ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the structure and function of the family-group. The organizational structure of the family group as a whole in maintaining its organization and performing its functions and tasks varies among different families. A boundary in a family may refer to the border maintained between individual family members or between subgroups that exist within the family; it may also refer to the distance kept by the family as a whole in relation to people outside the family. G. R. Hawkes and M. Taylor explored the power structure in Mexican and Mexican-American families by conducting standardized interviews. Decision-making patterns, closely related to power relationships, have also been studied in detail by family researchers. Many personal factors such as age, gender, birth-order, or family system type determine role division within a family. Expression and exchange of ideas among family members can be examined from various perspectives: clarity, amount of communication, style of communication, congruence of communication, and responsiveness.