The problem with defining the term “family” is that an all-encompassing term will be quite vague and broad. Therefore, scholars try to propose some typology to differentiate between different viewpoints. Personal family means people we perceive as relatives and expect them to consider us family members. Such perceptions depend on our understanding of “related” and subsequently differ from culture to culture. Legal family refers to a group of people related by birth, adoption, or marriage. This meaning is clear of constructivist thinking of the term “personal family” and sets clear requirements for defining family as a unit. Sociologists move beyond state terminology and social perceptions and define family as an institutional arena, that is, a social space where informal rules and acceptable patterns of behavior govern relations.
Considering differences, sociologists’ perception differs from the legal family view because it allows the fluidity of the family unit’s composition. For example, the arrival of a cousin from abroad can be an extension of the family’s institutional arena, while legally, the family stays the same. As for the difference between the personal family and the institutional arena, children may not consider their aggressive and drinking father to be a member of the personal family. Nevertheless, the definition of family as an institutional arena recognizes that both members of the family unit are present in the social space.
Finally, there is a sense of discussing structural functionalists’ perspective on families. They claim that the function of families is the stability and harmony of everyday life. Instead of deciding chaotically, people prefer keeping some agreed routines. It seems that structural functionalist theory helps to explain why family values do not drastically change over time. However, these entrenched family relations may be unjust in their essence, while consensus sustains such inequalities.