4.6 Family Forms and Functions
Elizabeth B. Pearce; Hailey Adkisson; and Leslie Hammond
This text began with a chapter about ideas that are socially constructed, including the picture of the traditional or ideal family. That nuclear family model, often represented as two White, married, heterosexual, middle-class parents with 2.2 children, is only one form of families involving caregiving and sometimes children. Figure 4.16 illustrates another family form. In this section, we will distinguish between family form and family functionality.
Families come in many forms, including those described previously. Family forms include parents who are married, living together, divorced, stepparents, adoptive parents, single parents, grandparents in parenting roles, and foster parents. Forms may include blended and stepfamilies, half-siblings, and stepsiblings. The form of any household may include more than two generations or people who are not related legally or by blood. All of these are differing forms, or structures, of family life, such as the one pictured in 4.17. The family form is merely the physical makeup of the family members in relationship to one another. In academic literature, these differing forms are sometimes called the “complexities” of family life. The form does not indicate how healthy the family is or how well the family members behave toward one another, known as the family function.
Families function in a range of ways and differently over time. How well does any given family function? That answer is complicated to measure in one moment and also over time. It includes the functionality of each individual family member, the functionality of any two members’ relationship, and the overall functionality of the entire family. What indicates healthy functionality? Here are a couple of indicators; you may also have your own standards of what indicates healthy functioning:
- Respect for the individuality of each family member
- Communication that is direct but not purposefully harmful or painful
- Commitment to each other
- Parent(s) who prioritize their children’s needs
It is important to understand and to separate form and functionality. Because many of our social institutions identify one kind of family as “the norm,” it is easy to assume that somehow other kinds of families are “less than.” That is not the case. As discussed throughout this text, family forms have developed and changed over time. It is critical to note that there are many well-functioning families that include single parents, gay parents, parents who are poor, have been incarcerated, or have lots of children, or people who have no children. All families face challenges, and families that look “perfect” on the outside may have dysfunction behaviors that cause harm to the self, family members, or society. As you navigate the world, do your best to keep this in mind because the societal message is often the opposite. Throughout this chapter, we discuss families who may not f