A ..family ..can ..be ..defined ..as ..a ..socially ..recognized ..group ..(usually ..joined ..by ..

blood,
marriage, ..cohabitation, ..or ..adoption) ..that ..forms ..an ..emotional ..connection ..and ..serves
..

.. as ..an ..economic ..unit ..of ..society. ..Therefore, ..family ..is, ..indeed, ..a ..subjective ..concept, ..but
.. it ..is ..a ..fairly ..objective ..fact ..that ..family ..(whatever ..one’s ..concept ..of ..it ..may ..be) ..is ..very
.. important ..to ..people. ..A ..group ..of ..persons ..directly ..linked ..by ..kin ..connections, ..adult
members ..of ..which ..assume ..responsibility ..of ..caring ..for ..children ..(Steel ..et ..al., ..2012: ..2).
..

.. Hence, ..this ..paper ..endeavours ..to ..explain ..the ..objective ..and ..subjective ..definitions ..of ..a
family, ..and ..it ..will ..further ..justify ..which ..definition ..is ..suitable ..and ..applicable. ..For ..clarity,
..

.. the ..paper ..will ..begin ..by ..defining ..key ..terms ..such ..as ..family, ..and ..thereafter, ..discuss ..the
main ..purpose ..of ..the ..paper.
..

A ..family ..is ..a ..group ..of ..two ..people ..or ..more ..(one ..of ..whom ..is ..the ..householder) ..related
.. by ..birth, ..marriage, ..or ..adoption ..and ..residing ..together. ..This ..definition ..is ..useful ..for
.. obtaining ..a ..current ..snapshot ..of ..various ..family ..configurations ..(such ..as ..the ..percentage
.. of ..children ..living ..with ..single ..parents ..in ..a ..given ..year), ..and ..to ..track ..changes ..over ..time
.. in ..family ..living ..arrangements. ..According ..to ..Desai ..(1994), ..as ..cited ..in ..Sonawat ..(2001:
.. 17), ..defined ..the ..family ..as ..a ..unit ..of ..two ..or ..more ..persons ..united ..by ..marriage, ..blood,
.. adoption, ..or ..consensual ..union, ..in ..general ..consulting ..a ..single ..household, ..interacting
.. and ..communicating ..with ..each ..other.

Furthermore, ..a ..family ..is ..a ..group ..of ..individuals ..in ..which ..there ..is ..a ..generational
.. connection ..present ..(i.e., ..a ..parent-child ..relationship ..is ..found). ..Additionally, ..family
members ..provide ..close ..intimate ..contact ..(usually ..characterized ..by ..deeply ..held
..

.. commitment, ..trust, ..respect, ..and ..a ..sense ..of ..longer ..term ..obligation. ..It ..is ..assumed ..that
.. sexual ..intimacy ..is ..an ..element ..of ..the ..relationship ..between ..the ..parents ..and ..that ..this
family ..group ..seeks ..to ..achieve ..goals ..by ..acquiring, ..allocating ..and ..distributing
..

.. resources ..(i.e., ..time, ..money, ..space, ..and ..close ..personal ..contact) ..(Day, ..2010: ..14). ..

In ..other ..words, ..a ..family ..is ..a ..group ..of ..persons ..united ..by ..the ..ties ..of ..marriage, ..blood ..or
.. adoption ..consisting ..of ..a ..single ..household ..interacting ..and ..inter ..communicating ..with
.. each ..other ..in ..their ..respective ..social ..roles ..of ..husband ..and ..wife, ..mother ..and ..father,
.. son ..and ..daughter, ..brother ..and ..sister ..creating ..a ..common ..culture.” ..

Page ..1 ..of ..6

There ..are ..generally ..two ..types ..of ..definitions ..of ..family ..– ..objective ..and ..subjective.
.. However, ..the ..prototypical ..example ..of ..the ..objective ..approach ..to ..defining ..family ..is ..the
.. definition ..used ..by ..the ..U.S. ..Census ..Bureau ..(2008: ..6): ..“A ..family ..is ..a ..group ..of ..two ..or
more ..persons ..related ..by ..birth, ..marriage, ..or ..adoption ..and ..residing ..together ..in ..a
..

.. household”. ..

