香港電台 eTVonline 聯校通識學生活動 之 家多一點愛話劇創作比賽 工作坊 - 家庭作用和價值 楊家正博士 10 月 15 日 2

Definition of family 3  “... a group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood, or adoption; constituting a single household; interacting and communicating with each other in their respective social roles of husband and wife, mother and father, son and daughter, brother and sister, and creating and maintaining a common culture.” (Burgess and Locke, 1953, p.7-8)  “... A basic unit of kinship composed of two or more members who are united by ties of blood, marriage or adoption, and who live together constituting a single household.” (Wong, 1975)

Definition of family 4 “The family is a social group characterized by common residence, economic co-operation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the usually co-habiting adults.” (George Peter Murdock, 1949) “... a social group made up of members related to one another by blood or marital ties and usually constituting a household.” (Lee, 1991, p.42)

Concepts of the family 5 Karpel and Strauss summerizes different concepts of the family: (1) the functional family - defined by shared household, shared activities, shared responsibility for daily life and child rearing; (2) the legal family - defined by legal structure, altered by divorce and adoptive placement of children; (3) the family as seen by its members - defined by the perceptions of its members; and seen as “in” the family by family members; (4) the family of long-term commitments - defined by long-term expectations of loyalty and commitment; trust, reliability, and fairness are basic expectation; (5) the biological family - defined by blood relationships; parent- child relationship. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these definitions?

Functions of family 6  Reproductive function  Economic function  Education (socialization) function  Protective function  Providing prestige and status  Religious function  Recreation Function  Providing affection

Characteristics of Well ‑ functioning families  A hierarchical structure with a strong parental/marital coalition and appropriate generational boundaries;  A caring and nurturing atmosphere supportive both of individual differences and family growth and development;  Flexible and adaptability within a context of predictability and stability;  Initiative, reciprocity, cooperation, and negotiation;  Effective communication;  A congruent mythology;  Openness in expression of all feelings;  A systemic orientation;  Optimism and a sense of humor;  A transcendental value system and shared goals and beliefs;  Ritual, tradition, and celebrations;  A viable network of support.

Family Life Cycle 8  Newly married couples - pre-child year  Childbearing families - oldest child under 3  Families with pre-school children - oldest child 3 to 6  Families with school children - oldest child 6 to 13  Families with teenagers - oldest child 13 to 21  Families launching young adults - first child gone to last child gone  Middle-age parents - post-child years to retirement  Aging family members - retirement to death of spouse

Variations in Family Life Cycle 9  Premature marriage - unwed/teenage pregnancy  Childless family  Extended family  Divorce - singlehood or single parenthood  Remarriage - step-family  Death of spouse or family member

Single Parent Family - Causes 10  Separation and divorce  Death of a parent  Desertion  Work  Imprisonment  Long-term hospitalization  Astronaut families

Common Problems of Single Parent Families 11  Financial difficulties  Accommodation  Emotional problems  Parenting problems  Social isolation  Remarriage