Personal Development 12: Chapter 13: Family Structures and Legacies

Family Structures
The definition of a Family has changed and continues to change as lifestyles, social norms, and
standards are also shifting. The simplest definition of what a family is according to Merriam- Webster Online
Dictionary is "a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head," which may also be the
definition of what a household is. From a sociological point of view, Filipino sociologist Belen T. G. Medina,
PhD (Medina 2001).

Different Types of Families

Family structures differ from one family to another, that is why we should not compare our family with
that of others. The following table lists the different family structures.
Family Structure Definition Example
1. Nuclear Family It is also known as “conjugal” Mother, father, and children
or “traditional” family,
consisting of married couples
and their offspring.
2. Extended Family This type of family includes A family living together with
all relatives in proximity, such mother, father, children,
as grandparents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and cousins. These relatives and other relatives in one roof
typically live together, and all
share daily household duties.
3. Single Parent Family This family type includes one Father with his children or a
parent and their children only. mother with her children
A single parent family could living in one household
be the result of a divorce, the
death of one parent, or even a
single parent adoption.
4. Step Family A family where the parents Mother, children, stepfather,
have divorced and remarried, and his kids Father, children,
bringing children from other stepmother, and her kid
unions together to form a new
nuclear family. It is also
known as “blended” family
because two families were
combined.
5. Foster Family A family includes parent who Parents, children, foster child
serves as a temporary guardian
for one or more children to
whom they may or may not be
biologically related.
6. Adopted/Adoptive Family A family wherein parents may Parents (mother and father),
adopt a child to whom they adopted child
share no blood relationship, or
one parent may adopt the child
of the other parent.
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7. Bi-racial or Multi-racial A family wherein parents are Filipina mother, American

Family from different races father, children
8. Trans-racial Adoptive A family wherein parents American parents, adopted
Family adopted a child with a Filipino children
different race
9. Conditionally Separated A family wherein one of the A family living together
Family family members is except for the father working
conditionally separated from abroad or a family living
the others. This separation together except for the eldest
may be due to their job or child serving in the military
employment or could be due
to hospitalization.
10. Childless Family Married couple without Mother and father only
children
11. Gay or Lesbian Family A family wherein one or both A lesbian mother and her
parents have a different sexual children with a gay father
orientation and part of the
LGBT community
12. Migrant Family It is a family who settles A family who migrated from a
together in a different place; it place because the father is a
could be from one place to military officer
another due to some
circumstances such as the
father’s job.
13. Immigrant Family A family wherein one or both Santos family whose mom is
parents are already an already an immigrant of
immigrant of other country. Canada -- their mother is
Their children may be or may already a Canadian citizen but
not be an immigrant. the rest of the family members
are not.

Influence of Family Structure on the Adolescent

The family is considered the first place where growing children learn their basic social skills. The
interaction and quality of relationship between parent and child are said to determine the child's future
relationships as he or she matures toward adulthood (Papalia and Feldman 2012; quoting Overbeek, Stattin,
Vermulst, Ha, and Engels 2007).
Family influences may vary based on the family structure present in the home. For the nuclear or
traditional family, the values, social skills, and behavior are directly learned from the parents (and/or primary
caregivers). These are expressed in their unique parenting styles, the nature of parental authority they practice,
and the general atmosphere at home. For a single parent family, the absence of one parent (either the father or
the mother) may create an impact on the growing child who would normally look up to authority as role models.
Oftentimes, single parents try to become both the mother and the father, or may seek out a relative (usually of
the opposite sex of the single parent) to stand in to compensate for the absence of the other parent. Depending
on how the single parent manages the child, he or she may grow up well-adjusted or problematic.

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Extended families have both positive and negative influences on the child. On the one hand, the
presence of different generations within a home provides the child a sense of stability in relationships as he or
she witnesses firsthand how relationships can work and endure challenges, and to see a continuum in the family
line.
The presence of grandparents also provides the child a sense of anchoring or rooting to the family's
history; thus, enabling the child to appreciate family heritage and traditions. On the other hand, the presence of
grandparents may create some confusion to a child, particularly when the biological parents may adopt a
parenting style that is opposite that of the grandparents.
Doting grandparents would often pamper and give in to a grandchild's whims as compensation for
what they perceive as their own shortcomings when they themselves were still parents.

