FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 2
Abstract
The complexity of family development depends on how it is viewed and comprehended. The
discussion over family composition, elements that influence family structure and change
throughout time, and ideas that keep families together has been sparked by the emergence of
family formation. The biblical understanding of family development was highly valued
historically, but societal pressures have since altered this narrative. Nonetheless, it is critical to
comprehend how family development is impacted by society, culture, and the economy. This
paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of what family is and how the concept of family
growth is understood. Examining family development serves as an introduction to the subject.
By examining their conventional and evolving responsibilities, husbands, wives, and children's
positions within the family will be examined. This paper5will investigate how religion and
spirituality have played a role in family development historically and in reality. In addition, the
personal application will offer a thorough examination of the writer's viewpoint both prior to and
following reading. The writer's closing remarks will be given after a thorough explanation of
ethics in decision-making from the start of the course.
Keywords: The family, family structure, family development, family roles, religion in the
family
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Perceived Versus Informed Concepts
The Family
Most people will argue that they are all about family, but the questions remain, what does
it mean to be a family and what makes an individual apart of a family? These questions could
potentially produce a variety of answers because not everyone has the same perspective of
family. Generally, individuals are born into families where they accept learned values and norms,
and they pass them along for generations. With this idea in mind, the perception of family
becomes limited because individuals are accustomed to one perspective of family. First, in order
to understand the broad concept of family, it is important to examine its history, current conflicts,
changes, and what it is becoming.
In earlier years, the American family adapted its foundation from Western history were as
families shared economic and social bonds (Garland, 2012). For example, Roman families were
depicted as rich, powerful, and large that included children, servants, slaves, and animals.
Ancient households were large, survival depended upon economic productivity, and they were
exclusive to the community. Historically, the term "nuclear family" was popular which referred
to an independent household inhabited by two married heterosexual people and their children
(Garland, 2012; Popenoe, 1988). Though the term "traditional family" was originally used to
refer to the nuclear family, a traditional family included other requirements such being the
couple's first marriage, having no children from a prior marriage, and having the wife work from
home. Marriage was highly valued, and it was viewed as mutually exclusive to family (Balswick
et al., 2021).
Since then, the family unit has shifted away the concept of being nuclear and the term has
become more unstable. McGoldrick et al. (2016) expressed that households led by a single
person is one of the major changes in American families. Approximately half of American adults
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 4
live independently and less than half of their households are ran by married couples. A large
number of households are occupied by unmarried partners living together. The role of choice is a
dominant factor in marriage regarding who to marry, where to live, and whether or not to
reproduce. Also, the fact that child-rearing occupied the majority of adults lives previously and
now adults are becoming empty nesters earlier, is another remarkable change in the family unit.
McGoldrick et al. (2016) and Garland (2012) emphasize that families have also been challenged
by cultural diversity, economic restructuring, differences in the wealthy and impoverished,
changes in birth and mortality rates. Today, family is defined by how individuals relate or
interact with others. In lay means terms how the concept of family was depicted is not how it is
viewed today.
Family Roles
History has revealed the distinction of roles between husbands, wives, and children. The
husband was labeled as the breadwinner in which he worked outside of the home and provided
the family with financial security. Also, the husbands were patriarchs of the family whereas he
led the family and made decisions for the family (Köstenberger, 2010). Similarly, males strived
for dominance in the relationship, exhibited strength, avoided depending on others, displayed
aggression as means for problem-solving, and avoided women-like behaviors (McGoldrick et al.,
2016). Wives were seen as the homemaker and complimentary to her husband’s by meeting his
needs, providing basic caregiving to the children, and being supportive. Typically, the wife
cooked, completed housekeeping duties, and dedicated time to the children. Children were seen
as dependent on their parents but respect for parents and elders was reinforced by religious
beliefs (McGoldrick et al., 2016).
Traditionally and in contemporary society both men and women are responsible for
reproducing and raising offsprings (Köstenberger, 2010). However, the economy holds an
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 5
enormous amount of responsibility for the shift in the individual roles in the family. According to
McGoldrick et al. (2016) women have become more independent and finding personal identity,
and they no longer have the suppressed role of being productive in the home and looking after
the children, instead they are required to work and complete caretaking responsibilities. The
labor force is almost equally occupied by men and women (United States Department of Labor
and Statistics, 2011). Garland (2012) asserts that equal possibilities for adults have been brought
about by an increase in the number of employed women, career advancement opportunities, and
financial challenges, which has impacted the family unit. Now, family relationships are identified
by their functions in the family.
The Role of Religion/Spirituality in The Family
Over many generations religion and spirituality indicated a major element of the family.
According to McGoldrick et al. (2016) spirituality has been entangled in culture and religious
traditions and has healed families for many centuries. Spirituality has been constructive to
promote emotional well-being amongst individuals and families success and dysfunction.
Interestingly, Mahoney (2010) proposes a relational spirituality framework that intertwines
spirituality and interpersonal relationships within the family. Similar to McGoldrick et al. (2016)
ideas, family relationships, patterns, and involvement are significant in the formation of
individuals’ spiritual beliefs, religious practices, and experiences at different stages of the life
cycle (Mahoney, 2010). For example, religious beliefs were evident in parent-child relationships
to foster discipline, communication, and bonding.
