FAMILY STRUCTURES

AND LEGACIES

Prepared by: John Benedict C. Gojo Cruz, RPm

 THE FAMILY
• The family is the basic unit of the
society.
• Each family is unique as a result of
the blending of factors that
influence the dynamics of
behaviors and interaction among
family members in and outside of
their home.
• These factors include family values,
traditions, beliefs, socio-economic
status, and religion.
FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY
•Procreation
•Economic provision
•Love
•Socialization
•Sense of security
FAMILY STRUCTURES
• Nuclear family
• Single parent family
• Extended family
• Childless family
• Stepfamily/Blended
family
• Grandparent family
 COMMON CAUSES OF FAMILY
CONFLICT DURING ADOLESCENCE
• Standards of behavior
• Methods of discipline
• Relationship with siblings
• Feeling victimized
• Hypercritical attitudes
• Family size
• Immature behavior
• Rebellion against relatives
• Latchkey problems
CHALLENGES AND TURNING POINTS

•Separation/divorce
•Traumatic events
•Stresses
•Death
PARENTING STYLES
•Authoritative
•Neglectful
•Permissive
•Authoritarian
 HEREDITY AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• Many varied factors contribute to who and what a child
eventually becomes.
• These include genetics, parenting, experiences, family,
friends, education, and relationships.
• Genetics is concerned with heredity.
• Heredity is the passing on of traits from parents to offspring.
• The offspring acquires the genetic information of its parents.
• “It runs in the family”
• In humans, physical traits such as curly hair, color of the
skin, or shape of the nose are examples of hereditary
characteristics.
 HEREDITY AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• Each cell in the human body contains 23
pairs of chromosomes.
• A chromosomes is a threadlike structure of
nucleic acids and protein found in the
nucleus of most living cells carrying genetic
information in the form of genes.
• One chromosome from each pair is inherited
from the mother and the other is inherited
from the father.
• The chromosomes contain the genes that an
offspring inherits from its parents.
 HEREDITY AND PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
• Some illnesses and health conditions can be
passed on from generation to generation in
your family.
• Examples of these are diabetes,
hypertension, arthritis, etc.
• Even intelligence is determined by genetics.
• According to research, 55% of the upper limit
of intelligence can be determined by genetic
components while 45% can be determined
by environmental factors.
 GENOGRAM
• A genogram is a visual representation of a family.
• It is like a family tree, only it shows more details
or gives more information regarding relationships
and pattern within the family.
• This was invented by Murray Bowen and later
developed and popularized by Monica
McGoldrick and Randy Gerson in 1985 who used
them in therapeutic work.
• To date, genogram is widely used to source
information that aids in understanding patterns,
practices, or dynamics within the family that
possibly affect or influence certain human
conditions.
STEPS IN MAKING YOUR OWN
GENOGRAM
PART 1: Deciding what you want to learn from a
genogram
• Determine your aim or reason for creating a genogram
• Understand what you are looking for.
• Decide how many generations you will represent in your
genogram.
• Develop a set of questions to ask yourself and your
relatives. 
 STEPS IN MAKING YOUR OWN
GENOGRAM
PART 2: researching family history
• Write down what you already known
• Talk to family members
• Search through family books, documents, and the
internet.
• Look at your own history
• Known the familial relationships
• Find out the emotional relationships
STEPS IN MAKING YOUR OWN
GENOGRAM
PART 3: designing your genogram
• Design your genogram
• Use standard genogram symbols to represent family
members and relationships.
• Organize the chart based on family interactions
beginning with the oldest generation you want to
represent
• Look for patterns.
STANDARD GENOGRAM SYMBOLS
STANDARD GENOGRAM SYMBOLS
Star Wars Skywalker family genogram
Albert Einstein genogram
 IMPROVING FAMILY MEMBERS
RELATIONSHIPS
• Most people value their families, although
many people are not conscious of the
importance of improving their family life.
• It takes hard work to make a successful
family.
• The work you put into making your family
stronger, however, can be well worth the
effort.
• Around the world, there are several common
characteristics of strong families that were
found.
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
COMMITMENT
• The family comes first
• Work responsibilities come second
• Each family member is precious
• Bad times do not destroy relationships
• There is sexual faithfulness to the marriage partner
• Forgiveness is readily available
• Priorities must be established
• Some sacrifices must be made
• Some common goals must be shared
• Traditions are established and cherished
• Love is unconditional
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
APPRECIATION
• Looking for the positive instead of the negative
• Treating family members like best friends
• Showing love in small ways every day
• Expressing lots of appropriate affection
• Saying, “I Love You” a lot
• Praising the accomplishments and strengths of family
members
• Gracefully receiving compliments as well as giving them
• Creating a positive environment in the home
• Remembering and celebrating birthdays and special
occasions
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
COMMUNICATION
• Being open and honest yet kind
• Listening carefully, without distraction
• Checking the meaning of messages which are not clear
• Avoiding “mind-reading”
• Walking a mile in the other person’s shoes
• Trusting one another
• Avoiding criticizing, evaluating, and acting superior
• Dealing with one issue at a time
• Dealing with specifics rather that generalities
• Attacking the problem, not each other
• Having an understanding attitude
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
TIME TOGETHER
• Helps eliminate isolation, loneliness, and
alienation
• Helps the family develop an identity, a group
unity and a sense of their place in history
• Helps avoid the “fizzle and die” of some
marriage relationships
• Enhance the communication process
• Allows opportunity to build on other family
strengths
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
• Helps family members maintain a positive outlook on life
• Provides guidelines for living
• Provides a sense of freedom and peace
• Offers support from people who share in a belief system
• Provides meaningful tradition and ritual
• Provides a spiritual heritage
• Provides an expression of character in everyday living
• Gives an awareness of a divine presence in life
• Helps families cope during times of trouble
• Encouraging a sense of awe and reverence for life itself
QUALITIES OF A STRONG FAMILY
COPING ABILITY
• The ability to find something positive, in any situation and to
focus on that positive element. Counselors refer to this as
reframing. Reframing is the ability to see the rose rather than
the thorns.
• Family members unite and pull together when things get rough.
• Strong families get outside help when needed.
• Many families rely on their spiritual resources to get them
through times of crisis.
• Open channels of communication make problem-solving easier.
• Flexibility is another important strategy that strong families use
to help get through crisis situations.
 REFERENCES
Jumamil, A.N. (n.d.). Personal Development for Senior High
School. Golden Cronica Publishing, Inc. Q.C, Philippines.
Ramos, M. (2016). Moving Up: A guide to personal and career
development. Phoenix Publishing house. Quezon City.
Espinol, S. M. and Masarap, A. (2018). Understanding the
adolescents: personal development for senior high school
students. Mandaluyong city
Serrano, A. (2016). Personal development. Unlimited books
library services and publishing inc. Manila