Amy Walker

Family Studies

Mrs. Ford

1/18/17

The Definition of Family

When one looks up the definition of family, hundreds of different

definitions appear on the screen. There is the common idea that a family

consists of only the people under one roof, a group of people related by

blood, or a unit consisting of parents and their children. Each person has his

or her own personal definition of family, depending on their background and

upbringing. Today, it is more common to see people define the word family

as people who offer complete support, ones close friends, or simply the

people in ones life who love one unconditionally. Family not only involves the

ideas of love and support, but also includes issues such as time,

environment, and health.

One way many define family is by the people of whom they spend the

most time with. As Dieter F. Uchtdorf declares, In family relationships, love

is really spelled T.I.M.E. Basically, if one spends more time with his or her

friends instead of his or her relatives, he or she might consider his or her

friends as family instead of their blood relatives. Spending time with loved

ones helps tightened the bond and create life-long relationships. Poor time

management within a family can lead to unsteady relationships and can

cause a them to drift apart from each other. After all, every moment spent

with family (blood related or not) is time well spent.

Environment is another factor that defines a family type relationship.

Ones surroundings majorly effects ones attitude and emotions towards

others. As the Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky states, since

each family is made up of individuals in a different setting, each family

environment is unique. For example, if one was raised in a neglectful

household without love and care, the child might be more difficult and

defiant while growing up. In addition, if an individual recognizes that they are

being mistreated or neglected, it is possible that they might not consider

those people as family. Furthermore, ones belief system or morals could be

different based on the surrounding environment. For example, one brought

up in a religious household might have a stricter set of rules to follow, and

treat others in a way their religion expresses for them to. Basically,

environment is everything when studying family relationships.

Lastly, health plays a factor in defining the word family. In ones family,

certain medical conditions can be passed down throughout a family, such as

a heart condition. Even if an ill child does not want to consider their father or

mother as family, they have to recognize that they technically are, since a

gene or illness has been passed down. In addition, hospitals have strict rules

about who is or is not allowed to visit a sick loved one or have information

released to them. For instance, under certain circumstances, if someones

friend is in the hospital and is about to have surgery, only close (blood
related) family are allowed to visit. Also, certain information cannot be

released to just anyone because of the HIPPA rule, which is, a set of national

standards for the protection of certain health information (resource 3). It is

important in this case to know who is family, in order to get the patients

information released. Even though in health cases being blood-related

matters, this does not mean one cannot consider non-blood related people

family.

Overall, I would define family as the people who offer their support and

and love you unconditionally. Family does not have to only mean the people

you are related to by blood, they can be adopted parents/siblings, close

friends, family friends, a church group, or even pets. Time, environment, and

health also play major factors on how one can define a family. Our

generation has created many new different definitions of family, which

creates more diversity. As stated in Lilo and Stitch, Ohana means family;

and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

 Work Cited Page

Uchtdorf, Dieter F. "Of Things That Matter Most." Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

"3 Family Environment and Adolescent Development." Family Life in

Adolescence (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.

Secretary, HHS Office of the. "Summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule."

HHS.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 26 July 2013. Web.

19 Jan. 2017.

Lilo & Stitch. Buena Vista, 2004. DVD.