11/15/2016 FAMILY

STRUCTURE
SOCIOLOGY

Submited By:
Ayush Khandelwal
ROLL NO. 15
DIVISON ‘A’
Page No. 1
 (ANCESTRAL HISTORY)

ANCESTRAL HISTORY: PATERNAL

Balkishan &
devi

Manakchandji & Shantidevi

Ashok & Sunil & Late. Asha Sandeep & Anil &
Usha Sandhya & Raja Varsha Madhu

Ayush

Sarthak

Family Tree Analysis:

Name Background(Education/ Relation with me
Work)
Late Balkishan ji Khandelwal Farmer & business Man Great Grandfather

Late deviji Khandelwal Housewife Great Grandmother

Late Manakchand ji Khandelwal Farmer Grandfather

Mrs. Shanti devi Khandelwal Housewife Grandmother

Mr. Sunil Khandelwal M.A. ( Service) Father

Mrs. Sandhya Khandelwal B.A. (Housewife) Mother

Mr. Ayush Khandelwal B.com Self

Mr. Sarthak Khandelwal 11th Standard Brother

ANCESTRAL HISTORY: MATERNAL
mMAMATERNAL

Laduramji
&kesarbai

Harishankarji &
Shantabai

Rajesh &
Sandhya Varsha
Trupti

Ayush

Sarthak

Family Tree Analysis:

Name Background(Education/ Relation with me
Work)
Late Laduramji Ravat Farmer Great Grandfather
Late Kesarbai ji Ravat Housewife Great Grandmother
Mr. Harishankar ji Ravat Farmer Grandfather
Mrs. Shantabai Ravat Housewife Grandmother
Mr. Rajesh Ravat M.A. (Jeela Adhaksha) Maternal Uncle
Mrs. Trupti Ravat B.A. (Housewife) Maternal Aunt
Mrs. Sandhya Khandelwal B.A. (Housewife) Mother
Mr. Ayush Khandelwal B.com Self
Mr. Sarthak Khandelwal 11th Standard Brother
 ABOUT MY FAMILY :
Till the time of my great grandfathers, both of my paternal and maternal families
were joint families in nature. After that due to change in occupations and
education, families got transformed into nuclear ones.

Though there are lot of difference in characteristics of a nuclear family and a

joint family, one can retain the essence of relationships by maintaining the
bonding between one another which I feel we have been doing.
I live in a joint family where everyone is independent still they are somehow
dependent on each other for their day to day activities. Everyone has their own
source of income as they are not dependent on other for the monetary needs
although they all need the support of the other family member to order to achieve
a better life.

When I say, I live in a joint family that does not mean that I am talking about the
typical joint families in which there are lot of pressure on each member of the
family. At the same time there is not one person who is making decision for all
the members of the family. Each family has their own independent head person
responsible for making decisions or at times decision may be taken after
discussion with other members of the family. For example, any decision
regarding my life is not taken by any of my uncle or any member of my family,
it is only made by my parents. So in my family there is not a typical structure
where one person is the head of the family and is making decision for all of them.
Although we live together and share a close bond between us and are always there
in upfront to support each other. At the same time we believe that everyone has
its own independent life and should be disturbed for our own sake. There is
division of roles and responsibilities which is limited to each sub-family.
Everybody has their own roles to play in their families and carry out particular
responsibilities towards his or her children.
NOTABLE FEATURES OF CLAN:

1. Traditional: Everyone in the family values all our religious traditions. We

celebrate festivals traditionally followed by all our customs.

2. Religious: My ancestral history suggests that almost everyone in the

family believes in god’s power. Worships, mantras and religious traditions
are integral parts of the family.

3. Educational background: May be my grandfather sow some seeds of

importance of education and studies within us so that we have an
educational atmosphere in the family all along.

4. Independent: Every one of us believes that hard work has no other

alternative and one has to strive for one’s own existence, for getting an
identity and to be independent to live a satisfactory life.

5. Simple living: We believe in simple and traditional living than being very
modern. We like to accept new culture but we like to be as simple as we
can.

