Meaning Of Family In American Society According To Blessing

Family The word “family” has a variety of definitions and meanings throughout American Society. To some, family is described by a group of parents and children, but to others family may be described as close and supportive friends, or family can be described by people who consist of only blood related relatives. One can describe family by looking at the value or significance family has to a particular group, such as economic significance or social values within the community. Family is the basic institution where children learn how to socialize, listen, problem solve, and mature. Family is the most significant group that shapes their lives from birth into adulthood. Parents or guardians teach moral values and principles that society adheres

An example is an article called “Meaning of Family,” by Michelle Blessing, a mental health professional. According to Blessing, the word “family” refers to two or more people who have the similar goals and values. Blessing also defines the word “family” as a group of people who are important in one or several ways to a person who considers them family, unlike the traditional family which is only made of the father, mother, and children. Both of these definitions of family are still an accurate definition in American society. Blessing also points out that some definitions of the word family have yet to be modernized. The definition of family excludes cases in which there are single parents, childless couples and same-sex couples. Children are being raised by single parents, gay parents, their grandparents and even guardians and they still form a family unit. Also, there are many couples do not have children or lack the ability to have children, but they consider themselves a family unit even without children. Blessing brings up the issue on whether friends or pets should also be in the definition of the word “family.” There are many cases in which friends are always closer than an individuals relatives. An individual has the ability to chose her friends, which supports the idea that friends may be more important to a person than a relative. Despite the social status such as being healthy or

For instance, the 2010 version defines the word family as two or more people who live in one household, and they are affiliated by birth, marriage or through adoption, while the 1930 version relate family as a group of people who are affiliated to the householder by adoption, blood, or marriage. The U.S. Census Bureau started to embrace the concept of household in 1930 to describe the term family which is a little bit different than its previous definition of family (Random Samplings: The Official Blog of the U.S. Census Bureau, p 66). The modernization of family led to the change in the definition. The individuals being sampled were defining family differently than in the past. This change in definition supports the idea that there are many definitions of the word “family” depending on the individual. Each person has different life situations, which can cause the diversity in how they define the word “family.” While looking back at the 1870 version, which defined family as a group of people who eat together or share a table under one roof, one realized that the issue with the 1870 version is that it somehow excluded the relation by blood, marriage, or adoption in its definition of family. This was a drastic change in the definition of family and how people viewed