Many people have been socialized to believe that the definition of a .
family looks a lot like an old fashioned telivision sitcom, consisting of a .
nuclear family, which is "a family group comprising only the wife, the husband, .
and their children However, a family is a .
relativist concept, meaning it varies from place to place and through .
time.
One detail of families that is definite is that they are extremely .
varied. Conventional kin is the definition of a family that the government .
and society uses [for social benefits, etc] people related by blood or law. .
Discretionary kin are people related by blood or law at some point, but whom .
the individual may or may not recognize as family. Fictive kin are people or .
pets that have no blood or legal relation, but whom the individual recognizes .
as family. Political, economic, legal, religious and .
emotional interests are all factors that help shape this definition. In .
contemporary society, families are labeled as nuclear, single-parent, blended, .
adoptive, foster, extended, non-traditional and gay/lesbian. In many cultures .
a family can include multiple spouses. A family of procreation is created .
through marriage [and] a family of orientation is the one in which a child .
grows upA functionalist perspective would define .
family based on the functions it performs such as; to raise children .
responsibly, provide economic support, provide emotional security and to .
control sexual activity. .
I have come to the conclusion that a family is a unit to whom an .
individual feels ties of obligation. This may include blood relatives, .
husbands, wives, adopted children, friends, mentors, teammates, pets, etc. On .
the other hand, I believe that marriage in our culture, is defined by solely .
legal aspects, the authorized binding of two persons. It may seem unreasonable .
to distinguish marriage as exclusively a legal matter, however as I expressed .