6. Healthy eating habits: Being vegetarians, everyone believes to have

healthy eating habits. We hardly prefer to have outside food. Rather than
that we prefer to have ‘Ghar ka Khana’ and some healthy food items like
seasonal fruits and their juices, sprouts, milk, etc. However we don’t come
under the category of foodie people.

7. Healthy family: A lot of importance is given to hygiene and healthy eating

habits. We have no hereditary of diseases hence almost everyone has a
good immunity and nobody has health problems.
 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building

theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to
promote solidarity and stability.
• The different parts of each society contribute positively to the operation
or functioning of the system as a whole.
• Structural-functionalism draws its inspiration primarily from the ideas
of Emile Durkheim.
• Durkheim was concerned with the question of how societies maintain
internal stability and survive over time.
• He sought to explain social cohesion and stability through the concept of
solidarity (is unity).
In my family, structural functionalism is followed in the same manner as
showed in the diagram. In my family there is no restrictions for education, in the
society there are restrictions for education for girls, they are not allowed to go
out for schools, colleges, coaching’s because society feels that girls are not safe
outside & that’s why they are not allowed to go outside for education, but now
the trend is changing. In my family earlier girls are not allowed to go outside
from the hometown for further education but as the trend is changing the
mentality of family members are also changing & now they are sending the girls
outside for education & giving rights, which they were not given before.
Structural functionalism is maintained in the family in many ways like:
 Taking suggestions from all the members.
 Had given certain rights to all.
 No discrimination between girls & boys.
 Proper authorization of work
 Coping up with society
 Accepting the changing trends & working according to it.
 SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF INTERACTION

To the human mind, symbols are cultural representations of reality. Every culture
has its own set of symbols associated with different experiences and perceptions.
Thus, as a representation, a symbol's meaning is neither instinctive nor automatic.
The culture's members must interpret and over time reinterpret the symbol.
Symbols occur in different forms: verbal or nonverbal, written or unwritten. They
can be anything that conveys a meaning, such as words on the page, drawings,
pictures, and gestures. Clothing, homes, cars, and other consumer items are
symbols that imply a certain level of social status. My family as every other
family relies mostly on symbolic interactions. Members express their feelings,
emotions, anger, happiness, satisfaction through facial expressions as well as
verbal interactions.
Perhaps the most powerful of all human symbols is language - a system of verbal
and sometimes written representations that are culturally specific and convey
meaning about the world. Language is an important source of continuity and
identity in a culture. I think without Marathi language our culture would not have
evolved. We usually discuss our concerns with other members through the
medium of Malwi and Nimadi language.
One more important part that symbols have played in our upbringing is the roles
played every individual of the family. Symbolically we recognize each other and
try to analyse the thoughts. It is basically ‘The Looking Glass Self’. Opinion of
my father about me is that I am trustworthy and hardworking person but that may
vary when it comes to the opinion of my uncle. In our family, my parents and I
consider my grandfather as a father figure. That gives an impression that we
symbolized his personality and thus our senses have routed to do so.

A good example of the looking glass self is I usually try on clothes before going
out with friends. Some people may not think much about how others will think
about their clothing choices, but I spend quite a bit of time considering what I am
going to wear. While deciding, the dialogue taking place inside my mind is
usually a dialogue between "self" and a "generalized other". An indicator of
mature socialization is when an individual quite accurately predicts how other
people think about him or her. Such an individual has incorporated the "social"
into the "self."
The norms made by our ancestors are still followed by us and we never violated
them. Everyone has an equal responsibility towards each other and everyone is
free to pursue their personal goals with minimal interference from anyone else.
Everyone is given freedom of opinion and his opinions are taken into
consideration i.e. everyone is given equal respect

believes in togetherness so being with everyone in their joys and sorrows

became our culture. Sharing and caring was also a part of it which keeps our
family bonding intact. During festivals all of us worship God and then take the
blessings of our elders. This culture was followed from past generations.

Symbols occur in different forms: verbal or nonverbal, written or unwritten.

