The functions of the family and its educational opportunities are a subject that must be understood in the educational program of psychologists, sociologists, and specialists in the field of education. At the same time, a simple layman should also be guided by the characteristics, values, significance of the family in order to be able to put knowledge into practice.
Common Understanding
According to pedagogy, the educational functions of the family are manifested in relation to all participants in this social group - both adults and children. The greatest value, as is commonly believed, applies to minors. In science, it is customary to talk about three aspects of these functions:
- the influence of the young on the older (incentive to develop and improve);
- the upbringing of members of a social group under the influence of immediate relatives throughout life;
- the formation of the personality of the younger.
The last aspect of the educational function of the family is briefly formulated, but it can be expanded.
What is this about?
In relation to minors, the family is an important element of society, external conditions. Under his influence, personality, interests are formed, abilities develop. Children can get the experience of previous generations shared by parents, grandparents. The society has accumulated quite impressive amounts of experience and knowledge, which is practically impossible to master without the help of a family.
Considering what is the educational function of the family, it is necessary to take into account the formation of a scientific worldview among the younger ones under the influence of the older generation. Along with this, a correct attitude to work develops , a moral perception of this process, a sense of collectivism. The family is the social unit responsible for inculcating the need to be a citizen and the need for it, at the same time fulfilling the role of the owner and adhering to the standards of behavior established by the public and living together. It is not just about living together in one apartment, but living at the level of civilization.
Family is important!
As is known from the social, pedagogical sciences, the educational function of the family is manifested in the enrichment of intellectual capabilities, information reserves of younger generations. Along with this, the idea of beauty and aesthetics develops. Parents help physically improve their children, are responsible for their health, and are taught ways to strengthen the body. It is thanks to older children that they can become accustomed to hygiene, develop skills in sanitation and self-care. All this in the future is indispensable not only for comfortable living in society, but also for protecting yourself and your future, for ensuring yourself a long, happy, healthy life.
What is available to me?
The educational function of the family is weakened by the lack of potential and capabilities of a particular social unit. By potential, it is customary to understand such a complex of means, conventions, on the basis of which the possibilities of training, educating the younger are formed. It is customary to understand under this complex living conditions, material opportunities, family structure, the large number of relatives, the team and its level of development. Be sure to take into account how family members interact with each other.
Speaking about the educational function of the family, it is necessary to take into account the moral, ideological baggage, psychological, labor, emotional atmosphere within the team of close relatives. An important role is played by the life experience of each of them, the availability of professional qualities and education. Of course, parents are of greatest importance, and the traditions of the family, combined with a personal example of these people, are a source of irreplaceable information, patterns of behavior and interaction for the younger generation.
Paying attention to all aspects
On the educational function of the family, its implementation in each individual case is influenced by the features of the relationship between the participants of this social collective. At the same time, patterns of interaction with the outside world play a role. Children are guided in developing their own rules of behavior at the pedagogical, cultural level of adults, take an example from their parents. Many from early childhood learn how roles should be distributed in home communication, dialogue, and education, following the example of their closest elders - mother, father. In the future, the acquired information is reproduced when creating your own family.
The educational function of the family also affects the perception of educational institutions and the very fact of the need for education in general. From the family, the child makes an idea of the connections of himself and any other person with society, educational institutions and other social institutions. The process of family education is quite specific, and its features are also very important for the implementation of the family function.
Why is it important?
The educational function of the family is due to the unification of different ages within this social unit. The family has people of both sexes, and professional interests, ideas about the beautiful, the level of education are different. All this allows the child to realize the wealth of the choice that lies before him. With such an abundance of examples before one’s eyes, one can successfully express intellectual abilities, a person is formed more qualitatively, fully. At the same time, the possibilities of emotional expression are wider.
Real and spiritual
Social, educational functions of the family form not only the face of a person as an element of society with the ability to work, consume, create. No less important is the spiritual culture, social orientation, motivation of actions. For a child, the family is a microscopic model of the structure of civilization as a whole, therefore it is from here that the baby receives initial settings that allow him to develop his own settings in the future and formulate plans for life.
For the first time, a person realizes the rules that society obeys precisely through the educational, economic, reproductive functions of the family. Through this same social cell, for the first time, a person consumes cultural values and learns to know other people. The influence of the family on upbringing is exceptionally great and significant - in no way less than that of the entire society as a whole.
