ABSTRACT
THE SIMPLE WORD “family” undoubtedly is known to everyone, everywhere. Yet it conveys meanings that may differ sharply from country to country, and it evokes feelings that vary from individual to individual. That generally accepted authority, Webster’s Dictionary, describes the family in a variety of ways: “The body of persons who live in one house, and under one head; a household. . . . Those descended from a common progenitor; a tribe, clan, or race; kindred. . . . One’s children collectively. ... A group of closely related individuals or groups. . . . A group comprising immediate kindred; (especially) the group formed of parents and children.”
