Nuclear Family, Essay Example

Introduction

Families are given many opportunities and face many challenges in their efforts to be successful communicators and promoters of positive health and wellbeing. This is observed in many ways and reflects the issues regarding health that many families experience throughout a lifetime. These factors are instrumental in determining how to best move forward in shaping outcomes for family members and their capacity to inspire each other to achieve greater health through their actions and activities. These factors are critical because they provide a family with the tools, guidance, and resources that are necessary to support and develop new strategies to address health-related concerns in a timely manner to prevent serious complications and improve outcomes. However, families are complex and multi-dimensional, thereby creating an environment that may lead to significant struggles and challenges through role identities and expectations. It is the responsibility of all family members to work collaboratively to identify solutions that will provide mutual benefits to all members to improve health and wellbeing on a continuous basis. The following discussion will address these objectives in greater detail and will emphasize the significance of role structure, identity, relationships, and patterns of communication in the ability of a family to achieve its desired objectives.

Functional Patterns and Role Structure

In any family unit, there are a number of critical factors that are associated with the development of key roles and responsibilities. Families come in many shapes and sizes, and the role of each family member must be considered in the context of its relationship to other roles. In households with small children, families represent an opportunity for parents and other family members to set a good example for these children so that they are able to function to the best of their ability on a regular basis. This is an important area of consideration when defining specific roles and expectations for each person within the family unit (Child Trends, 2013). Most importantly, parents must provide their children with an example that will enable them to be successful throughout their lives as they grow out of childhood, into adolescence, and eventually into adulthood (Child Trends, 2013). Without a strong parent influence and a clear definition of roles, it is possible that many children may experience a significant disadvantage that is difficult to overcome and only becomes increasingly prominent throughout the life span (Child Trends, 2013). These factors are instrumental in enabling parents to define their roles effectively and to have a positive influence on children (Child Trends, 2013). In the example genogram and ecomap, roles between the parents and one child appear to be well-defined, as the child is involved in a number of activities and appears to have a positive relationship with both of her parents. On the other hand, her parents appear to be experiencing some degree of stress that is associated with their roles in the work environment. Although this is not unusual, it should be examined carefully so as not to disrupt the family unit by making all efforts to minimize the level of stress that is observed in the home environment.

Relationships and Communication Patterns

In all families, there are specific patterns of communication that must be considered on a regular basis as a means of addressing issues and concerns that take place within the family unit and beyond. However, it is often difficult for many family members to communicate effectively with each other, which places a significant strain on their relationships and their ability to achieve a healthy balance (New Mexico State University, 2004). In this context, it is necessary to evaluate the level of communication that exists between family members so that any tensions that exist are addressed as best as possible to avoid further complications (New Mexico State University, 2004). Under these conditions, it is necessary to determine the most effective course of action that will support the development of new strategies to improve communication and support healthier relationships between family members (New Mexico State University, 2004). These factors ultimately contribute to the effectiveness of communication and the ability to say what one feels without experiencing any degree of alienation or isolation once these words are spoken (New Mexico State University, 2004). In addition, these words may lead to negative responses, which must be addressed as quickly as possible so that family members do not begin to resent each other within the context of the family unit (New Mexico State University, 2004). These factors require all family members, particularly spouses and children, to communicate regarding issues that are important to them in a timely manner in order to avoid negative outcomes or responses (New Mexico State University, 2004). Based on the example genogram and ecomap, it appears that there are significant factors to consider that require greater communication, particularly in relationships between the spouses and their friends, as well as issues that are ongoing in the workplace environment. These concerns represent a challenge to the family unit because although the family is in a positive place as far as their relationships to each other, some of their outside relationships appear to be in trouble or are experiencing high levels of stress. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these issues and to identify possible solutions that will support the family unit and strengthen its bond so that other influences do not impact daily activities in a negative manner.

Influences on family Health Promotion

Health promotion activities within the family unit require an effective understanding of the challenges that exist in relation to achieving optimal health and wellbeing. These factors are essential to the discovery of new strategies to improve the family unit, including relationships that are as healthy as possible, in addition to the benefits of physical health for each family member. Family health is of critical importance to the overall structure and integrity of the family unit and provides a basis for exploring new insights into the challenges that families face when they experience health problems. Family members must be encouraging in supporting health promotion activities that are associated with diet, exercise, and disease prevention, amongst others (Christensen, 2004). These factors ultimately contribute to the success of a family with respect to its overall health, and these considerations must also be taken seriously as part of a larger framework that promotes growth and opportunity for family members (Christensen, 2004). Family members might not always recognize their own roles in promoting health and wellbeing; therefore, these issues must be addressed in order to accomplish new directives to support optimal health for family members (Stuart). Family members must demonstrate patience, flexibility, encouragement, balance, resilience, and understanding of the health issues that they face throughout the life span, as these factors play an important role in shaping their health and wellbeing (Stuart). It is imperative that family members provide a basis for the exploration of new activities to encourage health promotion and to consider the importance of new factors that support the continued growth and development of family health (Stuart). Family members must provide guidance in these areas and demonstrate their ability to be successful communicators as they seek new alternatives for health promotion that will have a positive impact on their wellbeing over time (Stuart). These circumstances will also enable them to be effective communicators and to provide encouragement to each other when health issues arise. It is expected that with the family in question, there will be significant health concerns to consider if the mother and father continue to experience high levels of stress and conflict in the workplace and with their friends. These issues are likely to manifest themselves in other ways and create potential health challenges for mom and dad that could otherwise be prevented. These factors are important because they convey the realities of many families in modern society, as they struggle to manage many roles and responsibilities, while also attempting to maintain a cohesive family environment on a continuous basis. These concerns are likely to have some impact throughout the life span and may even contribute to the development of chronic illness or disease if they are exacerbated in different ways. Therefore, health promotion activities must be considered on a continuous basis as a means of supporting the family unit and in alleviating any type of stress that is observed that could eventually lead to a decline in the overall health and wellbeing of family members.

Conclusion

Families are comprised of many different relationships and challenges that impact daily living. These factors represent a means of addressing many issues that support the growth and development of the family unit so that it remains strong throughout the life span. As relationships evolve outside of the family, it is important not to bring any problems that arise into the family unit. These relationships above all others should remain as healthy as possible so that family members are able to actively communicate and contribute in a positive manner. The example genogram and ecomap provide a basis for exploring the inner workings of the family unit and the factors that influence this unit in different ways. These factors are instrumental in supporting the growth of the family and in enabling its members to openly communicate regarding problems that concern the entire unit in different ways. It is important for family members to recognize these challenges and to communicate effectively in order to achieve the desired outcomes on a continuous basis.

References

Child Trends (2012). Family structure. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=family-structure

Christensen, P. (2004). The health-promoting family: a conceptual framework for future research. Social Science Medicine, 59(2), 377-387.

Endel, H. Genogram template. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/previewtemplate?id=1JIflK1ovwNE7R3zOms9Na0ETbPlscQ2KFxid6Q8_PVw&mode=public&urp=https://www.google.com/url?sa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26so&pli=1#

New Mexico State University (2004). Communication is the key to healthy family relationships. Retrieved from http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/family_times/family_times_eng%28sum04%29.pdf

Stuart, M. Promoting a family’s physical and mental health and well-being. The University of Arizona, retrieved from http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/family/az1341/az1341b.pdf