A ..key ..feature ..of ..an ..objective ..definition ..is ..that ..it ..specifies ..(and ..restricts) ..who ..is ..(and
.. who ..is ..not) ..in ..a ..person's ..family. ..An ..alternative, ..subjective ..approach ..is ..to ..let ..people
make ..their ..own ..decisions ..about ..who ..is ..in ..their ..families. ..Drawing ..on ..people's ..implicit
..

.. definitions ..leads ..to ..some ..interesting ..implications. ..Consider ..the ..common ..case ..of ..a
.. divorced ..mother ..living ..with ..her ..child. ..

The ..mother ..is ..unlikely ..to ..consider ..her ..ex-husband ..to ..be ..a ..family ..member ..at ..least
.. since ..the ..divorce ..occurred. ..But ..if ..the ..child ..continues ..to ..spend ..a ..significant ..amount ..of
.. time ..with ..her ..father, ..she ..probably ..will ..continue ..to ..view ..him ..as ..a ..family ..member
.. (Bredeholf ..et ..al., ..2003). ..In ..cases ..like ..these, ..the ..mother ..and ..child ..do ..not ..share ..the
.. same ..family, ..although ..their ..families ..overlap.

On ..the ..other ..hand, ..the ..subjective ..definition ..is ..based ..on ..how ..people ..themselves ..view
.. who ..is ..in ..and ..who ..is ..not ..in ..their ..family. ..This ..approach ..is ..exemplified ..by ..Allen, ..et ..al.
.. (2000: ..1) ..definition ..of ..family ..– ..“two ..or ..more ..persons ..related ..by ..birth, ..marriage,
.. adoption, ..or ..choice”. ..The ..key ..difference ..between ..the ..two ..types ..of ..definitions ..is ..the
.. addition ..oof ..choice ..to ..the ..subjective ..definition ..which ..implies ..that ..a ..family ..consists ..of
.. all ..the ..individuals ..who ..any ..given ..person ..considers ..to ..be ..in ..his ..or ..her ..family, ..even ..if
.. they ..are ..not ..related ..biologically ..or ..legally. ..

This ..addition ..means ..that ..individuals ..may ..consider ..certain ..individuals ..to ..be ..family
members ..because ..they ..feel ..particularly ..close ..or ..committed ..to ..them ..even ..if ..they ..are
..

.. not ..biologically ..linked ..to ..them ..and ..are ..not ..married. ..Such ..individuals ..may ..include
.. extremy ..close ..friends, ..people ..one ..respects ..a ..great ..deal, ..older ..or ..more ..experienced
.. adults ..who ..one ..goes ..to ..for ..advice ..and ..guidance, ..and ..fictive ..kin ..who ..behave ..as ..if
.. they ..were ..family ..members ..and ..who ..present ..themselves ..to ..others ..as ..kin ..(Allen, ..et ..al.,
.. 2000: ..22).

Page ..2 ..of ..6

This ..example ..illustrates ..three ..curious ..features ..of ..subjective ..definitions ..of ..families.
.. First, ..residence ..and ..family ..are ..different. ..In ..fact, ..when ..asked ..to ..list ..family ..members,
most ..people ..name ..one ..or ..more ..individuals ..who ..do ..not ..reside ..with ..them. ..Moreover,
..

.. some ..people ..exclude ..individuals ..who ..live ..with ..them ..from ..their ..family ..circles. ..For
.. example, ..research ..shows ..that ..many ..adolescents ..do ..not ..consider ..their ..residential
.. stepfathers ..to ..be ..family ..members. ..Relying ..on ..household-centered ..definitions ..has ..led
.. to ..over-identify ..the ..home ..as ..the ..site ..of ..a ..person's ..most ..meaningful ..family
.. relationships ..and ..to ..give ..insufficient ..attention ..to ..relationships ..and ..interactions ..with
family ..members ..outside ..the ..home ..(Leeder, ..2004).
..

Secondly, ..Lindsay ..and ..Dempsey ..(2009) ..stipulate ..that ..under ..subjective ..definition, ..the
family ..membership ..is ..asymmetrical. ..That ..is, ..person ..A ..might ..claim ..person ..B ..as ..a
..

member ..of ..his ..family, ..but ..person ..B ..might ..not ..claim ..person ..A ..as ..a ..member ..of ..her
..

family. ..Examples ..would ..include ..cases ..in ..which ..a ..stepfather ..views ..a ..stepdaughter ..as
..

