Familia,

un actor con historia propia.

Abstract

Throughout history the concept of family has varied in terms of its functions, roles, internal and external relationships and its articulation with other institutions. It is difficult to define the family due to these changes and it is simpler to characterize it generically as the basic unit of social organization and as an agent of formation of new members. Considering the family as a system, three clearly different subsystems can be identified: conjugal, sibling and parent-child The influence of the family on people’s quality of life is significant and two well defined processes can be distinguished: development of personal identity and family identity. Within this environment of primary socialization, affection, values, upbringing guidelines and the tools to adequately integrate into society are developed. Some of the changes that have affected the family include the entry of women into the work place, an increase in divorce rates, different working hours and the eruption of the mass media and information networks providing new ways of contact with the world which affect the family. In relation to education, parents value it enormously and create expectations of integration and participation in school activities.