Parental Authority and Parenting Styles

Authoritative parenting is a key factor in the psychosocial development of an adolescent, and it is
believed to foster a healthy and positive impact on the adolescent's development (Papalia and Feldman 2012;
quoting Baumrind 1991, 2005).
Authoritative parents are those who insist on their child learning important values, norms, and rules,
but are also willing to sit down to listen and negotiate with them should they resist (Papalia and Feldman 2012).
A parent wielding behavioral control over a child such as providing curfews during weekends or limited
time for the child to be online is believed to develop better adjusted children.
Authoritative parenting is about exercising control over a child's behavior but not the child's emotions,
beliefs, and self-concept. This psychological control imposed by a parent on a child through emotional
manipulations or the withdrawal of love and caring can harm the child's psychosocial development and mental
health (Papalia and Feldman 2012; quoting Steinberg and Darling 1994).
The manner by which parents (or primary caregivers) rear a child has a strong influence on the child's
development. Behavior, most particularly, is often learned by a child through observation.
Albert Bandura's theory of social learning hinges on three concepts: learning takes place through
observation (or modeling); mental states are important to learning, which means that a child's learning can be
self-reinforced or rewarded if there is satisfaction or pride in what was learned; and not all learning can lead to
changes in behavior.
Parents of adolescents need to understand the challenges involved in their development, such as their
struggle for independence and self-autonomy, the formation of their identity and roles, and learning the value of
fidelity in the process.
Parents can serve as the models their adolescents can emulate while at the same time supporting their
development toward young adulthood. For example, parenting styles that allow meaningful dialogs to happen
between parent and adolescent encourages self-disclosure for the adolescent, which may result in learning about
intimacy and trust. The parent's life situations, such as a career, personal relationships, and financial and social
status, may also have an effect on how success is defined by the adolescent.

Family Heredity

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Heredity is the transmission of traits from parents to offspring through genes, the functional units of
heritable material.
When you look around the members of your family, you might have observed certain physical
similarities that exist among yourself, your siblings, and your parents. There are some characteristics that are
influenced by heredity, and even by the environment. One of them is obesity or leanness, where the
predisposition toward one or the other is often found throughout the generations from either side of the family.
However, due to the improvements made in nutrition, the younger generation may outgrow their parents and
tower over them. Predispositions to certain diseases are often believed to be passed on from genera- tion to
generation, such as diabetes.
Examples of hereditary traits include:
 Hair color
 Eye color
 Tongue rolling
 Colorblindness
 Widow's peak
Examples of hereditary family diseases include:
 Chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), FragileX syndrome,
Klinefelter syndrome, Triple-X syndrome, and Turner syndrome.
 Sickle cell disease
 Cystic fibrosis
 Tay-Sachs
 Hemophilia
Family health history can also identify people with a higher-than-usual chance of having common
disorders, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes.
A person with either one or both parents with diabetes in their bloodlines is not necessarily doomed to end
up being a diabetic. A healthy lifestyle and diet can possibly offset the predisposition to the disease.
Intelligence is another thing that is passed on due to heredity, but is also due to other factors like brain size
and structure, and the compilation of many genes resulting to intelligence.
There is a 40% to 50% chance of personality traits being passed on through heredity (Papalia and Feldman
2012).

Genogram
As we have discussed how heredity and environment often Influence our physiological and psychological
make-up, we will now discuss a way in which you can trace and identify patterns in your family for physical
and personality traits, diseases, traditional rituals, and many others. In this section, you will learn how to create
a "genogram" of your family.

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A genogram is a graphical map of a family's history that traces and illustrates patterns in its structure and
characteristics using special symbols to describe relationships, major events, diseases, traditions, social and
personal beliefs and rituals, cultural heritage, religious beliefs, value systems, philosophies about life, and the
dynamics of a family over several generations.
There are possible traits you may want to trace in your family. Here are some suggestions:
 Physical characteristics such as skin tone, shapes of eyes, nose, and ears, hair type, baldness, disease
tendencies, etc.
 Genetic or external factors such as artistic, musical, or literary abilities, sports abilities, and
personality traits like being reserved and introverted, being friendly, being spendthrift, etc.
 Social and economic backgrounds such as occupation or careers, educational level, club
memberships, school affiliations, political affiliations, and others.
 Family values like family cohesion, exclusivity, educational attainment, respect for elders, etc.
 Cultural background such as provincial origins, languages or dialects spoken, social skills like table
manners, family traditions, how family members got their names, favored cuisines and special food
served, world views such as the practice of feng shui, karma, superstitions, etc.
(Tracing Family Traits Using a Genogram by Cynthia Doxey Green, Ph.D.)
Here are the steps to create a genogram:
1. Draw the family tree for 3-4 generations.
2. Name the players and add any relevant information about family members such as age, role, marital
status, personality, and trauma.
3. Determine the relationship and add information about significant relationship dynamics between family
members.
4. Use standard genogram symbols to create a diagram that documents your family’s specialized
history. You can use specialized software, draw your own symbols and lines, or use online templates and
generators that are designed for creating genograms such as Venngage’s Genogram Maker.
5. Include at least three generations when you create a genogram. You can include more generations if they
are relevant to treatment, but any less will make the genogram significantly less helpful.

