The social status of the family: what is it?

The family is a rather complex social entity. Sociologists are accustomed to treating it as a system of close relations between individual members of society, which are linked by responsibility, marital and kinship relations, social necessity.

What is the social status of the family?

The problem of passing the adaptation of families in society is extremely acute for sociologists who are engaged in the study of this issue. One of the main factors in the socialization of a married couple is precisely the social status of the family.

The main characteristics in considering the social status are the material opportunities of members of the society united by marriage, the existence of a common responsibility, educational obligations. There are also potential risk factors that increase the probability of losing the acquired status. Thus, the severance of marital relationships often leads to a deterioration in child-parent relationships. Remarriage is able to some extent eliminate these negative trends.

Families whose composition is complex, create a fertile ground for the formation of a diverse picture of interaction between individuals, which opens up wider opportunities for the socialization of the younger generation. However, highlighting the negative aspects of such a family education, one can note the presence of discomfort when it is necessary to live together for several generations. The situation in this case worsens the lack of personal space, the space for the formation of an independent opinion.

Functional structure

What is the social status of the family? Its formation is largely influenced by the performance of certain functions by the given public education. Among the main functions of the family are the following:

1. Reproductive - reproduction of the genus, reproduction in a biological sense.
2. Educational - the spiritual development of offspring. The formation of a marriage relationship allows not only to create conditions for the birth and upbringing of the child. The presence of a certain atmosphere in the home affects the formation of the personality of the toddlers, and sometimes affects a person throughout life.
3. Economic and household - the most important function, which determines the social status of the family. It is in the ability to maintain the physical condition of relatives, care for those who are not yet ripe or elderly.
4. Material - is determined by the ability of family members to support themselves financially.

Normal families

Considering the social status of the family, the types of statuses, the first thing to look at is the notion of a normal family. However, the idea of it is rather arbitrary and does not have a clear framework. Normal families are considered to be able to ensure their own well-being at a minimum sufficient level, create healthy conditions for the socialization of the child, take care of the protection of relatives and friends.

Safe Families

Despite the very definition, the persons who assign this social status to the family are experiencing certain difficulties. As common problems, it is worth highlighting the presence of conflicts and contradictions, which are manifested in connection with the transition to a new level in society, the influence of gradually changing living conditions.

Prevents the acquisition of such a social status of the family excessive desire to help single-parent relatives, the formation of an atmosphere of excessive guardianship, or too lenient attitude towards relatives.

Problem families

Pay attention also stands on the so-called dysfunctional families, considering the social status of the family. What are the problematic structures?

The very definition of social status indicates the presence of difficulties not only in the relationship between relatives, but also when individuals search for their own place in society. Psychological troubles usually arise here because of the dissatisfaction of the needs of several or one member of the family.

A common problem in dysfunctional families is the presence of unhealthy relationships between the couple or the parents and the child. Living in dysfunctional, problem families, children have to look for ways to overcome various psychological difficulties. Often this leads to the formation of psychogenic abnormalities, which later appear in the emotional rejection of the environment, the weak development of parental feelings.

Asocial families

If we talk about the social status of the family, the types of statuses, it is impossible not to single out such a widespread phenomenon as an antisocial family. Here, the interaction between individual individuals is most complex.

You can call antisocial education, in which the spouses are inclined to conduct a conniving or immoral way of life. As for living conditions, in this case they do not meet the basic requirements of hygiene and sanitation. As a rule, the upbringing of children is neglected. The younger generation is often subjected to moral and physical violence, is backward in development.

Most often this category includes people who have the social status of a large family. The main factor that leads to the formation of such a negative environment is low material security.

Risk groups

In families with normal or prosperous social status, periods of decline often occur, which can potentially lead to a transition to a lower level of socialization. The main risk groups are:

1. Destructive families are characterized by frequent occurrence of conflict situations, lack of desire to form an emotional connection, separative behavior of spouses, and the presence of complex conflicts between parents and the child.
2. Incomplete families - the absence of one of the parents leads to an incorrect self-determination of the child, a decrease in the diversity of family relations.
3. Rigid families - the dominance of one individual clearly manifests itself, which imposes an imprint on the family life of all related persons.
4. The broken families are the preservation of family contacts in the separate way of life of the spouses. Such relationships leave a strong emotional connection between the native people, but at the same time lead to some loss of the parents' own role.