Changes in the Family Dynamic

By Nichole L Johnson  |   Submitted On November 01, 2014

What is your definition of family? Your definition may be entirely different from mine and the government. Our experiences with family dynamics make our definition unique. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family consists of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing in the same unit. A household consists of all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of a relationship.

If we explore the nature of today's family, we can research statistics to help us identify current patterns and trends. According to Welch (2010), at one time television and the media portrayed images of the idea American family. The father came home from a hard day's work. The apron-clad homemaker offered comfort and support for her husband as well as her children. The home was clutter-free in a homogeneous neighborhood.

Television shows in the 1950's were perfect examples of these images. There were no single parents unless the father was widowed (My three sons and Andy Griffith show). There were no infidelities, no divorce, no abuse, no teen runaways or prior marriages. There were no displays of hardships such as losing employment, domestic violence or neighborhood violence. Social issues such as racism, homosexuality, teen pregnancy and high school dropouts were not mentioned.

In the United States today, there is no such thing as a "traditional family." Families are consisting of:

1. Family of Origin - or family of orientation, is the family into which we are born or brought into by adoption.

2. Family of Procreation - the family unit that is formed when we marry and produce children.

3. Nuclear Family - consists of a biological father, a biological mother, and their biological or adopted children.

4. Extended family - a family unit where two or more generations of close family relatives live together in one household.

5. Single Parent Families (Parenting households where there is no spouse or may result from divorce death of a spouse ).

6. Childless or Child-free Families (Unable to conceive or bear children of their own, or adopt children or Remaining child-free as a conscious choice).

7. Step-families (Sometimes referred to as a reconstituted family; Formed when, after death, divorce or separation of one parent, the other parent marries again; Formed when a never-married parent marries. About 16% of all American families are step-families).

8. Cohabiting (Unmarried partners who live together in a single household; 33% of adults cohabit before marriage; 11 million Americans live with their unmarried partner).

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