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Figure: Example of Genogram

Here are some helpful tips in making your genogram:

 Remember that there are some people, even if they are your relatives, who may be sensitive about a
certain physical trait, like height. Approach your research by asking questions with sensitivity.
 you are making is to help you understand certain family traits, characteristics, events, marital situations,
diseases, other sensitive topics, and explain to them that you are not judging them about the situations.
 Consider talking to a professional when making a genogram on hereditary problems, for example.
 Be careful with your conclusions after you have done your genogram. These might offend some
relatives.
Keep your genogram hidden and shown to only a few selected groups of relatives if the conclusions are
sensitive or even confidential.

Legacy
Each of us have legacies passed from our ancestors, from generation to generation such as culture,
traditions, and customs. No matter who we are, where we live, we have one thing in common—heritage. This
heritage is transferred to us by our parents whether good or bad.
This heritage is also called legacy, which could be passed to us socially, emotionally or spiritually.
Transferring positive legacy to children is a delicate and important task of adults in the family. It helps dictate
the future progress and development of a child. It is important to remember that passing on a spiritual,
emotional, and social legacy is a process, not an event. If parents do not intentionally pass a legacy consistent to
their beliefs, culture will pass along its own, often leading to a negative end. Parents are responsible on the
process; God is responsible for the product.
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 The Emotional Legacy

In order to prosper, children need an enduring sense of security and stability nurtured in an
environment of safety and love.
Unfortunately, many people struggle to overcome a negative emotional legacy that hinder their
ability to cope with the inevitable struggles of life. This is where a family’s important role takes its place. A
family can create an atmosphere that provides a child’s fragile spirit with the nourishment and support
needed for healthy emotional growth. It will require time and consistency to develop a sense of emotional
wholeness, but the rewards are great.
A strong emotional legacy:
• provides a safe environment in which deep emotional roots can grow
• fosters confidence through stability
• conveys a tone of trusting support
• nurtures a strong sense of positive identity
• creates a “resting place” for the soul
• demonstrates unconditional love
Which characteristics or emotional legacy did your parents pass on to you? Which characteristics would
you like to build into the legacy that you may pass to your future children?
 The Social Legacy
To really succeed in life, children need to learn more than management strategies, accounting,
reading, writing, and geometry. They need to learn the art of relating to people--the art of socialization.
If they learn how to relate well to others, they will have advantage in living life.
Children need to gain the insights and social skills necessary to cultivate healthy and stable
relationships. As children mature, they must learn to relate to family members, teachers, peers, friends,
and community. Eventually, they must learn to relate to coworkers and many other types of people in
their surroundings.
Nowhere can appropriate social interaction and relationships be demonstrated more effectively than
in the home. At home, children can learn lessons about respect, courtesy, love, and involvement. Parents
play a key role in modelling and passing social legacy.
Key building blocks of children’s social legacy include:
• respect, beginning with themselves and working out to other people
• responsibility, fostered by respect for themselves, that is cultivated by assigning
children duties within the family, making them accountable for their actions, and
giving them room to make wrong choices once in a while
• unconditional love and acceptance by their parents, combined with conditional
acceptance when the parent’s discipline for bad behavior or actions
• the setting of social boundaries concerning how to relate to God, authority, peers, the
environment and siblings
• rules that are given within a loving relationship

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 The Spiritual Legacy

The Spiritual Legacy is the least in priority, but that is a mistake. As spiritual beings, we adopt
attitudes and beliefs about spiritual matters from one person or another. Parents need to take the
initiative and present faith to their children.
Parents who successfully pass along a spiritual legacy to their children model and reinforce the
unseen realities of the godly life. We must recognize that passing a spiritual legacy means more than
encouraging our children to attend church, as important as that is. The church is there to support parents
in raising their children but it cannot do the raising; only parents can. Parents are primary in spiritual
upbringing. Children, perceive God the way they perceive their parents. If parents are loving, affirming,
forgiving and yet strong in what they believe, children will think of God that way.
Here are five things you do that predict whether your children will receive the spiritual legacy a
Christian parent desires. Do you:
1. Acknowledge and reinforce spiritual realities? Do your children know, for example, that
Jesus loves everyone? That God is personal, loving and will forgive us?
2. View God as a personal, caring being who is to be loved and respected?
3. Make spiritual activities a routine part of life?
4. Clarify timeless truth — what is right and wrong?
5. Incorporate spiritual principles into everyday living.

Group 12: Chapter 13: Family Structures and Legacies

Group Members:
1. Baraontong, Ainah R.
2. Ibra, Nisrin D.
3. Nadir, Jalanie D.
4. Rakim, Nairah D.

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