Family Structures and Legacies
Family as a Social System
Families are social systems with:
Established rules
Assigned roles
Power structures
Strategies for solving disputes
Types of Family Structures
Nuclear Family: Considered the "traditional" family, consisting of a mother, father, and their
children. Less prevalent now, with alternative forms becoming more common.
Single Parent: One parent caring for one or more children without assistance from the other
biological parent. Increasingly common due to separation/divorce, out-of-wedlock births, and
weakened views of marriage as a permanent institution.
Step Family: Formed by the marriage or long-term cohabitation of two individuals, where at
least one has a child from a previous relationship living in the household. Also called blended
families. The non-biological parent is a stepparent.
Extended Family: Consists of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. May live with or in
place of nuclear family members.
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian: Parents rely on force to control children rather than reasoning or praise.
Permissive: Parents do not consistently enforce rules and have low expectations for their
children.
Authoritative: Parents maintain firm control through reasoning with their children.
Rejecting/Neglecting: Parents provide little supervision, have no expectations, and are
unsupportive.
Family Assessment
Methods for obtaining family information:
Structured interviews
Self-report questionnaires
Observations
Genograms or family trees are used to summarize relationships and issues within the family.
Genograms
A genogram is a graphical representation of a person's family relationships and medical history.
It records family members, their relationships, physical attributes, and psychological attributes.
Common Symbols:
Female: Circle
Male: Square
Deceased: Symbol with an "X" through it
Pregnancy: Triangle
Miscarriage/Abortion: Triangle with a line through it
Relationship Symbols:
Marriage: Н
Distant: Dashed line
Divorce: Line with a break in it
Living together/Affair/Intimate relationship: Two parallel lines
Marital separation: Line with one diagonal break in it
Friends: one line
Emotional relationships are represented by lines between people
Common Uses of Genograms:
1. Medical Genograms: Evaluate an individual's health risks by identifying pre-existing conditions.
Documenting four generations may be sufficient.
2. Sociological Genograms: Gather objective information and track developments across
generations to view a client's issues in relation to marital and family relationships.
3. Social Work Genograms: Display emotional bonds among family members to measure
cohesiveness and determine proper care needed.
4. Family Counseling/Therapy Genograms: Provide information on family dynamics for clients in
therapy.
5. Genealogical Genograms: Document complex family trees with information on marriages,
divorces, adoptions, strained relationships, etc.
What Makes a Family Strong and Successful? (The
Five L's)
According to Dr. Wayne Matthews, strong families exhibit five key characteristics:
1. Learning: Families are where values, skills, and behaviors are learned. Strong families manage
their learning experiences, guiding children and involving themselves in the community to
support their values.
2. Loyalty: Strong families have a sense of loyalty and devotion toward family members. They
support each other during times of trouble and defend each other.
3. Love: Love is central to the family, involving physical and mental togetherness, privacy,
intimacy, sharing, belonging, and caring. Requires constant effort, honesty, understanding,
patience, and forgiveness.
4. Laughter: Humor helps regulate family tensions, allowing members to see each other honestly
and objectively.
5. Leadership: Family members, usually adults, assume responsibility for leading the family,
establishing rules and guidelines based on understanding, firmness, and fairness.