Reciprocal relationship
Reproductive and educational - family functions, very closely interconnected. As people understood in the distant past, only with a family can a child fully undress, be normal. Family - a necessary, vital value, indispensable to institutions, public organizations or educational, upbringing institutions. According to experts, if before the age of three the baby did not have enough care, attention from the elders, emotional contact, socially important qualities will not develop correctly in the future. Contact with the mother is considered the most significant. In some cases, the development of personality traits in the future is delayed in time, but there are also situations when it is violated in principle, the loss is irreparable, and the person himself often does not even realize this.
Both the pros and cons
The child is very sensitive to everything that happens around him. A negative example of the educational function of the family, which is very common in everyday life, is the drunkenness of one or more immediate relatives. Studies have shown that this behavior of parents is perhaps the most important reason that provokes crime in relation to minors, as well as social abnormal behavior of children and deviations from normal development.
As it was revealed during social studies, up to 80% of all juvenile delinquents were forced to live in a family where one or both parents drank. Immorality in childhood, the desire for criminal acts are very closely associated with the consumption of alcohol. A negative example of the educational function of the family is especially relevant against the backdrop of recent growing alcoholism among the female half of society. The pace of this phenomenon shows an increase twice as fast as a man.
Not a day without change
Changes occurring within the family, in many respects violate its educational function. As studies have shown, the gradual change of the family model from subordinate to modern, based on equality, leads to a weakening of the coordination of actions. Many children do not perceive parents as a whole at all, for them there are separate mother and father.
Ideas about parenting can radically diverge, there are disagreements on how to live. This has a strong effect on the child, forced to dwell in such conditions. Of course, to develop a full-fledged, healthy personality in such conditions is categorically difficult, especially if you recall the tendency to rebellion due to the teenage period, when the nature and mood are largely due to biological reasons - hormonal changes.
About stereotypes
It is customary to talk about three key rules that many take for granted. All three categorically negatively affect the quality of the personality of a growing child in the family. It:
- detocentrism;
- professionalism;
- pragmatism.
Detocentrism
This stereotype is about situations in which a child needs to be forgiven. There is an opinion in society that everything is excusable to children. Many people confuse this attitude with love. In fact, this leads to spoilage, the inability to accept obligations, prohibitions, debt. Mostly in families where everyday life is subject to this stereotype, adults serve younger children.
At present, detocentrism is more often observed in families with one child. Similar trends are also characteristic of those social cells where grandmothers and grandfathers are more responsible for upbringing and tend to protect children from any difficulties. This leads to egocentrism, infantilism. Growing up, young people are completely incapable of taking responsibility for their actions and do not show the slightest initiative to develop this quality.
Professionalism
It is customary to think that all tasks must be trusted to professionals, and to take on as little responsibility as possible. Perhaps this works in relation to pipe cleaning or TV installation, but it is completely unacceptable when it comes to raising children. Indeed, in educational institutions there are educators and teachers, but their function is only secondary after the family. They are designed to give children a general understanding of the interaction in society with unfamiliar individuals, but the kids get basic information from their parents.
For some reason, it is customary to think that the task of the parent is to give material opportunities for the development of the child and, on this, to self-avoid the improvement of the child. Some resort to their upbringing opportunities when it is necessary to forbid and punish, to get rid of the "disturbing" child. In this situation, children and parents are separated, cannot coexist on the same social plane, despite living in the same apartment. There is neither trust nor understanding between them, there are no topics for discussion, which means that the child simply does not have the experience of building a dialogue with an adult. This will affect life - social contacts will be very difficult.
Pragmatism
By this term it is customary to understand a situation where upbringing is perceived by the elders only as a process during which children should become more practical, learn how to independently organize their own affairs. In this case, the emphasis is on material gain, but everything else remains “behind the scenes”.
Recently, the dominance of market relations gives rise to many psychologists and specialists in education, training fears that in the future the pragmatic trend will become even more pronounced. This is explained by utilitarian behavior, which in the minds of many is perceived as the most relevant in modern conditions. To some extent, this is a survival strategy, so it’s hard to blame those who try to move in accordance with the simplest course. At the same time, experts urge not to succumb to pragmatism: emotional development, instilling cultural values are no less important.
General theory
The family is such a complex formation that is characteristic of human society, which is a specific group that is distinguished by the specific relations between its members. The family has spouses of one generation, different generations - children, parents. The family is a small group within which all participants are connected by kinship or marriage obligations. They are entrusted with general moral materiality. For a person, a family is a social necessity, connected both with the physical reproduction of civilization and with spiritual development.
It is very difficult to formulate what is embedded in the concept of “normal family”. This is an extremely extensible performance. In the general case, it is customary to talk about a social unit that gives its participants welfare, protection, and the opportunity to advance within society. With regard to children, the family is a community that provides all the conditions for successful inclusion in social life for psychological, physiological maturity.