THE FAMILY

LESSON 3
FAMILY AS BASIC UNIT OF THE SOCIETY

• Throughout history, the family has been the most basic unit. One of the first steps of
the nurse is to define the family. How nurses define a family influences the care that
they provide and how they interact with the family. What comes to mind when you
hear the word family? How would you define your own family? Is your grandmother a
member of your family? Your niece? Your neighbor? A friend? A family pet?
• Most of us were raised in families and spent a good portion of our lives within families.
Our first experiences with others are from our families. So we come to our nursing
practice with ideas about families based on our own experiences. As the nurse begins
working with families, it is important to first reflect on our own definition of a family.
• The United Nations (UN) defines family “as the basic unit of society” (2011). They
recognize that there have been many changes in families in the last 50 years due to
societal forces such as delayed marriage and childbearing, smaller family size,
increases in divorce rates, and migration (UN, 2011).
A.TYPES OF FAMILY

• FAMILY AS CLIENT
FAMILY is a small social system and primary reference group
made up of two or more persons living together who are related by
blood, marriage, or adoption or who are living together by
arrangement over a period of time. (MURRAY AND ZENTHER, 1997)
The family unit accordingly is characterized by face-to-face
contact, bonds of affection, love, loyalty, emotional and financial
commitment, harmony, simultaneous competition and mutual
concern, a continuity of past, present and future, shared goals and
identity, behaviors and rituals common only to the specific unit.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAMILY AS A CLIENT

1. The family is a product of time and place

-a family is different from other family who lives in another location
in many ways
-a family who lives in the past is different from another family who
lives in the present in many ways
CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAMILY AS A CLIENT

2. The family develops its own lifestyle

- develops its own patterns or behavior and its own style in life
-develops their own power system which either be balance or
strongly bias
3. The family operates as a group
-a family is a unit in which the action of any member may set
a whole series of reaction within the group.
• 4. The family accommodates the needs of the
individual members like
• the need for self-expression
• Equality of Power
• Independence
5. The family relates to the community
Family develops a stance with respect to the community:
1. The relationship between the families wholesome and reciprocal; the
family utilizes the community resources and in turn, contributes to the
improvement of the community
2. There are families who feel a sense of isolation from the community.
a. Families who maintain proud, We keep to ourselves" attitude.
b. Families who are entirely passive taking the benefits from the
community without either contributing to it or demanding changes
to it.
6. The family has a growth cycle
Families pass through predictable development stages (Duvall
& Miler, 1990)
TYPES OF FAMILIES

• NON-TRADITIONAL

FATHER- household chores, bringing up the children and family life

in general
MOTHER- employed/ contributes in addressing the financial needs of
the family
TYPES OF FAMILIES BASED ON COMPOSITION

NUCLEAR FAMILY
– a type of family composed of a father, mother and children
EXTENDED FAMILY
– a type of family composed of nuclear family , plus the relatives of one or
both spouses, who usually live with the nuclear family; usually composed of
members that span 3 generations at the least .
BEANPOLE FAMILY
– a type of family with four or more generations, long and small; parent- child
relationship last longer

Vertically extended family; great grand parents grandparentsparentschild

SINGLE-PARENT FAMILY
– composed of either mother or father with his/her biological/adopted children
STEP FAMILY/BLENDED FAMILY/RECONSTITUTED FAMILY
- composed of one widowed/divorced/ separated adult with his/her children
and a new spouse with all or some of his/her children and often also the children
born to this unison live together under one household.
SINGLE STATE
- the never-married, separated, divorced or widowed individual

Characterized by privacy, independence, job mobility, opportunity to develop skills and

knowledge and geographical mobility
SAME-SEX OR HOMOSEXUAL FAMILY
- composed of gay or lesbian partners living together with or
without adopted children or a child from previous
relationship
COHABITING OR COMMUNAL FAMILY
- consists of unrelated individuals or families who live
together under one roof for the purpose of companionship, desiring
to achieve a sense of family, test commitment, and share
resources and household management.
BASED ON LOCUS OF POWER

