Carlos Almada Marriage and Family Studies 3/4/2014 Chapter 1: Kinship

The di erent !inship roles that " play at the amily reunions here in #tah $ith my mother%s side o the amily are &ousin' nephe$' and se&ond generation un&le' to name a e$( These roles demand a &ertain le)el o &ool*headedness and responsi+ility $hen ha)ing all the younger generations o &ousins running around our grandparents rontyard or $hen dis&ussing politi&s $ith the $ealthy un&le at the !it&hen room ta+le( The roles mentioned a+o)e re,uire &lear role plays- distin&t understanding o ho$ and $hat is &onsidered appropiate $hen &ondu&ting one%s o$n +eha)ior( The rights and reedoms o these roles may +e as &ommon as tal!ing a+out $hat paths a &ousin may +e ta!ing in their a&ademi& &areer' or $hat +usiness )enture has +een su&&ess ul or the amily entrepreneur in the last hal *year( To ,uote our te.t+oo! regarding e.tended amilies and !inship' /So&iety %&reated% the amily to underta!e the tas! o ma!ing us human(/ " +elie)e it is the other $ay around' humans &reated the amily' $hi&h is the underlying moti)e in &reating a so&iety( The norms and standards o these roles $ere et&hed into our so&iety +y gradual $a)es o generations lea)ing their mar! upon $hat the ne.t generations may &onsider to +e a&&epta+le( Fi ty years ago the sign in the lo&al to$nhouse may ha)e +een %0o dogs' no me.i&ans(% Today' to put this sign in the yard o your home $ould +e the e,ui)alent o &ultural sui&ide( 1ne*hundred years ago a &iti2en &riti&i2ing mani est destiny may ha)e +een +la&!*listed' ignored' or humiliated' depending on their +a&!ground( Today' in an a&ademi& setting' these thoughts are de+ated' analy2ed' and a&&epted or re3e&ted depending on the generational mentality to the spe&i i& indi)idual( 4ating regarding persons o )arious ethni&ities is mu&h more so&ia+ly a&&epta+le than it $as a hundred* and* i ty years ago' to pro)ide an e.ample( So&iety is a massi)e &ons&iousness &omprised o a &olle&tion o indi)iduals and these indi)idual%s roleplays &an e.pand the roles a orementioned or a greater num+er o &iti2ens in the uture or )i&e*)ersa( " &ome rom a &ulture $here the e.tended amily is treated &loser to our nu&lear amily than others( This has &aused &on3ugal and &onsanguineous relationships regarding e.tended amily to +e not&hed higher on the post so to spea! $hen &ompared to other relati)e amily stru&tures( This is not 3ust a )ie$point held $ithout any due or moti)e +e&ause these ties must +e mainted +y &loser emotional +onds and the %$e% mentality $hen &onsidering o+ligations to a $ider group( 5ispani& amilies tend to +e inter$o)en $ith their &ousins' aunts' grandparents and other amily mem+ers due to relien&e on them or ad)i&e' inan&ial support' or !inship ties(