What Makes a Successful Family
For this next project, I am focusing on what makes a happy, healthy, and successful family. The thinking skill is perspective, so I am going to be drawing every member of my family and gathering their perspective on what they think their role is in the family. I plan to make polaroid-like cards with a sentence of their response on the bottom part of the card. The person’s information, perspective, and response will be on the back. Below is my research between the two perspectives of successful and unsuccessful families.
One of the drawings I did was a portrait of my late cousin Aaron Shifflet. I chose to not write anything on the back of his polaroid, but I wrote on the front what I think his response would have been if I had the chance to ask him the question.
I wanted the polaroids to look like they were taken in the moment, like they were candid. I wanted to draw from the perspective of someone from behind the camera.
Crissy Gegg, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “My role as your Aunt, as well as all my nieces and nephews, is to be a positive model for acceptance, fun, and living your life for yourself, and no one else.”
Brandi Castro, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “Daughter, Aunt, Sister, friend, and confidant (when appropriate and safety is not a concern). Communication, love and respect for each other as well as the experiences we’ve all endured makes us successful. We’ve seen each other’s best and worst. We love each other and CHOOSE to continue to love and support one another, regardless. That’s not the case with some families. Luckily it is with ours.”
Amanda Shifflet, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “My family is successful because we are rich in love. Money doesn’t matter if we are close to each other and are happy and healthy. That’s how my dad raised me. We have a roof over our head, food in the fridge, and clothes on our backs.”
Jessica Keller, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “I believe my role in this family at this point in my life, as the oldest daughter is to speak up when no one else wants to. I do my best to keep the family from having ill feelings toward one another by trying to see and explain everyone’s point of view.
I believe what makes our family stand out from others is that no matter what happens, we support one another and are always there for another. We don’t judge each other but instead try to be compassionate of each other. Our family is unique indeed.”
John Gegg, Husband, Father, Uncle, and Brother: “What I think makes our family a happy and successful family is mutual love and respect. I think being supportive physically and emotionally also plays a big role in our happiness and success.”
Before Research on Successful Families
Before I did any research on successful families, I recognized the fact that my family as a whole is very cohesive, strong, and happy. We overcome problems with strength and never giving up on anybody in the family. We communicate effectively and show unconditional love.
When I began researching what makes a cohesive family, I started seeing the same words and phrases as the ones in my family’s responses. I took the perspective of someone in a family and compared it to the research of a professional on the topic. The research from both perspectives were strikingly similar.
One of the drawings I did was a portrait of my late cousin Aaron Shifflet. I chose to not write anything on the back of his polaroid, but I wrote on the front what I think his response would have been if I had the chance to ask him the question.
Research on Successful Families
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, a successful family has constructs consisting of communication, time spent together, and encouragement. In the immediate family perspective, having a healthy marriage and a strong parent-child relationship is important in a cohesive family (Stinnett and DeFrain, 1985, p. 9).
There are specific things that a family does that can make a family bond stronger, such as sharing secrets. Inside jokes are a healthy example of secrets within a family because of their lightheartedness and innocence. Good parent-child relationships and spending time together is crucial for growing up in a healthy environment.
Being interdependent within a family means the members recognize that they are all connected with each other, regardless of the label of the relationship (DePaulo). For example, an uncle that was married into the family will treat everyone like their own blood in a cohesive family. Related family members will be close to each other, as well as members that are not blood related. This is because of the recognition that all of these relationships within a family are just as important as any other.
What Can Make an Unsuccessful Family
There are strong, happy, successful families, so we are bound to have the opposite. Some of us who have unhealthy family relationships may not ask themselves why (Epstein). As well as fun or neutral secrets, there can be darker, more harmful secrets among families. These can cause strong conflict and resentment between family members that make family bonds weaker (Epstein). This example is just a start of what can make a family unhappy.
Conflicting personalities within a family can play a part in an unsuccessful family. Some family members can be controlling or competitive. This trait is most prominent within marriages or romantic relationships. Resentment is another problem that shows in families quite often. It is caused by doing something in the moment to avoid conflict, or the “shoulds” and “wants” are being confused in the person’s mind. If someone truly doesn’t want to do something but they say yes to please someone, the resentment shows later. In turn, grudges and unforgiveness lies within the family.
After Research On Successful Families
This research I have done has helped me further develop the idea that relationships within a family affect a family as a whole. Every person in a family is responsible for playing a role that brings the family together. From the research I gathered from my family members, I learned that always being there for your relatives is a given, and never an obligation. My Aunts have all responded explaining that they are always here for the younger people in the family, which is essential for forming good relationships later in life.
One of the things Bella Depaulo from psychology today explained was that families do not have to be traditional families, meaning a mother and father and children. They can be any group of people or pets that show love towards one another. She emphasized the importance of accepting families of all different kinds, and how that can be very important in building strong relationships. Not everything in a family has to be traditional, and accepting and supporting that is the most important part.
