Definition Essay Example: What a Family Is

The question of a definition of a family is starting to emerge. Even though it was universally understood what a family really was or at least was culturally considered to be within one social group, its definition is now slowly changing. People give it a doubt and keep searching for real answers. Therefore, I decided to look into this matter from different perspectives: cultural, clinical and biblical.

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I will begin with the cultural definition. Family is commonly seen as a social unit of the society held together by a mutual commitment to maintaining relationship. From the cultural perspective, you can also say that family is a group of people related by blood (or sometimes by other commitments like adoption) that share same values and worldview. Basically, family is an official union of two people (marriage) that have children (in most cases) whom they pass their beliefs and values to.

It is within the family that people develop certain traditions like celebrating holidays, having meals together, etc. In addition, personally, I believe that family is the strongest unit that society is made up of. Society would be weak and easily divided if it was not for the families and the clue that holds them all together. Thus, you see that family is the social unit that makes the society strong and undivided.

Moreover, family from the clinical perspective is a group of people related to each other by blood. The family here can be divided into two main groups: immediate and extended family. The first kind includes relatives like parents, children, spouses, siblings, while the extended family consists of cousins, nephews, grandparents, etc.

If talking about clinical perspective on the family, kinship is also worth mentioning. According to the definition, relatives of one person can be divided according to their kinship degree. Thus, the first-degree relative is the one that shares 50% of your DNA (like your full sibling or a half-sibling). So from the clinical perspective a family is a group of people related by both blood and certain degree of kinship.

Finally, the Bible gives a full profile on what a family was intended to be. The first chapters of the Bible say that God created a man and a woman and placed them in the Eden garden. He gave them a command to have children and take care of the garden (Bible, Genesis 1 and 2). Thus, in the beginning God intended a family to be a union of people that fulfil Gods vision for their life and bring up children.

God also emphasized that a family is a place where the husband is a spiritual leader that provides for his family both physically and spiritually. A wife is created to be his help meet, the one who inspires and follows him. Children are the ones who obey their parents and follow their lead until a certain age. All together they aim to praise the Lord with everything they do as a family, being grateful and loving to God and each other.

In conclusion, I wanted to mention that liberal approach to the family has changed its general view. However, the description above is the one that was established by more conservative leaders within the last centuries. A family is an extremely important unit that should be taken good care of for the general sound state of the society.