Andrew Dušek
Cross Cultural Psychology
Charlie Jones
12/1/13
Family Cultural Paper
1. Family Structure
Who is considered to belong in the family?
What are the rights, roles and responsibilities of the members?
I have a very large family. I have family members from England, France,
Germany and Czech Republic. But most of my family are from the South of England
I consider my father, my mother, my two brothers and my sister to be my close family.
However, I also have five uncles, five aunties and twelve cousins who I get to see
about three times a year. I am close with them too, not as close as my main family but
I still consider them family most definitely.
When the children in my family are under the age of 16 then they can have a
say in things but my parents will always have the final decision. For example, if we
were going on holiday and the children wanted to go somewhere like Disneyland but
my parents wanted to go somewhere else like Spain then they would always have the
final say in where we go. However, once the children in the family were 16 years old
or older then they would able to have more power within the family about certain
things and we would be able to do more of what we wanted in our lives. Also, when
the children reached 18 years old and became an adult, out parents would not have
much of say in what we wanted to do. So we were allowed to go on holiday with our
friends for example.
The roles in the family are fairly traditional in my family. My father works
full-time as a building constructor and brings in most of the money to the household.
My father is the dominant figure of the family and generally makes judgements and
decisions with the assistance of my mother. However, my dad will cook dinner for the
family about 3 times a week to help my mother out from time to time. My mother
works part-time, about 3 or 4 times a week as a community nurse. My mum will
generally do all of the house work and cook most of our dinners but my sister will
sometimes help her out. As for the children we will generally help out our parents
with jobs around the house. Everyone in my household works except for me but I am
a student so we are all busy.
Each member of my family has different responsibilities. My parent’s
responsibilities are to provide a home for my siblings, giving us protection and caring
for us and supporting us financially. However, those responsibilities are less
prominent nowadays because all the kids in my family are 20 years or older so we
now account for ourselves as we are more independent.
2. Life Cycle
What are the important stages, periods and transitions in life?
What behaviours are inappropriate or unacceptable for children at various ages?
There are many periods and stages in life the first is pre-birth which is when a
child has not yet been born and could become anything they wanted to be – boy, girl,
politician, artist, sports person. This holds the principle of what we all may become in
our lives throughout humanity.
The second is birth. This is when a child is born. The child has its parent’s
genetics. It gives them a sense that this new life may bring something new and special
into the world. The newborn baby represents the sense of hope that we wish that it
makes the world a special place.
The third is infancy where the infant is a exciting unlimited source of energy.
Babies represent the fuelling of human life cycle with new exciting human lives.
The next is early childhood. This is the stage where young children play. They
take in their surroundings and use what tools they have to play. They will recreate
events such as: War or an adventure, and incorporate the event into what they have to
work with. Children have wild imaginations and come up with some interesting
activites.
There is also middle childhood. In middle childhood, children will conjure up
activities which they will bring up from the depths of their unconscious. This
imagination serves as a source of creative inspiration in later life for artists, writers,
scientists.
The sixth is late childhood. This is where older children acquire a wide range
of social and technical skills that enable them to come up with strategies and solutions
for dealing with the increasing pressures of society. This principle helps us cope with
everyday responsibilities.
The seventh is adolescence. This is where puberty starts. It is the process of
physical changes in the human body. Children’s bodies mature into an adult body. So
they are capable of sexual reproduction. Their hormones change so they are more
sexual, emotional and cultural.
The next stage is early adulthood. This is where the male or female grows into
a man or a woman. It starts with young adults trying to accomplish their many
responsibilities, including finding a home and a partner, establishing a family or circle
of friends and getting a good job.
The eighth stage is midlife. After many years in young adulthood of following
society’s scripts for creating a life, people in midlife often take a break from worldly
responsibilities to reflect upon the deeper meaning of their lives, the better to forge
ahead with new understanding. This element of contemplation represents an important
resource that we can all draw upon to deepen and enrich our lives at any age.
Then there is mature adulthood. Those in mature adulthood have raised
families, established themselves in their work life, belong to a large circle of friends
and have become contributors to the society. We all can learn from their example to
give more of ourselves to others.
The tenth is late adulthood. Those that have lived for a long time have
acquired a rich variety of experiences that they can use to guide others. The elderly
represent the source of wisdom and wideness which helps us to avoid the mistakes of
the life.
The final stage is death and dying. Those in our lives who are dying, or who
have died, teach us about the value of living. They remind us not to take our lives for
granted, but to live each moment of life to its fullest, and to remember that our own
small lives form a part of a greater world.
Behaviours like; biting, hitting or throwing food as a child are unacceptable
because the child needs to be brought up in a proper manner so they have manners
when they grow older. Also, a tantrum is not acceptable for children or teenagers as it
is a very childish act but it would perhaps be more understandable and common for an
infant to do this. Furthermore, children and teenagers swearing are also inappropriate
and unacceptable to their peers and especially to parents and the elderly. There are
many other forms of behaviour such as bullying, spitting in public and shouting etc.
These behavioural patterns can be carried out by a child of any age but also into
adulthood. The younger the child it is believed that they do not know any better.
3. Roles
What roles are available to whom?