They can be anything that conveys a meaning, such as words on the page,
drawings, pictures, and gestures. Clothing, homes, cars, and other consumer
items are symbols that imply a certain level of social status. My family as every
other family relies mostly on symbolic interactions. Members express their
feelings, emotions, anger, happiness, satisfaction through facial expressions as
well as verbal interactions
 THE MECHANISMS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION BETWEEN
YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS

In those times there used to very few conflicts because people did not believe in
materialistic things. The feeling of brotherhood was very much there, people
used to have very good bonding with their relatives and with their neighbours,
so the chances of having a conflict were very less.

 Nowadays we don’t see many joint families all we see are nuclear
families, in joint families many conflicts were solved by the intervention
of the relatives like uncle’s cousins etc.

In case of a major conflict in the family the decision made by the eldest
member was considered to be the final decision.

 The main reason why their used to be very few conflicts was good
communication, people used to interact on the regular basis. There used
to be gatherings frequently, traits like selfishness, jealousy, were not
there.
 In the recent times we have seen conflicts in the family over properties
over some very small issues.
 As we are entering the world of technology materialism is having a
stronger grip over spiritualism.
 The decision made by the head of the family is getting challenged the
younger one’s fight with their elders.
 People were very helping and they were always ready to help each other.
 Society plays very important role in deciding what you are going to do.
PERCEPTION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BONDING

In general the conflict perspective assumes that social life is shaped by groups
and individuals who struggle or compete with one another over various resources
and rewards, resulting in particular distributions of power, wealth, and prestige
in societies and societal systems. Conflict theory assumes that those who have
perpetually try to increase their wealth at the expense and suffering of those who
have not. It is a power struggle which is most often won by wealthy elite and lost
by common person of common means. Power is ability to get what one wants
even in presence of opposition. Authority is the institutionalized legitimate
power. The conflict in the family can be intergroup or interpersonal. Inevitably
there will be conflicts surrounding and how they are resolved can have a positive
or negative effect.
The major actions taken to resolve conflicts can be listed as:
 Confronting and negotiating: This is when everyone confronts and
engages in an open discussion. There are negotiations in hopes of a
mutually agreed upon compromise.

 Consulting with the elders or Experienced in the family: They can

resolve the conflict by giving some advice depending on their past
experiences. We still prefer to take advice from our elder ones for things.

 Family’s get together: This may help to keep everyone closer and discuss
issues with each other if anyone has. We tend to be together occasionally.

 Changing personnel: This is when conflict is pinpointed to an individual

commonly with a low level emotional intelligence.

No family is perfect. We may fight, disagree, complain but at the end

family is the only lifetime asset which we have. So everyone has to value
and respect one another. Consequently the love and care comes from
behind. This all can be depicted by following simple family rules which
will keep us together:
 CONTENT

 ANCESTRAL HISTORY
 ABOUT MY FAMILY
 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
 SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF INTERACTIONISM
 THE MECHANISMS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION BETWEEN
YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS
 PERCEPTION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR THE
IMPROVEMENT OF BONDING
CHANGING TRENDS IN THE PERCEPTION OF THE CULTURE WITHIN THE FAMILY

What all I had observed and experienced by going through my ancestor history
is that with the change in time and surroundings the condition and approach of
living had changed and all have followed this principles which they think that
are important are followed by them, all people have their own style and way of
thinking on which they think react and response. Time and our surroundings
play an important role in what we think and do and this also comes from family
trend and manners which we learn from our elders. Change is the way of life,
you should be able adapt yourself according to the situations

 As I had gone through three generations of my family which almost covered

a 100 years of time period in this period of time many things had taken place
according to what they think and pursue. I had seen changes in many aspects
like in concept of spirituality and materialism that is according to time and
availability of resources and for spirituality what they think about this how
they work to satisfy their soul.

 As the change in time the rules regulations of my family has alsochanged

and the ethics and change in work culture is also taken place. The
objective and mind set of my ancestors is different from what I am think
and do they there is lot of changes had taken place from time to time and
generations to generations.

 The thinking of my ancestors has evolved for the better, in the early 1920’s
people believed in spirituality, everyone used to live together in joint
families but in the early 2000 my family started to diverge.
 I would strongly recommend that one should always do what he feels right
or which is good for him and his family he have to think about himself not
for the society because no one will come to help you when you need them
so always listen to your heart.

 In the end what matters is how you lived your life people always remember
what you do. Actions speak louder than words.