.. a ..family ..member, ..but ..the ..stepdaughter ..does ..not ..reciprocate ..this ..claim. ..When ..families
.. are ..defined ..objectively, ..in ..contrast, ..membership ..is ..always ..reciprocal, ..and ..family
membership ..can ..be ..determined ..by ..obtaining ..data ..from ..a ..single ..member.
..

Finally, ..subjective ..definitions ..of ..the ..family, ..family ..members ..are ..not ..always ..related ..by
.. blood, ..marriage, ..or ..adoption. ..Many ..cohabiting ..partners, ..for ..example, ..consider
.. themselves ..to ..be ..family. ..Similarly, ..many ..people ..consider ..their ..best ..friends ..to ..be
family ..members. ..Family ..scholars ..have ..noted ..the ..importance ..of ..fictive ..kin ..in ..many
..

.. people's ..lives ..a ..phenomenon ..that ..is ..especially ..important ..for ..some ..racial ..and ..ethnic
.. groups, ..such ..as ..African ..Americans. ..

From ..a ..subjective ..perspective, ..of ..course, ..these ..individuals ..are ..not .."fictive." ..Other

.. people ..may ..choose ..to ..reject ..close ..biological ..relatives ..(such ..as ..a ..parent, ..a ..child, ..or ..a

.. sibling) ..from ..their ..family ..definition. ..Children ..who ..rarely ..(or ..never) ..see ..their ..biological

fathers, ..for ..example, ..often ..say ..that ..they ..have ..no ..father. ..When ..it ..comes ..to
..

.. perceptions ..of ..family, ..biology ..is ..not ..destiny ..(Bredehoft, ..et ..al., ..2003).

Page ..3 ..of ..6

However, ..the ..subjective ..definition ..is ..suitable ..and ..applicable ..because ..this ..approach

.. permits ..them ..to ..relatively ..easily ..determine ..if ..tthey ..are ..in ..a ..romantic ..relationship.

.. Secondly, ..the ..subjective ..approach ..reminds ..us ..that ..many ..relationships ..that ..are ..not

.. considered ..family ..relationships ..by ..the ..objective ..definition ..(e.g., ..by ..the ..U.S. ..Census)

.. can ..be ..considered ..romantic ..and ..committed ..by ..the ..parties ..themselves. ..For ..example,

.. a ..long-term ..committed ..cohabiting ..relationship ..would ..not ..meet ..the ..Census ..Bureau’s

.. definition ..of ..family, ..although ..it ..very ..likely ..would ..not ..meet ..the ..subjective ..definition ..of ..a

.. romantic ..relationship ..and ..possibly ..of ..a ..family ..that ..is ..very ..meaning ..to ..both ..partners

.. (Census ..Bureau, ..U.S., ..2005). ..

Furthermore, .the .subjective ..definitions ..of ..the ..family .is .characterised .by .the .past

. experiences, .knowledge, .perceptions, .understanding .and .desires .of .the .specific .person

. in .a .family. .These .statements .are .exclusively .based .on .the .ideas .or .opinion .of .the .person

. making .it, .as .there .is .no .universal .truth. .

Leeder ..(2004.) .aptly .posited .that .subjective ..definition ..of ..the ..family .enables .family

. members .commit .themselves .to .promoting .each .other’s .happiness. .The .commitment

. comes .from .sharing .meaningful .experiences, .from .involvement .in .setting .family .goals,

. and .from .seeing .these .goals .carried .out. .Commitment .is .a .vital .factor .in .the .subjective

.. definitions ..of ..the ..family .because .it .helps .in .developing .a .sense .of .caring .and .unity

. among .family .members. .Regular .family .discussions .encourage .family .commitment.

Morever, .subjective ..definitions ..of ..the ..family .entails .that .mistakes, .misunderstandings,

. and .hurts .of .a .family .are .part .of .life. .Therefore, .subjective ..definitions ..of ..the ..family

. permits .families .teach .and .practice .forgiveness. .They .refuse .to .nurse .old .wounds. .They

. learn .from .mistakes .and .forgive .others .and .themselves. .They .live .each .day .in .a .fresh, .full

Page ..4 ..of ..6

. way. .By .forgiving .and .letting .go .of .the .painful .past, .they .experience .healing, .peace .of

. mind, .and .a .deepening .of .love .( . Lindsay et al., 2009: 33).

