Question:
what's your definition of family?
erys
2006-06-21 22:25:40 UTC
i work in social service and we often ask if they're close to their family, or if they have support from their family [not always the same thing] but we don't always ask exactly who they define as their family.
we've been assuming, and i think that's probably not best practice.

thanks,
e~
Sixteen answers:
anonymous
2006-06-21 22:28:05 UTC
Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
niteowl
2006-06-21 22:38:40 UTC
Junk Man- I see you've mastered the art of sarcasm.



I think family can be defined as a group of people who support and encourage each other and love unconditionally. Of course, by that definition I've never had a family- neither has most of the people I've know. But Ideally, that is really what makes a family. Not being related through the sharing of genes.
Aimee H
2006-06-22 02:12:47 UTC
I tend to agree. I have friends that I am closer to than my family. I keep my friends in the loop more than, say my parents, siblings, etc. However, in cases where the person in question is maybe a reclusive type, family may be the only ones that they communicate with. I think you're onto something, though questioning the tendancy to just assume. You may just have to go on a case by case basis. Let your clients tell you what family is to them and go from there. I have friends who were unfortunate enough to be abandoned by their family because of whatever reason so they've always had to rely on people who are not necessarily blood related but they consider family.
anaussie
2006-06-21 22:36:13 UTC
Quite apart from other possible answers to this, "my" definition of family are blood relatives - mum, dad, siblings, auntys, uncles, cousins and grandparents. These are the "family" one "expects" support from but in real life doesn't always pan out that way - in fact, some family members are not worth having... so people "adopt" friends and others into their life and refer to them as family. So a very close friend or friends can become "family" simply because of a shared sense of love and caring for each other.
Chrissy
2006-06-21 22:31:22 UTC
Just try asking if there is anyone they are close to. Everyone defines it different. For me, it is my close group of friends. Due to issues with my family, they do not fall into the category of anything other then people I know. Some people may not open up if they are in this position, I didnt for a long time. Just try phrasing so its open to them for any answer they want to give.
anonymous
2006-06-22 04:44:57 UTC
Certainly NOT what it is today !!!



in the 1950's the family was a unit. Then came the 60's, drugs, peace, war, love, hate, flowers, hippies, chaos, racism at it's high point. Since then everything went down hill and everyone else is to blame for why their kid is so messed up.



NOT - It's because the parents were the people who were doing

the drugs, peace, war, love, hate, flowers, hippies, chaos, racism.



In one generation how to be a parent and a family was lost.
bobby_brenda_slone2002
2006-06-21 22:31:40 UTC
well sometimes like in my case , i live in georgia and my sisters and mom and dad all live in virginia so i have just gotten some close friends here that i consider my family. But my definition of family is someone who will respect your feelings and support you in life decisions and someone who doesnt do sneaky things to hurt you behind your back. hope this helps
Doc Gizmo
2006-06-21 22:42:41 UTC
Family has 2 definitions: Those people who are kin by birth or adoption, and/or those who are our immediate circle of friends who support us emotionally and occasionally physically - when we're ill or hurting and also share our successes and joys, as we do theirs. Sometimes those who constitute "family" are both of the above, sometimes not.
bobatemydog
2006-06-21 22:32:38 UTC
Family to me are people i love unconditionally, and i know love me as well. No-matter how much u annoy or argue with someone u know that no-matter what happens they're gonna be right there with u!
Texas Cowboy
2006-06-21 22:29:20 UTC
Family: people related and/or totally loyal to you that you accept as you would a relative.
echo
2006-06-22 02:36:21 UTC
'FAMILY'-Father, Mother, I Love You. Family included someone is very closed and love you.
JUNK MAN
2006-06-21 22:31:57 UTC
What ever George Bush says.
soxy31
2006-06-21 22:28:27 UTC
family is who you choose, but family is also a system comprised of individuals each with their own role dependant of each other.
alice p
2006-06-21 22:29:43 UTC
well, i think family is someone who is very very close to you and not nessesaraly related to you.

for example my best friend is very close to me so i consider her as my family.
Sunshine*
2006-06-21 22:29:45 UTC
mom & dad and kids
Ginny C & Hobie D
2006-06-21 22:28:44 UTC
Definitions of family on the Web:



a social unit living together; "he moved his family to Virginia"; "It was a good Christian household"; "I waited until the whole house was asleep"; "the teacher asked how many people made up his home"

primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family"

people descended from a common ancestor; "his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower"

class: a collection of things sharing a common attribute; "there are two classes of detergents"

an association of people who share common beliefs or activities; "the message was addressed not just to employees but to every member of the company family"; "the church welcomed new members into its fellowship"

(biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera; "sharks belong to the fish family"

kin: a person having kinship with another or others; "he's kin"; "he's family"

syndicate: a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn



A family is a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a common ancestor, marriage or adoption. Families have some degree of kinship.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family



Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. Modern classification has its roots in the system of Carolus Linnaeus, who grouped species according to shared physical characteristics. These groupings have been revised since Linnaeus to improve consistency with the Darwinian principle of common descent. ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family(biology)



In mathematics, it is a common practice to index or label a collection of objects by some set I called an index set. The indexed collection is called a family and normally denote by (Ai)i∈I.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(set_theory)



Family is the name of an award-winning television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(TV_series)



In mathematics, a family is a collection. It is a formal version of a lookup table. It consists of a set, called the index set, containing the keys, and a mapping from those keys onto the elements of the family. Each key points to exactly one element of the family and each element belongs to at least one key. As different keys may point to the same element, a family can, unlike a set, contain the same element several times. ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(mathematics)



"Family" is an episode of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer that centers on the character Tara.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(Buffy_episode)



As defined by the Census, family is a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.

www.nyskwic.org/u_data/demo_data_terms.cfm



A scientific order of taxonomy which contains genera, or genus.

www.aqualink.com/basic/zglossa.html



One genus or several genera which have a basically similar floral pattern make up a family.

www.boldweb.com/greenweb/glossary.htm



A broad grouping of life forms believed to have a distant common ancestry, and sharing many general traits. Families are further subdivided into genera, and genera into species. The botanical name of a family ends in "-aceae," a suffix which means "family." Therefore, you would never say "Asteraceae Family" since that would be redundant.

www.nazflora.org/Glossary.htm



A legally married couple both aged under 65; a common law husband and wife both aged under 65; a single parent; an adult couple both aged under 65 who have been cohabiting for at least one year, with up to three children aged 18 years under (or 21 in full time education).

www.columbusdirect.com/Definitions.cfm



Set of proteins that share a common evolutionary origin reflected by their relatedness in function which is usually reflected by similarities in primary, secondary or tertiary structure. Can be ambiguous, but typically >50% identity

www.inproteomics.com/nwglosfg.html



Two or more persons related by blood, marriage, or convenience who occupy the same dwelling.

www.ncbuy.com/credit/glossary.html



A family consists of a householder and one or more other persons living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All persons in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. Families are classified by type as either a "married-couple family" or "other family" according to the sex of the householder and the presence of relatives.

www.stats.indiana.edu/web/definitions/data_definitions.htm



A group of plants having biologically similar features. (flower anatomy, fruit type, etc.)

www.prairiefrontier.com/pages/glossary.html



Arms of Family. [See under ARMS.]

digiserve.com/heraldry/pimb_f.htm



(fam' l ) In the scientific system of classification (taxonomy), family is the division between order and genus.

www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/education/bts/resources/glossary.asp



is a category not defined solely by marriage (see "Familial Status").

stlouis.missouri.org/501c/ehoc/glossary.html



in the Linnaean classification scheme, a category between order and genus that is a group of closely related genera or (rarely) a single genus; an onion is scientifically considered in the genus Allium, of the family Liliaceae, in the order Liliales

bestplants.chicago-botanic.org/glossary.htm



A group of related genra with similar features and distinctive characteristics.

www.ntbg.org/plants/define.html



The family name as given by the person making the identification or from a reliable reference.

www.fs.fed.us/pnw/bmnri/hussi5.html



The fifth group that scientists classify living things into. Each order is split into families. Example: The Muridae Family is in the Rodent Order.

www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/glossary.htm



Group of genera collectivelly showing relationship.

www.fish.washington.edu/naturemapping/mollusks/glossary.html



a division of classification including a number of genera agreeing in one or a set of characters and so closely related that they apparently are descended from one stem (definition by Smith).

scarab.msu.montana.edu/historybug/glossary.htm



a higher taxonomic category for a group of related animals or plants which share common characteristics. This category is more specific than an order and broader than a genus. For more information see the classification of animals.

museum.nhm.uga.edu/gawildlife/glossary/gawwglossary.html



(FAM-il-ee) -- A natural unit in taxonomy wherein one or more genera are combined because of a number of similar characteristics, eg, Orchidacae.

www.psfdev.com/los/glossary/family.html



Her Highness, the empress

www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/dict/l.html



Primary documents, codes and memos may be grouped into families: primary document families, code families and memo families. The term "families" should be understood as applying to attributes of grouped units. A primary text family named "MALE" may subsume all interviews with male interviewees, a code family "THEORY" may collect all codes reflecting a theoretical perspective. etc.

www.atlasti.com/glossconcepts.php



taxonomic group above genus, but below order; suffix is -aceae.

www.mycolog.com/GLOSSARY.htm



A taxonomic category higher than a genus. A group of plants with biologically similar features. For plants, family names end in -aceae.

www.lib.ksu.edu/wildflower/glossary.html



refers to a group of persons dependent upon a common or pooled income for their major expenditure items and living in the same dwelling. The term also applies to a financially independent unattached individual living alone.

collection.nlc-bnc.ca/100/200/300/fraser/tax_facts11/glossary.html


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