Defintion of a Family
Legal Definition of Family
relationships through blood ties, adoption, guardianship, or marriage
Biological Definition of Family
genetic biological netoworks among and between people
Sociological Definition of Family
groups of people living together with or without legal or biological ties
Psychological Definition of Family
groups with strong emotional ties
Healthy Family (what constitutes one)
Family Type: Nuclear Dyad
Maried couple, no children
Family Type: Nuclear
Husband, wife, children
Family Type: Binuclear
Two post divorce families with children as members of both
Family Type: Extended
Nuclear family plus blood relatives
Family Type: Blended
Husband, wife and children of previous relationships
Family Type: Single Parent
One parent and child
Family Type: Commune
Group of men, women and children
Family Type: Cohabitation
Unmarried man and woman sharing a household
Family Type: Homosexual
Same-gender couple
Family Type: Single person
One person in a household
Family Process
Definition: Family process is the ongoing interaction between family members through which they accomplish their instrumental and expressive tasks
Family Functions
Family function relates to the larger purposes or roles of families in society-at-large.
Family Assessment and Intervention Model: addresses three areas
FS3I
Addresses:
FS3I Three Sections
Family Development and Life Cycle Theory
Family is viewed as a whole over time. All families go through similar developmental processes starting with the birth of the first child to death of the parents. Focus is on the life cycle of families and represents normative stages of family development
Family System Theory
FS Theory is constructed of concepts and propositions that provide a framework for thinking about the family as a system
Concept 1: All parts of the system are interconnected
Concept 2: The whole is more than the sum of its parts
Concept 3: All systems have some form of boundaries or borders between the systems and its environment
Concept 4: Systems can be further organized into subsystems
Biological Systems Theory