Family on Family: An Interview With Uncle

Family on Family: An Interview With Uncle Simon

The idea of the family as a social subsystem is a very useful one in the academic world and in sociological and therapeutic practice, but it is not necessarily one that individual laypeople ascribe to when they think about their own family (Lesser & Pope, 2007). Though certain aspects of most people's conceptions of the family unit can be seen to mirror larger social structures in some ways, most people's views are much more individual and personalized (Carter & McGoldrick, 1998). The following interview, conducted with the interviewees uncle, demonstrates the personalized yet somewhat standardized view of family that can and does ultimately emerge when people think about their family.

The interviewee, Simon, had not previously though very much about the definition of "family" or how this definition was and is influenced by other social trends, though upon reflection he acknowledged that there were indeed significant differences in what constitutes a family today as opposed to what used to be considered a family in the Simon's childhood. The inclusion of a much wider array of individuals and relationships in families is definitely something that has been noted by researchers and indeed anyone who pauses to reflect on the phenomenon, and is something that Simon views in a very positive light, so it is interesting that it is not something often thought of in a fully conscious manner (Lesser & Pope, 2007; Walsh, 2011). When it comes to the influences that have helped to change the conception of the family, Simon posits that a generally more inclusive attitude in society and a greater desire to connect and get along with others is the cause.

Defining specific roles within a family is something else that Simon feels has changed in the modern family as opposed to what "family" was even just a few decades ago; as part of the growth in the diversity of families and family members, the relationships and roles within families have also become looser and less well0defined, in Simon's view. This is also supported by research and academic commentary on the family, which shows a clear trend in the shifting of roles with multiple income earners, greater distribution of household chores, much more varied expectations of children, and greater variance in the size and make-up of familial support networks -- some families networks have grown more extended, while others have become more nuclear and isolated (Walsh, 2011). Simon again attributes this to larger changes in society and growing tolerance, which allows more people to live life the way they want to live it without worrying about the expectations or demands of others. At the same time, he is quite clear in his belief that individuals within a family need to work to support each other, and even make sacrifices for each other, and in fact this is what he considers the definitive marker of familial relationships and family members -- this and not other element is what really makes a family, according to Simon.