ABSTRACT

A family is consisting of two or more individuals related by blood or marriage. Hence, it can be seen that the greater the number of family members working together, the more effective the family becomes in providing both practical and emotional support to all of its members. The family can be considered as the core 'nurturance centre' in the upbringing of children. Hence, the family performs a number of social functions impacting on their developing offspring. It is important that parents instil social values in their children. The parent’s role is to provide their children with guidance and defined boundaries of what they can and cannot do. Developmentalists are interested in how children acquire moral behaviour through studying the development of moral reasoning. During the 19th century the Juke family became famous for producing generations of 'deviants' who caused constant problems for the police in New York State.