Forms of the Family

Abstract

The family is the group that the person grows up in. It determines his relationship to himself and to other people. It forms his self-image and sets forth the possibilities and limitations of his interpersonal relationships. As the institution of his primary socialization and as the area of important emotional ties, the family occupies a special place within the subsystems of a society. But despite this special role, it must not forget the sociocultural relationships and structures that surround it. Rarely can a Robinson Crusoe survive without interpersonal relationships; a Robinson family living in a social vacuum is equally uncommon. This observation holds true everywhere. It must be kept in mind whenever attempts are made to define the family or to deal with it in a therapeutic sense.

The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all, the comfort of each the comfort of all, the honor of one the honor of all.

—Abdu’l ‘Bahá