ABSTRACT
AFAMILY is a unit composed not only of children, but of men, women, an occasional animal, and a common cold. This Ogden Nash definition conjures up an idealized image of the American family. It is an image repeatedly reflected in motion picture and television portrayals of family life; it is an image which, with the exception of the gratuitous common cold, is perceived as the inspirational and aspirational standard for many segments of American society. It depicts a comfortably middle-class family, its likeness reasonably within the reach of most families who are part of a democratic nation.