For this next project, I am focusing on what makes a happy, healthy, and successful family. The thinking skill is perspective, so I am going to be drawing every member of my family and gathering their perspective on what they think their role is in the family. I plan to make polaroid-like cards with a sentence of their response on the bottom part of the card. The person’s information, perspective, and response will be on the back. Below is my research between the two perspectives of successful and unsuccessful families.
One of the drawings I did was a portrait of my late cousin Aaron Shifflet. I chose to not write anything on the back of his polaroid, but I wrote on the front what I think his response would have been if I had the chance to ask him the question.
I wanted the polaroids to look like they were taken in the moment, like they were candid. I wanted to draw from the perspective of someone from behind the camera.
Crissy Gegg, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “My role as your Aunt, as well as all my nieces and nephews, is to be a positive model for acceptance, fun, and living your life for yourself, and no one else.”
Brandi Castro, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “Daughter, Aunt, Sister, friend, and confidant (when appropriate and safety is not a concern). Communication, love and respect for each other as well as the experiences we’ve all endured makes us successful. We’ve seen each other’s best and worst. We love each other and CHOOSE to continue to love and support one another, regardless. That’s not the case with some families. Luckily it is with ours.”
Amanda Shifflet, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “My family is successful because we are rich in love. Money doesn’t matter if we are close to each other and are happy and healthy. That’s how my dad raised me. We have a roof over our head, food in the fridge, and clothes on our backs.”
Jessica Keller, Wife, Mother, Aunt, and Sister: “I believe my role in this family at this point in my life, as the oldest daughter is to speak up when no one else wants to. I do my best to keep the family from having ill feelings toward one another by trying to see and explain everyone’s point of view.
I believe what makes our family stand out from others is that no matter what happens, we support one another and are always there for another. We don’t judge each other but instead try to be compassionate of each other. Our family is unique indeed.”
John Gegg, Husband, Father, Uncle, and Brother: “What I think makes our family a happy and successful family is mutual love and respect. I think being supportive physically and emotionally also plays a big role in our happiness and success.”
Before Research on Successful Families
Before I did any research on successful families, I recognized the fact that my family as a whole is very cohesive, strong, and happy. We overcome problems with strength and never giving up on anybody in the family. We communicate effectively and show unconditional love.
When I began researching what makes a cohesive family, I started seeing the same words and phrases as the ones in my family’s responses. I took the perspective of someone in a family and compared it to the research of a professional on the topic. The research from both perspectives were strikingly similar.
One of the drawings I did was a portrait of my late cousin Aaron Shifflet. I chose to not write anything on the back of his polaroid, but I wrote on the front what I think his response would have been if I had the chance to ask him the question.
Research on Successful Families
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, a successful family has constructs consisting of communication, time spent together, and encouragement. In the immediate family perspective, having a healthy marriage and a strong parent-child relationship is important in a cohesive family (Stinnett and DeFrain, 1985, p. 9).
There are specific things that a family does that can make a family bond stronger, such as sharing secrets. Inside jokes are a healthy example of secrets within a family because of their lightheartedness and innocence. Good parent-child relationships and spending time together is crucial for growing up in a healthy environment.
Being interdependent within a family means the members recognize that they are all connected with each other, regardless of the label of the relationship (DePaulo). For example, an uncle that was married into the family will treat everyone like their own blood in a cohesive family. Related family members will be close to each other, as well as members that are not blood related. This is because of the recognition that all of these relationships within a family are just as important as any other.
What Can Make an Unsuccessful Family
There are strong, happy, successful families, so we are bound to have the opposite. Some of us who have unhealthy family relationships may not ask themselves why (Epstein). As well as fun or neutral secrets, there can be darker, more harmful secrets among families. These can cause strong conflict and resentment between family members that make family bonds weaker (Epstein). This example is just a start of what can make a family unhappy.
Conflicting personalities within a family can play a part in an unsuccessful family. Some family members can be controlling or competitive. This trait is most prominent within marriages or romantic relationships. Resentment is another problem that shows in families quite often. It is caused by doing something in the moment to avoid conflict, or the “shoulds” and “wants” are being confused in the person’s mind. If someone truly doesn’t want to do something but they say yes to please someone, the resentment shows later. In turn, grudges and unforgiveness lies within the family.
After Research On Successful Families
This research I have done has helped me further develop the idea that relationships within a family affect a family as a whole. Every person in a family is responsible for playing a role that brings the family together. From the research I gathered from my family members, I learned that always being there for your relatives is a given, and never an obligation. My Aunts have all responded explaining that they are always here for the younger people in the family, which is essential for forming good relationships later in life.
One of the things Bella Depaulo from psychology today explained was that families do not have to be traditional families, meaning a mother and father and children. They can be any group of people or pets that show love towards one another. She emphasized the importance of accepting families of all different kinds, and how that can be very important in building strong relationships. Not everything in a family has to be traditional, and accepting and supporting that is the most important part.