Extended family

Extended family is a term with several distinct meanings. First, it is used synonymously with

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consanguinal family. Second, in societies dominated by the conjugal family, it is used to

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refer to kindred (an egocentric network of relatives that extends beyond the

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domestic group) who do not belong to the conjugal family. Often there could be many generations living under the same roof.

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In extended families, the network of relatives acts as a close-knit community. Extended families can include, aside from parents and their children, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, foster children etc.

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In many cultures, such as in those of many of the Africans, the Middle Easterners, the traditional Jewish family of central Europe, the Spanish of North and South America, the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, Indians, the East Asians (Chinese, Japanese etc.) and the Pacific Islanders, extended families are the basic family unit (in contrast to the conjugal or nuclear families which "Westerners" are more familiar with). Cultures in which the extended family is common usually happen to be collectivistic cultures.

Related Topics:
Africa - Middle East - Jewish - Europe - Spanish - North - South America - India - East Asian - Chinese - Japanese - Pacific Islander - Conjugal - Nuclear families - Westerners - Collectivistic

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In the cultures where the extended family is the basic family unit, growing up to adulthood does not necessarily mean severing bonds between oneself and one's parents or even grandparents. When the child grows up, he or she moves into the larger and more real world of adulthood, yet he or she doesn't, under normal circumstances, establish an identity separate from that of the community.

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