Introduction
Cultural values and practices play a significant role in determining how individuals relate and behave towards each other within the family bonds and beyond. Within the family context, people tend to focus on close relationships or ties with family members, while placing little or no emphasis at all on friends or other people that are not from the same bloodline. While this may be true in other cultures, the concept of family is slightly different from other cultures. The meaning and understanding of familism in the context of the Hispanic culture is what provides a sense of belonging and unity within the culture. It is what has made the Hispanic people withstand common challenges that they have faced throughout history, whether at home or overseas. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of family in the Hispanic culture through an analysis of a family genogram while also providing the writer’s insights on the knowledge gained from the extensive research and analysis carried out when compiling the paper.
The Concept of Family in the Hispanic Culture
Although one may understand a family to mean people who share the same ancestor or belong to the same bloodline, encounters, and exposure to the world can alter one’s understanding of what a family means. Some may consider a family as a basic unit of members within a single household, while others may understand a family beyond the blood-line relationships. Instead, it has to do with both family relationships and emotional relationships as one can see in the genogram. Family relationships entail people who share the same ancestors, but there are also close ties to people that are not of the same ancestor. For instance, one can see in the genogram that Luz and Marta are best friends, and Miguel and Benito are just close friends. Family ties are created by close bonds that determine how one relates to members within ethnic boundaries, but external social relationships are affected by factors such as religion, spiritual ties, and friendship. All these factors played a role in creating the genogram that shows both family and relationship ties.
The Family Structure
Family structures are common in every culture. It is a term describing members of a household linked by blood or marriage. In the provided genogram, one can see that Tania is married to Mirko, and they have two children, Anthony and Flavia. Similarly, one can notice that Miguel was married to Sylvia, and they had three children named Sylvia, Marta, and Luz. Maria was married to Higio, and they have given birth to Miguel and Benito. The family is however, characterized by multiple relationships such as adoption and an unusual configuration where same-gender individuals have close ties such as the one between Frank and Benito. Lopez et al. (2020) explained that such unusual family constellations exist because individuals may lack trust in members of the opposite gender or because of secrets that they want to confide in their friends.
Communication is one of the factors that keep people connected and cements relationships between family members. Cano et al. (2020) explained that open communication allows family members to get moral support and emotional support when facing mental health issues. In the given family genogram, Tania appears to have a strong relationship with distant relatives such as Sylvia, Miguel, Luz, and Marta. The family structure is also characterized by closed-type and random-type communication. In the closed-type communication as seen in the family genogram, communication is kept within the family by parental control. This can be seen in the family of Maria and Luz, where the family boundaries do not allow them to communicate. On the other hand, random communication type is seen in the family of Anthony and Mirko.
When drawing the genogram, the writer took into consideration the relationship and family ties that guide the relationship and the interaction between the family members. The writer decided to exclude some family members that could have been logical to include because of the indifferences that exist between us. The author of this genogram considers a family as a social structure where we are connected by blood. Some family members were excluded because they had divorced before giving birth to children, as their relationship did not lead to a family. The author believes that families should stay in unity, share common goals, and continue the family lineage despite the challenges of marital differences.
Family dynamics refers to the patterns of interactions within the family and the responsibility that each member plays to keep the unity and harmony within the family. While this can happen within the household such as the role and responsibility of the head of the family to the children, it is also common to see children providing financial and emotional support to the aging parents. Jimenez-Colon and Duarte-Velez (2022) explained young people’s mental health can be affected in the absence of supportive family systems. Family dynamics are affected by different factors that have a direct influence or indirect influence on an individual within society. Cultural beliefs and practices, divorce, faith, spirituality, presence of a father-figure and mother-figure, and the type of communication and social interactions affect the emotional and physical experience of an individual. Children feel safe when supported by both parents as explained by Cano et al. (2020). On the other hand, events such as divorce or marital conflicts can trigger trauma and insecure relationships that affect mental health and the type of communication within the family structure. It is no wonder that one can observe the type of open communication that Tania has towards distant relatives, but has closed communication with close relatives in the genogram.
Family’s Patterns and Functioning Between and Within Generations
Families tend to form alignments and hierarchies that determine power and relationships. In the Latino family unit, the father is the head of the family, even though it is common to anticipate that parents support one another to raise healthy families. It is also common to see parents forging close ties with their children or some parents forging close relationships with some children compared to others. This example can be observed in the genogram where Tania has crossed the family boundaries and created a strong family ties with the grandparents through open communication. Parents have a responsibility of taking care of their children, and children have a responsibility of taking care of their aging parents. Similarly, children have a responsibility of extending the family lineage through marriage to raise children. The children can be named after the parents to continue the family lineage as seen in the common names appearing in the genogram.
Reflection on the Genogram Analysis
The analysis from this genogram has provided the writer with significant insights into the components of a family from the perspective of Hispanic culture. Through the analysis, the writer has understood factors that affect family linkage and unity such as open, closed, and random communication. There is also significant knowledge on how open communication can nurture relationships and lead to positive coexistence beyond the family boundaries. The knowledge gained from this analysis will guide the writer of the paper in making future decisions on the family, with more emphasis on how to create strong bonds with close family members and allowing children to maintain open communication with relatives as observed in the case of Tania. It is only through this approach that families can live in unity and support one another in case of challenges and conflicts that may arise in life.
Conclusion
Family assigns one a sense of belonging. It is a source of comfort and strength, while some consider it as a place where one draws a sense of belonging. Families may consist of different structures, some of which may affect the behavior and attitude of an individual towards others. An understanding of how a family operates helps one to take responsibility and withstand challenges that may affect family dynamics such as divorce, chronic diseases, death, and other factors that can cause conflict within the structural setting. Despite the challenges, each person should play an active role in defending the family structure and maintain open communication with other members, establish emotional connections with extended family members, and be available to help others whenever there is a need for collective action.
References
Cano, M. Á., Castro, F. G., De La Rosa, M., Amaro, H., Vega, W. A., Sánchez, M.,& de Dios, M. A. (2020). Depressive symptoms and resilience among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining the moderating effects of mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, family cohesion, and social support. Behavioral Medicine, 46(3-4), 245-257. Web.
Jimenez-Colon, G., & Duarté-Vélez, Y. (2022). Raising children in different cultures: Working with Latinx youth with suicidal behaviors and their families. Children, 52(17), 19. Web.
Lopez, D., Ochoa, D., Romero, M., & Parr, K. (2020). Integrating Latinx/Hispanic culture, traditions, and beliefs into effective school psychology practice. Communiqué, 49(4), 16-18. Web.