1. On the basis of marriage how is family classified?

On the basis of marriage family is classified into two types, these are polygamous and monogamous families. In a polygamous family, the person has multiple spouses living under the same roof. In a monogamous family, an individual has only one spouse with whom he or she lives.

2. What is the difference between matrilineal and patrilineal family?

Matrilineal family is traced through the mother’s lineage or ancestors. Children carry the mother’s family names and the daughters are natural successors of mother’s property whereas in patrilineal family the lineage is traced through the father and his ancestors. Inheritance of property, names and titles are through the males.

3. Define the following:

• Nuclear family: Nuclear family can be defined as a family that consists of wife/mother, a husband/father, and their children. In other words, it is the smallest and most elementary kinship unit that consists of two parents and children who are dependent on them.
• Extended family: Extended family can be defined as a kinship network of social ties, made of multiple generations, sharing the same residence or residing in the same geographic vicinity without a joint ownership to property.
• Joint family: A joint family consists of many generations living under the same roof. In a simpler explanation it means, two or more nuclear families related through blood, living under the same roof. Money earned by members of the family is collected and spent for the entire family and all property is held jointly.

4. List out the eight family life cycle stages.

Following are the eight family life cycle stages:

• Stage I : Married couple without children
• Stage II : Child bearing family (oldest child’s birth to 30 months)
• Stage III : Family with preschool children (oldest child 2 ½ years to 6 yrs)
• Stage IV : Family with school going children (oldest child 6 yrs - 13 yrs)
• Stage V : Family with teenagers (oldest child 13 yrs - 20 yrs)
• Stage VI : Family as a launching centre (oldest child gone to last child’s leaving)
• Stage VII : Family in the middle years (empty nest to retirement)
• Stage VIII : Ageing family (retirement to death of one spouse)

5. Define developmental task.

Developmental tasks are the responsibilities that arise in each stage of life in a family, successful achievement of which leads to satisfaction and success with later tasks while failure leads to unhappiness in the family, disapproval by the society and difficulty with later developmental tasks (Duvall, 1962).

6. List four important characteristics of traditional joint family.

Following are the characteristics of traditional joint family:

• Traditional joint family has an authoritarian structure,
• It has familistic organization,
• Status of members is determined by their age and relationship, and
• The authority in the family is determined on the principle of seniority.

7. Outline any five functions of joint family.

The functions of joint family are given below:

• Procreation, care and nurture of the young members,
• Social development of the young members,
• Religious security for the members,
• Protection against distress and unemployment of members, and
• Security for the aged and the physically/mentally challenged members.

8. Comment on the problems seen in extended/joint families.

A few problems seen in extended/joint families are listed below:

• Joint family system can often foster dependency,
• Intergenerational conflicts,
• lack of privacy for the marital system,
• Individual goals could be in conflict with that of the joint family goals, and
• Social mobility could be prevented stagnating individual growth.

9. How does joint family influence the personal domain of individual members?

Most often it can be seen that individual goals are sacrificed for family goals. Family members are sometimes not allowed to make choices that are contrary to the family choice. This influence is usually seen when making career decisions that are against the family’s expectations. Marriage decisions are also usually made with the consent of powerful members of the family.

10. What are structurally nuclear and functionally joint families?

Structurally nuclear and functionally joint families are those wherein the number of generations or the members of the family may be less and living separately from the immediate and prime relatives, in a different city or country for that matter, as a nuclear unit, but when it comes to taking major decisions, carrying out some of the traditional roles and responsibilities there is a dependency on the older members of the family. In other words, the family may be nuclear and staying independently, and they function as small units that are extensions of the larger joint family system. This family constantly consults the older members of the family who may be geographically located at another place but have a heavy influence on the decision making process of this family.

11. Outline the circumstances that pose difficulty for a family therapist in the context of a joint family.

Following are the circumstances that pose difficulty for a family therapist:

• Inability to understand the joint family dynamics,
• Inability to identify, enlist and engage significant family members in therapy,
• Dealing with powerful and resistant family members especially those who influence or control the marital system, and
• Negotiating boundaries between marital and family system.

12. Enumerate the differences between extended family and joint family

13. Discuss with examples, the concept of structurally nuclear and functionally joint family.

14. What are the problems faced by the family therapist when dealing with joint families?