People and relationships

1. Individual (appearance, personality)

2. Friendships
3. Family structures
4. Family roles
5. Problems

1. appearance is a reflection of personality (clothes, accessories, make-up, hairstyle

contribute to success)

looks influence success 1st impression is of great importance

convey the image you are trustworthy/intelligent/

competent/confident

BUT! in a celebrity-obsessed culture you should not become fixated with physical

perfection (endure plastic surgery: liposuction/breast augmentation/nasal

surgery/eyelid surgery/Botox injection)

personality: is determined by hereditary characteristics/social environment/

childhood (is crucial in shaping values, beliefs, expectations)

can change due to: serious injuries

unpleasant experiences

success (boosts confidence/self-esteem)

failure (disillusioned/abandon his goal, lose

motivation)

Likeable person: has stamina (mental/physical)

endurance (resilience)

intelligence (coping skills)

social skills
 common sense (wisdom)

perception (open to surroundings)

is confident, happy, positive

smiles a lot, pays attention to others

maintains sufficient eye contact

shows interest, empathy

never tries to impress people

ambitious (set goals to be reached but must be realistic/

achievable if NO – you do not develop/cannot

build character)

has healthy self-esteem:(how much you value yourself/

the pride you feel in yourself/

the way how you feel about yourself

affects how you act.)

having high: you make friends easily/enjoy life

more/succeed in all walks of life/

have positive body image/feel

valued, loved

having poor: leads to depression, hopelessness

can resort to suicide

Goals: financial goals (provide financial security for the family/live at the desired level of
comfort)

career goals (step upper on corporate ladder)

health goals (live in a health-conscious way)

 self-growth goals (hobbies/family/friends)

Successful person: has plans, ambitions

is strongly motivated/excited (draws people’s attention to

themselves)

takes great satisfaction in accomplishing a task

takes responsibility of their actions

focuses on solutions

does not make excuse/blame others

is ready to make important decisions

creates pleasant/effective working environment

2. Friend: you are judged on your thoughts/values

you share secrets
have deep conversations
you are given loyalty

it takes time to build it, must keep in contact regularly, must resolve conflict if any

requires equality, loyalty

BUT! toxic friendship: there is no balance

one’s needs are neglected

unsupportive/unrewarding/unsatisfying

Internet friendship: sites offer online friendship (skype. Affordable)

better than not having real one

impersonal but good for reserved people

can deceive you (false info)

Why is it important to have? there is a demand for close association between 2 people marked
by feelings of care/respect/admiration/concern/liking
 Long-distance relationship: you cannot communicate face-to-face

harder to share happiness/sorrow

urgent matters require real-time feedback

feeling bored/lonely

cutting-edge technology makes it possible

Acquaintance: you are judged on appearance

shows surface interest

you share gossip/talk about superficial things

3. long ago: people lived in extended families (3 generations lived together under
the same roof)

traditional family pattern: father is the bread winner/wage earner

who is responsible for creating the stable financial background. He
wears the trousers (he has a say), he makes decisions.

mother brings the kids up/raises the kids,

does the household chores:

do the cleaning clean the house

vacuuming vacuum the carpet
shopping buy food
ironing iron the clothes
cooking cook the dinner
gardening
washing-up wash the dishes
washing wash the clothes
mop the floor
dust the furniture
water the plants
 sweep the floor

now: people live in nuclear families

modern family pattern: both spouses share the duties, kids are
involved

women have more equality/opportunity in

education, work

4. to teach kids to distinguish between right and wrong (social skills, good manners)
to pass on knowledge, traditions, family history, set of values
to teach coping skills
to explain consequences of actions
to teach how to self-discipline
to show good example (role model)
to teach to accept/respect other people (tolerance)

Parenting styles: Permissive/lenient: parents want to express their love in the way that
they let kids do whatever they want – become spoilt

Authoritarian: parents make their kids obey/ observe the

rules, they are inconsiderate to their kids’ feelings.

Inconsistent: parents are sometimes strict, sometimes lenient but not

when situation requires

Authoritative: supports child’s needs

5. The main cause of the problems: lack of time and communication

Between parents and kids: kid cannot talk over his problem with anyone, cannot get any
advice/ help, becomes helpless, can turn to gangs (smoking,
drugs, petty thefts, burglaries, mugging - juvenile delinquency)

Between spouses: adultery (feeling lonely/poor communication)

abuse (domestic violence: sexual/physical/psychological abuse)

addiction (alcoholism, drug-taking, gambling)

abnormal psychological behaviour (depression)

 infertility

financial difficulties (living under poverty line)

alienated relationship (lack of love, intimacy)

juggling between career and childcare

problems of the elderly

generation gap

Consequence: divorce, separation - single parent family

getting remarried – blended/patchwork family

fitting into a stepfamily (tension with step/half siblings)

after divorce: sharing common property

who the children stay with

visitation issues

child support (alimony)

emotional issues

single lifestyle: accepted

without having to accommodate to anyone’s needs

not mature enough to be serious about life

mingles: mixed singles

have a partner but do not share a home with

have their own separate lives, but spend a lot of time together

Cohabitation/common law marriage:to test their compatibility

to establish financial security

not to commit themselves legally

not afford a ceremony

Prenuptial agreement:protection against an unforeseeable event

determines the division of property

Generation gap: it is a pile of problems between parents and their kids. People of the
same age were brought up according to the same educational principles. They had the same
cultural, political, social experiences – they think in a similar way. This way of life and way
of thinking is different from their kids’. Kids deny their parents’ ideas.

due to fast technological development/cultural changes

differences: views on lifestyle/family relationship/religion/trying sg

new

Teen culture: music genre

taste in music/movies/hairstyle/fashion

clearly defines who belongs to that certain group

big groups with loose contacts

hanging out together (create a comfortable/safer atmosphere to feel free to be

themselves)

worries: drugs/antisocial behaviour

Only child

+ -

 more attention, time, love and money nobody around to

 can become more independent share things with
 is never bored nobody to talk to
 growing up in better circumstances might have difficulty
socialising
overprotection
Leaving home at a later age: attending schools
more convenient
not bothering with household chores
 not paying the bills
not accepting lower standard of living
Getting married: postponement (due to tertiary education)
Starting a family depends on:personality
religion
culture
financial background (to establish a firm one)
career opportunities (to climb corporate ladder)
enjoying life
Size is shrinking: DINK
effective family planning (birth control)
high expenses of raising kids
unwillingness to take on responsibility
increase in the number of stepfamilies
cohabitation is more widespread
homosexual couples adopted/foster kids