In .the .subjective ..definitions ..of ..the ..family, .all .lines .of .communication .in .the .are .open.

. Information .flows .freely. .Members .of .the .famili .put .forth .the .effort .to .hear .what .the .other

. person .says .and .feels. .They .also .are .comfortable .voicing .opinions .of .their .own .and .are

. open .to .change. .Though .they .don’t .always .agree, .they .do .get .everything .out .in .the .open

. and .handle .disagreements .creatively .by .using .conflict .management .skills .(i.e. .objective.

Accordingly, ..even ..though ..such ..relationships ..are ..more ..difficult ..to ..define ..and ..identify

.. than ..marriages, ..the ..dissolution ..of ..these ..relationships ..may ..elicit ..many ..of ..the ..same

.. kinds ..of ..responses ..and ..reactions ..as ..does ..divorce. ..Accepting ..people's ..subjective

.. definitions ..of ..families ..moves ..us ..closer ..to ..the ..lived ..reality ..of ..people's ..lives. ..Families

.. are ..more ..difficult ..to ..study, ..however, ..if ..we ..rely ..on ..people's ..subjective ..definitions. ..

From ..the ..foregoing ..discussion, ..it ..can ..be ..deduced ..that ..a ..family ..is ..a ..group ..of ..two ..or
.. more ..persons ..related ..by ..birth, ..marriage, ..or ..adoption ..and ..residing ..together ..in ..a
.. household. ..Therefore, ..family ..is, ..indeed, ..a ..subjective ..concept, ..but ..it ..is ..a ..fairly
.. objective ..fact ..that ..family ..(whatever ..one’s ..concept ..of ..it ..may ..be) ..is ..very ..important ..to
.. people. ..This ..implies ..that ..an ..objective ..definition ..of ..the ..family ..is ..that ..it ..specifies ..(and
.. restricts) ..who ..is ..(and ..who ..is ..not) ..in ..a ..person's ..family. ..On ..the ..other ..hand, ..subjective
.. definition ..of ..the ..family ..is ..to ..let ..people ..make ..their ..own ..decisions ..about ..who ..is ..in ..their
.. families. ..Thus, ..the ..subjective ..definition ..is ..based ..on ..how ..people ..themselves ..view ..who
.. is ..in ..and ..who ..is ..not ..in ..their ..family. ..However, ..both ..definitions ..gives ..a ..clear ..picture
.. what ..a ..family ..is, ..but ..it ..is ..very ..important ..to ..use ..the ..objective ..definition ..of ..the ..family
.. because; ..it ..permits ..them ..to ..relatively ..easily ..determine ..if ..tthey ..are ..in ..a ..romantic
.. relationship. ..

Page ..5 ..of ..6

 REFERENCES

Bredehoft, ..D. ..and ..Walcheski, ..M. ..(2003). ..Family ..Resource ..Management: ..In ..Family ..Life
.. .. Education. ..London: ..National ..Council ..on
.. Family ..Relations.

Census ..Bureau, ..U.S. ..(2005). ..Question ..and ..answer ..center. ..New ..York, ..NY: ..Springer. ..

Day, ..R. ..D. ..(2010). ..Introduction ..to ..Family ..Processes ..(5th ..Ed.). ..New ..York: ..Routledge.

Leeder, ..E. ..J. ..(2004). ..The ..Family ..in ..Global ..Perspective: ..A ..Gendered ..Journey.
Thousand ..Oaks, ..Calif: ..London: ..Sage ..Publications.
..

Lindsay, ..J., ..and ..Dempsey, ..D. ..(2009). ..Families, ..Relationships ..and ..Intimate ..Life. ..South
.. Melbourne: ..Oxford ..University ..Press.

Sonawat, ..R. ..(2001). ..Understanding ..Families ..in ..India: ..A ..Reflection ..of ..Societal
.. Changes. ..Psicologia: ..Teoria ..e ..Pesquisa. ..

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