The 8 types of families (and their characteristics)

Learn about the different structures of this fundamental socializing agent.

In recent decades, many important changes have taken place in society, and the family is no exception. Since 1975, divorce rates have doubled, leading to an increase in the number of single-parent households.. Something that, just a few years ago, was not socially accepted.

Today, however, the phenomenon of divorce is quite common. According to the Business Insider portal, which created a graphic map showing divorce rates in different countries around the world, Spain is in fifth place with 61% of couples breaking up.

The importance of the family in the development of children and young people

The family is extremely important in the development of children, as it is, possibly, the socializing agent that will have the greatest influence on their growth.. In fact, children need adults for a long period of time, which has caused all societies to be organized around groups of people that we generally know as "the family".

But with the changes that have taken place in recent years with respect to family structures, the youngest children have sometimes had to live in family environments that are not always ideal. Families educate their children, and their primary objective should be to provide them with a solid foundation so that they can face the future with the best possible guarantees. In other words, families should help them learn to be respectful of others, to have a strong and resilient personality, or to acquire emotional and financial security - in short, to prepare them for a successful adult life. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Toxic or pathological families

The importance of the family in the emotional well-being of its members has been of scientific interest during the last decades. Not only because of the genetic origin of some pathologies such as schizophrenia, but also because of the importance of the environment and the influence of family structures on mental disorders.

In the field of mental health, there is an increasing awareness of how family difficulties affect its members, so it is necessary for them to cope with their difficulties in the best possible way. In this sense, what differentiates a dysfunctional family from a functional one is not the presence or absence of problems, but rather what is important is the use of recurrent interaction patterns that hinder the social and psychological development of its members, and affect their adaptation and resolution.and affect their adaptation and conflict resolution.

• To know more: "Toxic families: 4 ways in which they cause mental disorders".

Stability and change in the family

As mentioned, the normal familyIf this concept makes sense, it is not exempt from difficulties or problems, which makes it necessary to base oneself on a conceptual scheme of family functioning in order to understand its dysfunctionality. The normal family is constantly functioning effectively, and in spite of the difficulties it is capable of transforming, adapting and restructuring itself over time in order to continue functioning.

It is important to differentiate the dysfunctional family from the poor family. The latter is characterized by difficulties in satisfying economic resources. To begin with, poor families do not necessarily have to be dysfunctional.However, scientific research has provided evidence that families with scarce economic resources may have difficulties in carrying out different family functions. For example, the education or emotional and relational development of their children.

Types of families that exist

Since the family is part of society, it is a structure that can and does change over time. The family structure does not indicate whether a family is functional or not, but simply has to do with its form and the members that make it up. This has much to do with the historical, economic and cultural context.

This variety of forms includes the following.

1. Nuclear (two-parent) family

The nuclear family is what we know as the typical family, i.e. the family consisting of a father, a mother and their children. Societies generally encourage their members to form this type of families.

2. Single-parent family

The single-parent family consists in the fact that only one of the parents is in charge of the family unit and, therefore, of raising the children. It is usually the mother who stays with the children, although there are also cases in which the children stay with the father. When only one of the parents takes care of the family, it can become a great burden, so they usually require help from other close relatives, such as the children's grandparents. The causes for the formation of this type of family can be divorce, premature motherhood, widowhood, etc.

3. Adoptive family

This type of family, the adoptive familyrefers to parents who adopt a child. Although they are not the Biological parents, they can play a great role as educators, equivalent to that of the biological parents in all aspects.

4. Childless family

This type of family, the childless familiesare characterized by the fact that they have no descendants. Sometimes, the parents' inability to procreate leads them to adopt a child. In any case, we can perfectly well imagine a family unit in which, for one reason or another, it has not been desired or possible to have children. We must not forget that what defines a family is not the presence or absence of children.

5. Family of separated parents

In this type of family, which we can call the family of separated parentsthe parents have separated after a crisis in their relationship. Although they refuse to live together, they must continue to fulfill their parental duties. Unlike single-parent families, in which one parent carries the entire burden of raising the child on his or her shoulders, separated parents share functions, although the mother is, in most cases, the one who lives with the child.

6. Compound family

This family, the compound familyis characterized by the fact that it is composed of several nuclear families. The most common cause is that other families have been formed after the breakup of the couple, and the child, in addition to living with his or her mother and partner, also has the family of his or her father and partner, and may even have step-siblings.

This type of family is more common in rural than in urban environments, especially in contexts where there is poverty.

7. Homoparental family

This type of family, the homoparental familyis characterized by two homosexual fathers (or mothers) who adopt a child. There can also be same-sex families formed by two mothers, obviously. Although this possibility is the subject of much social debate, studies have shown that children of same-sex parents have normal psychological and emotional development, as this APA report, for example, explains.

8. Extended family

This type of family, the extended familyThis is characterized by the fact that the children are raised by different relatives or several family members (parents, cousins, grandparents, etc.) live in the same house. If you have ever seen the famous series "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air", you can see how Will lives in the house of his uncle, who adopts the role of his father. It can also happen that one of the children has his own child and they all live under the same roof.

Bibliographical references:

• Martín López, E. (2000). Familia y sociedad. Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
• Vázquez de Prada, Mercedes (2008). Historia de la familia contemporánea. Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
• Nieto MC. (1997). Enfoque Familiar en Salud. Femec Journal of Medicine.
• Pusinato, N. (1992). The systemic approach in the study of family relationships. Cusinato M. Psicología de las relaciones familiares, 21 Ed. Barcelona: Editorial Herder.