PATRIFOCAL/PATRIARCHAL FAMILY
- a union in which the man has the main authority and decision
making power

MATRIFOCAL/MATRIARCHAL FAMILY
- a union in which the woman has the main authority and
decision making power
BASED ON LOCUS OF POWER

EGALITARIAN FAMILY
- a union in which the husband and wife exercise more or less
an equal amount of authority.
MATRICENTRIC
- the prolonged absence of the father as in case of families of
OFWs gives the mother a dominant position in the family,
although the father may in a way also share the decision making
power with the mother.
BASED ON PLACE OF RESIDENCE

PATRILOCAL- requires the newlywed couple to live with or near the residence of the
parents/ family of the bridegroom
MATRILOCAL- requires the newlywed couple to live with or near the residence of the
parents/ family of the bride
BILOCAL- provides the newlywed couple the choice of staying with either the
groom’s or the bride’s parents, depending on factors like the relative wealth and
status of the families, the wishes of the parents, or certain personal preferences of
the bride and the groom.
NEOLOCAL – permits the couple to reside independently from their parents. They can
decide on their own as far as their residence is concerned.
AVUNCULOCAL- prescribes the newlywed couple to reside with or near the maternal
uncle of the groom
BASED ON DESCENT

PATRILINEAL
- affiliates a person with a group of relatives through his or
her father
MATRILINEAL
- affiliates a person with a group of relatives through his or
her mother
BILATERAL
- affiliates a person with a group of relatives through BOTH
his or her parents
B. FAMILY AS A SYSTEM

– the focus is on the family as client, and the family is viewed as an

interacting system in which the whole is more than the sum of its
parts; simultaneously focuses on individual members and the family
as a whole
Different functions fulfilled by the family:

PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS
- met by parents as they provide food, clothing, and shelter,
protection against danger, reproduction and provision for bodily repairs in
cases of fatigue or illness
AFFECTIONAL FUNCTIONS
- meeting emotional needs and promoting adaptation and adjustment
SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
- providing social together; fostering self-esteem and personal
identity tied to a family identity; providing opportunities for learning social
and sexual roles; accepting responsibility for behaviors, and supporting
individual creativity and initiative.
LESSON 3: STAGES OF FAMILY DEVELOPMENT

1. INITIAL OR ESTABLISHMENT STAGE

• COURTSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT precede the establishment of the
family unit. The developmental tasks of both the male and female
during the courtship period includes:
-contending with partner selection pressure from parents
-Giving over autonomy while retaining some independence
-Preparing for marriage
-Becoming free of parental domination
2. EXPECTANT STAGE/ PREGNANCY
• Domestic and social adjustments should be made by the couple
• Pregnancy is developmental crisis –they are expected to assume new roles (father
and mother)
• Expected to think as a family not just as a pair.
• Both explore knowledge and practices regarding childrearing and plan for a family
in terms of daily tasks, a home setting, budget and necessary supplies
• Both need extra mothering from each other during pregnancy in order to prepare
them emotionally and psychologically for childbirth.
• HEALTH TEACHINGS on the progress of pregnancy and labor and delivery would
prepare both for childbirth
• 3. PARENTHOOD OR EXPANSION STAGE
-Characterized by birth or adoption of a child
• Stages:
Anticipatory stage- the couple is learning new roles and perceptions associated with pregnancy
Honeymoon stage – immediately after childbirth when both parents are uncertain about the
meaning of parental love. This period parent-child attachment is being formed.
-both parents lose sleep because they need to attend to their child’s needs.
-Husband-wife intimacy diminishes; less freedom for the couple to pursue their
interests
Plateau or consolidation stage– entire period of child development when both parents are
actively assuming their parenting roles. - Both are concerned with family
planning, socialization, the education of the child and even active participation in community
organizations
4. DISENGAGEMENT OR CONTRACTION STAGE –occurs when the
children leave and the couple must rework their separateness.
-middle-aged woman may return to work after childrearing
-retirement planning- older couple
-preparation for the spouse death may also be necessary esp
when chronic or terminal illness sets in.
-eventual bereavement, loneliness, and further role changes
and losses will eventually occur.