Meanwhile, statistics reveal that more than half of Americans reported that they are
strongly religious or somewhat religious, while very few reported no interest in religious
affiliation (Gallup, 2012). This signifies the shift in people’s perspective towards
religious/spiritual beliefs and practices. Religious and spiritual practices created a division
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amongst the believers, non-believers, and members of other faiths. Dollahite et al. (2018)
asserted that although religious communities can have a significant impact on followers, people
are also autonomous individuals that can choose how to practice their beliefs. It has been
demonstrated that religious rituals and beliefs are still advantageous for upholding family
structure, defining duties withing the family, and fostering strong family bonds (Mahoney, 2010;
Krok, 2018).
Personal Application
Prior to the reading, I believe I had fluid sense of who and what a family is. I thought of
the family as consisting of individuals who are linked to me by blood, marriage, and kinship. A
few individuals in my family are not biologically related, but by their interactions with my
family and the ties they shared with other family members, they were accepted into the family
over time. In addition, my maternal grandmother loved and cared for her dog as if it were a child.
She rejoiced and treated her like a human, which I found strange, but she was a family member,
so when she passed away, it had an impact on the family. My family has since adopted this
mindset since we now think of our pets as family. They are family because of the time and
affection dedicated to raising them and their companionship. I vehemently disagree with those
who argue that animals are not part of the family. Additionally, because of the deep ties we have
forged, our shared desire to be closer to God, and the fact that church has long served as the
cornerstone of my family, I view my church members as family. It is easy to refer to my
coworkers that provide family-like warmth and emotional support as family. As we have
discovered so far, every family is unique, so it is inappropriate to judge the customs, traditions,
and values of a particular family.
After reading, I have gained a more positive perspective of same-gender relationships in
the family unit. For instance, adhering to the biblical principles created cohesion in my family.
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 7
Recently, a member of my family disclosed that he is homosexual and now he is married. His
disclosure yielded long lectures from my parents on how same-gender attraction is an
abomination. I always felt that my parents were wrong because homosexuality is my brother’s
choice and their love for him should not falter. I was torn during the Köstenberger (2010) debate,
but I felt more at ease after learning the biblical position on homosexuality, that homosexuals are
welcome to repent because God loves all of his people.
Conclusion
To conclude, understanding ethics is significant to daily living. It requires individual’s to
know the difference between right and wrong in order to make the best decision. Decision-
making is a huge responsibility that requires integrity, trust, fairness, and omitting personal
values and beliefs. People who understand ethics generally respect people, have considered the
possible harm to others, respect independence, treat people fairly, and consider the best option.
For example, parents have the choice to take care of their children or be a great example to them.
However, understanding ethics in decision-making can help professionals make the best choice
when challenged with a dilemma.
One of my final thoughts is that our family are like compasses because they guide us, but
we should not be limited by what we perceive as family because it is more than just physical
structure. Also, a second thought is it is disheartening to see families judged by the number of
children they have, race of the parents compared to the children, sexuality, and whether they are
biologically or legally related. These factors do not determine whether are not everyone in the
family is cared for properly but typically, they share the same affection for one another. A daily
reminder for me is to never judge a book by its cover and the scripture reminds us that God is he
who sits high and looks low. When someone judges, they are voicing their extreme displeasure of
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 8
something or someone, and they unintentionally criticize every action. There are several
scriptures in the Bible that command us not to cast judgment. Specifically, John 7: 24 (KJV)
states, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” The verse serves
as a reminder to judge according to righteousness rather than passing judgment. My final thought
is that when determining the definition of family one must consider all perspectives.
FAMILY DEVELOPMENT 9
References
Balswick, J. O., & Balswick, J. K., & Frederick, T. V. (2021). The family: A Christian
perspective on the contemporary home (5th ed.). MI: Baker Academic.
Dollahite, D. C., Marks, L. D., & Dalton, H. (2018). Why religion helps and harms families: A
conceptual model of a system of dualities at the nexus of faith and family life. Journal of
Family Theory & Review, 10(1), 219–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12242
Gallup (2012). States of the states. Retrieved May 17, 2013, from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125066/State-States.aspx?ref=interactive
Garland, D. (2012). Family ministry: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed.). IL: IVP Academic.
King James Version. (1987). Bible Gateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/
Köstenberger, A. J. (2010). God, marriage, and family: Rebuilding the biblical foundation (2nd
ed.). IL: Crossway.
Krok, D. (2018). Examining the role of religion in a family setting: Religious attitudes and
quality of life among parents and their adolescent children. Journal of Family Studies,
24(3) 203-218, https://doi.org/10.1080/13229400.2016.1176589
Mahoney, A. (2010). Religion in Families, 1999-2009: A relational spirituality framework.
Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(4), 805-827. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-
3737.2010.00732.x
McGoldrick. M., Garcia Preto, N., & Carter, B. (2016). The expanded family life cycle:
Individual, family, and social perspectives (5th ed.). OH: Allyn and Bacon.
Popenoe, D. (1988). Disturbing the Nest: Family Change and Decline in Modern Societies (1st
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