Family System Essay: Family As A Group System

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Family as a Group System A family system consists of more than one person, they form the most close and personal of groups. Every family has guidelines in place that govern its function and there are behaviors with this informal group which makes them distinguishable from other groups. Every family member plays a critical role in the system. As such, it is not possible that one member of the system can change without causing a ripple effect of change throughout the family system Traditionally, there are social roles that the family members adopt which would be known to everyone within that particular group. However, because of the diversity within the present day family structure, it can be seen that the roles of individuals inside the family are changing; there are now an increase single parent families, grandparents raising grandchildren, step families that combine two family units and many other combinations of family. Still the fact remains that there is a power hierarchy within every household. All families communicate in a unique way. There are four types of communication patterns. These are Consensual, Pluralistic, Protective and laissez-Faire. Families with a …show more content…

Children are expected to obey their parents, and parents do not usually share the reasoning for their decisions. Children in protective families generally behave in accordance with the family norms. Protective families usually lead to a situation where children from these families do not learn to trust their own ability to make decisions. Laissez-faire families value neither conversation nor conformity. Not much is discussed among members of the family, and parents often don 't have an interest or investment in the decisions made by their children. Children in Laissez-faire families do not learn the value of conversation. They may question their ability to make decisions because they have little

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