Learn the definition of family of orientation and understand how it differs from family of procreation. Discover the main impact of family of orientation.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Family of Orientation | Impact & Examples
Table of Contents
- What Is Family of Orientation?
- Family of Orientation vs. Family of Procreation
- Family of Orientation Impact
- Family of Orientation Examples
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of family orientation?
One example of a family of orientation is a child, James, who lives with his biological mother, father, and an adopted sibling named Daphne. James's family of orientation is his mother, father, and Daphne.
What are family of orientation and family of procreation?
The family of orientation is the family that a person is born into and/or raised within. The family of procreation is the family that a person creates through having and/or adopting children. One major difference is the way that these family formations are brought about.
What are some functions of family of orientation?
Some functions of family of orientation are to shape the values, beliefs, ethics, behaviors, and morals of children. Families of orientation also provide security, belonging, and socialization, among other impacts.
Table of Contents
- What Is Family of Orientation?
- Family of Orientation vs. Family of Procreation
- Family of Orientation Impact
- Family of Orientation Examples
- Lesson Summary
Family of orientation is the family that an individual is born into and/or raised within. The family of orientation includes the family that a person is a part of from birth or the family they grow up in. Furthermore, a child can become a part of their family of orientation biologically, through adoption, or other means. Siblings, parents, and grandparents are examples of figures that can be included in the family of orientation.
The family of orientation is regarded for its role in the socialization experiences of children as they grow. As such, part of the function of the family of orientation is shaping the attitudes, values, and beliefs of children. The influence of the family of orientation has been shown to have longstanding influences on young people of age.
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In addition to the family of orientation formation, is the family of procreation. The family of procreation is the family that a person creates by having or adopting children. The etymology of the word procreation helps answer the question, "What is family of procreation?" Procreation comes from the Latin word procreare meaning "bring forth." Generally, the family of procreation definition includes the family entity that two or more people construct. Families of procreation create their own set of distinct family values.
A primary difference between family of orientation and family of procreation is how each is brought about. The family of orientation is generally the family that a person is involuntarily brought into. Children don't generally choose their families of orientation. People have an active role in bringing forth their family of procreation. Adults that choose to bring a child into their family through adoption, for instance, actively pursue a family of procreation.
Another difference is the function of these family formations. Broadly, the family of orientation serves to root children socially. The function of the family of procreation is to create children and develop their socialization.
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The family of orientation has a significant impact on many aspects of a child's life. The members of the family of orientation can meet the basic needs of a child, like food, water, and shelter. The family of orientation can also provide a sense of belonging. Additionally, this family structure can also meet the child's need for security. Families can provide financial security and a means to meet the needs of the members. Families of orientation also teach children many fundamental skills. These skills can be movement skills, like sitting and walking, or language skills, like speaking. Families provide an important emotional supportive structure for children. This emotional support is influential in difficult periods of life or times of stress.
Families also teach children, values, beliefs, and behaviors through informal and formal education. A primary role of the family of orientation is to orient the child socially. The family of orientation can be a source of political views, manners, and moral behaviors. Families can also teach children to work through conflict and disagreement. Conflict amongst siblings, for example, is a way that children can learn to work through disagreements with people that are different than themselves. The influence the family of orientation has on a child's values and beliefs go on to impact the way they influence his or her own future children.
Additionally, families of orientation can also impact the ability of children to work as a group, as there are opportunities for the family members to work together toward common goals. These common goals can be everyday tasks like household cleaning, and laundry, or more broad goals, like being a family that values kindness and generosity.
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There are many types of families included within families of orientation. Families of orientation include the people that a child is raised living with. These can include parents, siblings, grandparents, adoptive parents, uncles, and aunts, among others. Here are some examples of families of orientation:
- Jane was raised in Maryland with her biological parents and three siblings, Jason, James, and John. Jane's family of orientation is her biological parents and Jason, James, and John.
- Ben grew up in New Zealand with his adoptive parents, Sarah and Sean. Ben was born in Germany and does not have any brothers or sisters. Ben's family of orientation are his adoptive parents.
- Jared was raised by his grandmother, Karen, in rural New York. Karen was a very strong and loving influence on Jared. Jared's family of orientation is his grandmother, Karen.
- Pam and Polly have parents, Peter and Stacy, that are divorced and live in two separate houses in Australia. Pam and Polly spend equal time in each of the houses. Their biological father, Peter, is remarried to Kathy, and they have a child named Conor. Pam's family of orientation is the people that live in the two households, namely Peter, Kathy, Conor, Stacy, and Polly.
- Nathan grew up living with his aunt Rose and uncle Alan in Ireland. Nathan has never lived with his biological parents. Nathan's family of orientation is his aunt Rose and uncle Alan.
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The family of orientation is the family a person is born into and raised within. One broad function of the family of orientation is to shape the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the members. The family of orientation has longstanding impacts on a child as they're raised. The family of procreation is the family that a person builds by having or adopting kids. One main difference between the family of orientation and family of procreation is that they are brought about in distinct ways. Children don't generally choose their family of orientation, whereas people actively create their family of procreation.
The family of orientation has many impacts, including meeting the basic needs of a child, providing belonging and security, and teaching skills. Additionally, families teach values beliefs, and behaviors and orient children socially. The influence children have from their families of orientation goes on to impact how they raise their own children later in life. One example of a family of orientation is a young boy named Ben who is raised by his adoptive parents, Sarah and Sean, without siblings. Sarah and Sean are Ben's family of orientation.
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Video Transcript
Family of Orientation Defined
Kerry and Pam are a married couple who met on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. They both come from households with two working parents who focused on saving and building their net worth. It was no surprise to their families when Kerry and Pam decided that they would both pursue their career goals, even after they had children. Kerry and Pam had two children, a boy named Bob and a daughter named Jillian.
Both Bob and Jillian obtained jobs their freshman year in high school, were hard workers, and saved as much money as they could. Bob and Jillian's parents taught them to always try their best, always be kind to strangers, and the importance of giving back to the community. Kerry and Pam also taught their children about socially appropriate behaviors, i.e. to refer to their elders as 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' and to cover their mouths when they sneeze. Once Bob became an adult and married his wife Susan, they taught the same values to their three children. In this example, we have just described Bob and Jillian's family of orientation.
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So what is family of orientation? Simply put, family of orientation refers to the family that you were born and raised in. In the example, Bob's family of orientation consisted of hard working, financially savvy parents Kerry and Pam, and a sister named Jillian.
The Impact of Family of Orientation
So how does your family of orientation impact you? To answer this question, let's look at Bob more closely. Bob values saving, working hard, and giving back to the community. But where did these values come from? The answer is his family of orientation. Bob's parents held these same values, which they then passed on to their children. Since Bob was born into his family of orientation, his family has provided a constant, stable influence over his values and beliefs. Through Bob's family of orientation, he learned about acceptable behaviors and other social norms. Bob's family of orientation also has a 'biological influence' over him, since his genetic makeup is determined by his parents.
Family of Procreation
Family of orientation is often compared to family of procreation. Family of procreation refers to the family you create through marriage and by having or adopting children. In other words, the family of orientation is the family you were born into involuntarily. Family of procreation is the family that you create. The family that Bob created by marrying Susan and having children is an example of a family of procreation.
Lesson Summary
Your family of orientation is the family that you were born into. Your family of orientation is important because it has a significant influence on our values, beliefs, and actions. Your family of orientation also teaches you about social norms, influences how you raise your own children, and influences your biology. Your family of orientation is often compared to family of procreation, which is the family that you create when you get married and have or adopt children.
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Family of Orientation | Impact & Examples
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