Main indicators of family functioning : The family is an institution, understood as any manifestation of sufficient entity within society, it is not a perishable organism, manipulated by mere whim, on the contrary it is based on firm roots fed by its historical evolution and civilization. To understand its legal nature, it should be placed in the appropriate social context.
Summary
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- 1 Importance
- 2 Basic functions of the family
- 3 Indicators to measure family functioning
- 4 Basic principles
- 5 Sources
Importance
In the Family Code in Cuba it says that: The family constitutes the center of relationships in common life and satisfies people’s deep emotional and social interests. As the rhythm of life increases, the family becomes more and more necessary for the satisfaction of man’s spiritual needs.
The family , as a social and psychological historical category, is built from its history, the culture that preceded it, and assumes the social context where it corresponds to form and develop. Its structure is influenced by the changes that take place in the socio-political and economic system, at the same time that it shapes its individual psychology and as a group, in that institution that it creates.
As in any system, in the family there is a combination of components, which are its members; But there are also components of a spiritual nature, such as the feelings, values, attitudes, etc., of its members, and other elements of a material nature that are used to satisfy their needs, such as housing, electrical appliances, etc. .
It is of great importance to know the characteristics of the members of the family group (age, education, sex, occupation, etc.), to be able to determine to what extent the properties of the family depend on its composition. But it should be noted that in the family, as in any organized group, there are above all relationships. Therefore, if you want to intervene in the family group to try to modify elements of the way of life that are detrimental to health, it is necessary to know not only the characteristics of its components, but it is essential to know how the members interact within the family group, their relationships, because these are the ones that maintain the system.
The family as any system has a structure, this refers to the internal organization, the way its members interact. The structure plays an important role in the system, if there are no stable links, interaction between its members, as already stated, the family ceases to exist as a system. An important dimension in the structure are the subsystems that make it up, in this case they are the members of the family, because in order to intervene by guiding the family in solving conflicts that affect the health of this group, it is necessary to know how they interact. say, how the subsystems are related; for example, the relationship between the spouses, or the relationship between the subsystem made up of the spouses and that of the children, etc.
The family structure is modified over the years as a natural process, especially the hierarchy, which changes as the children grow, this process is called the family life cycle , in which there are periods of stability and others of acute crisis, typical of development.
The family must in each of these moments of change, seek balance and adapt to new conditions, this will allow it to strengthen as a group and prevent harmful tensions from appearing for its members, for example, with the death of one of its members. functions should be readjusted, so that it is maintained. Regarding the functional aspect of the system, the family fulfills certain functions as a group: the biosocial, the economic and the cultural – spiritual, but these are the result of the functioning of its members.
Like any system of social order, the family is interrelated with other systems. The family is an open system that exchanges energy and information with its environment. The family constitutes the basic cell of society , “it constitutes a functional microsystem subject to laws and norms that respond to the internal needs of the group and in turn reflect the external reality”
Society, the family and the individual are influencing and conditioning each other, the relationship between them has a dialectical character, but the determining role is played by the socio-economic structure of society. The family has evolved throughout the historical – social development, it was modified as the economic base of society did, each Economic – Social Formation has determined the laws, norms and social values that have a direct impact on the functioning family.
The social environment has a significant influence on the functioning and development of the family as a group, but when analyzing it dialectically it is recognized that these influences are refracted through the internal properties of the family system, that is, through its structure and functioning.
Basic functions of the family
The family as a social group must fulfill 3 basic functions that are: the economic, biological and educational, cultural and spiritual functions and this is precisely one of the indicators used to assess family functioning, that is, that the family is capable of satisfying the basic material and spiritual needs of its members, acting as a support system.
When it comes to talking about family functioning, it is found that there is no single criterion for the indicators that measure it. Some authors argue that the family becomes dysfunctional when it does not have the capacity to assume changes, that is, when the rigidity of its rules prevents it from adjusting to its own cycle and the development of its members. Other authors point out as dysfunctional characteristics intrafamily incompetence and failure to fulfill their basic functions.
Indicators to measure family functioning
- Effective performance of its functions: (economic, biological and cultural-spiritual).
- That the family system allows the development of personal identity and the autonomy of its members: To make an analysis of this indicator, it is necessary to take into account the family ties that intervene in the autonomy-belonging relationship. In many family cases, in order to show loyalty, individuality must be renounced and this conflict can be seen both in father-son relationships, as well as in those of a couple, that is, generational and intergenerational. When the family demands a fusion or excessive dependence between its members, it limits their personal and individual improvement and fulfillment, but on the contrary, when the family relationship is very open and defends individuality a lot, feelings of family belonging tend to be nullified. For the family to be functional, it is necessary to maintain “clear limits”
- That in the family system there is flexibility of the rules and roles for the resolution of conflicts: Here we must analyze the family ties that intervene in the relationship assignment-assumption of roles, that is, those interaction guidelines that have to do with what what should and should not be done and with the functions, duties and rights of each member of the family group. A functional family is considered when the tasks or roles assigned to each member are clear and are accepted by them. It is also important for the family to be functional that there is no role overload that may be due to over-demands, as it could be in the case of adolescent mothers or single-parent households, and they are also due to generic overloads or by generic stereotypes that imply rigidity in terms of male and female functions in the home. Another necessary condition for the family to function properly is that there is flexibility or complementarity of role, that is, that the members complement each other in the fulfillment of the assigned functions and these are not seen in a rigid way.Hierarchy should also be analyzed in this indicator. or generational distance that can occur in a horizontal way (when you have the same power) or in a vertical way (when there are different levels of hierarchy) .10 For example, in the marital relationship there must be a horizontal hierarchy system and in the parent-child relationship it must be vertical (when it is under the guardianship of the parents). The family becomes dysfunctional when the generational distance is not respected, when the hierarchy is reversed, (for example: the mother who asks her son for permission to remarry) and when the hierarchy is confused with authoritarianism.
