects a discouraging image of the family, however, in research and surveys, the desire of youth to form their own families and that of adults to continue living in it appears.
Although the panorama that hangs over the family seems to be complex and difficult to tackle, the truth is that the common people continue to bet on their integration and consolidation. And this is what Zermeño, A (s / a) makes, who expresses:
“It is clear that the turmoil has spread and generated uncertainty about the future of the family as the first social institution, it is enough to exemplify with the media discourses that show us the decline of traditional values and rising divorce rate. But it is also clear that the vast majority of people want to live in love, share our life with another person and still in many cases transfer that "love" to others: to children (whether biological or adopted). It is also clear that the most important point of refuge remains the family. "
Everything seems to indicate that what happened was not enough to psychologically and structurally disintegrate the family or the notion of family. People are inclined to support this institution, no matter the changes, the encounters and misunderstandings, it is always present to support, share and face “as a family” the good and not so good moments of life.
The sense of belonging to this group is deep and lasting.
In fact, the literature points to a common denominator: people value family. They estimate the breast they came from, and even after divorce, most try to form a new one.
“The family seems to be there, as an alternative to a world full of competition, accelerated rhythms, individualism, risks, and ruptures. On the one hand, it seems to be overwhelmed as a response to the common life of couples, but on the other hand, it is revalued because it represents, (…), holds against loneliness, fears and uncertainty ”(Zermeño, A)
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Some Reflections on the Current Family, we recommend that you enter our category of Social Psychology.
Bibliography- Arés Muzio, Patricia, Chapter I, Definition of family and basic foundations for its study from Psychology. (photocopied article)
- Arés Muzio, Patricia, Chapter II, Towards the construction of a Family Psychology. Theoretical and methodological contributions of the different fields of action. (photocopied article)
- Arés Muzio, Patricia, Chapter III, Family functioning, family functionality and family conflicts. (photocopied article)
- López Cardero, Lisandra, Social control. Reality and challenges of the Cuban family today, Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, 2002.
- Louro Bernal, Isabel, Family, in Alvarez Sintes, Roberto, Issues of Comprehensive General Medicine, Volume I, Health and Medicine, Chapter 5, Medical Sciences Editorial, Havana, 2001.
- Moreno, Marcelo A, Boys in the Homosexual Family, 2005
- Secchi, Fabián, The ethical approach of the current family, Interview
- Zermeño, Ana, The family in the genesis of the XXI century, No. 45