- That in the family system there is clear, coherent and affective communication that allows the sharing of problems: When talking about distorted or dysfunctional communication, it refers to double messages or incongruous messages, that is, when the message transmitted verbally is not it corresponds or is incongruous with the one that is transmitted extraverbally or when the message is incongruous in itself and is not clear. In general, when there are double messages in communication it is because there are unresolved conflicts, which is why difficulties in communication can be seen more as a consequence of dysfunctions between other family ties, such as rules, roles, hierarchies, etc. , although it should not be forgotten that all of them work in a circular way.
- That the family system is able to adapt to changes: The family functions properly when there is no rigidity and can easily adapt to changes. The family is a continuum of balance-change. In order to adapt to change, the family must be able to modify its limits, its hierarchical systems, its roles and rules, in short, to modify all its family ties, since they are not independent of each other.
This indicator of functioning, that is, the ability to adapt, is considered one of the most important, not only because it encompasses the entire set of family ties, but also due to the fact that the family is subject to constant changes because they have to face constantly 2 types of tasks that are development tasks (they are the tasks related to the stages that the family necessarily has to go through to develop, which is called the “life cycle”) and the coping tasks (which are the ones that are derive from facing the so-called non-transitory or para-normative family crises).
Both types of tasks require a great deal of the family’s ability to adapt, adjust and balance to ensure that it is capable of developing and facing critical moments in an appropriate way and maintaining the psychological balance of its members.
If the family establishes dysfunctional strategies in the face of change situations, such as rigidity and resistance, this causes an encystment of conflicts and therefore, symptoms begin to appear that threaten Family Health and the harmonious development of its members.
Therefore, the main characteristic that a functional family should have is that it promotes a development favorable to health for all its members, for which it is essential that it have: clear hierarchies, clear limits, clear and defined roles, open and explicit communication and the ability to adapt to change.
In today’s world, it is recognized that the family is in difficulties, and skeptical students even doubt its survival. Great threats act on the family due to the serious economic and social crises that most countries are going through, and especially those of America. Annually, the number of divorces increases significantly, instability in the family structure rises, households headed by single women increase, which, together with an increasing incorporation of women into public life, increases the overload of roles of the mother causing the corresponding imbalances in the psychological order. Intrafamily communication is significantly lacerated, for which little or no space remains. The obvious contradiction between increasing urbanization and the acute marginalization of the poorest causes major cracks in the value system, which increase with the growth of violence throughout society, and in the daily life of the family. It is not difficult to find frequent aggressive communication in the couple with extension to the bond with the children, which becomes a decisive factor that threatens the growth of a healthy personality.
It is considered that although this crisis of the macro-society that transcends the family cannot be ignored, the strength, harmony and potential of a family can counteract and even modify these external conditions. The family is that determining place, where children and all their members prepare to grow up, prepare for life. This essential function of the family in the formation and development of healthy personalities, it is necessary to promote it and especially in the conditions of children with special educational needs.
Basic principles
- The family, as a social and psychological historical category, is built from its history, the culture that preceded it, and assumes the social context where it corresponds to form and develop. Its structure is influenced by the changes that take place in the socio-political and economic system, at the same time that it shapes its individual psychology and as a group, in that institution that it creates.
- The family, as an open evolutionary dynamic system, is susceptible to continuous transformation if the necessary possibility of change is stimulated and encouraged. Generational relationships and contradictions in the family context do not necessarily have a negative character, on the contrary they can become a driving force for the development of the family institution.
- The relationship between the general, particular and singular in the mechanism of family dynamics is expressed in the coexistence of operating regularities that are inherent to all its members, while each one contributes his personal characteristics, giving a particular stamp to his interaction in the family environment, which has an impact on the differentiated nature of one family with respect to another despite common problems.
- The ecological approach to family functioning, which translates into individuality not only determined by personal psychological components and intra-family interaction, but also by those that are located in an inter-family level, referring to the most immediate regional, local and community context, fosters a It influences lifestyle and elicits certain responses in the presence of these conditions.
- The ontogenetic approach to family development implies recognizing how the process of family structuring, organization and growth has taken place. To understand the current family, it is necessary to know the family that gave rise to it and how the evolutionary stages passed from its initial formation. It is necessary to identify the necessary confrontation that originates between gender and ages, how the scenario of understanding, comparison, respect, love, communication and frustration has developed, which constitutes an important element in the formation of the individual value system and the family group . In essence, it is to explain how the quality of the action and interaction of the biological, economic, educational and affective functions has been, which ultimately defines family identity and authenticity.
