Anthropology Assignment : Notes About The Behavior In The Family

The observation took place in a park near a lake. The observed subjects were family members, including spouses, a man and a woman in their 40s, and their two children, a boy at the age of about 10 and a girl at the age of about 14. The observation lasted for 25 minutes. In the course of the observation, I made notes about the behavior of the family members, their actions, interaction, communication and their environment. Participants of the study revealed the difference in their behavior which was probably the result of their status within the family, kinship, their age and probably gender.

In the course of the observation, the family stayed close to the lake. They had a picnic on their day off. Parents were sitting close to each other and the father hugged his wife occasionally that was apparently the manifestation of affection and attachment of the spouses (Ferraro 125). Spouses wear wedding rings, which are symbols of their kinship and belongingness to one family. At the same time, children stayed close to their parents at first, but steadily the girl attempted to distance from them and her brother.

The family members observed during 25 minutes revealed strong kinship and manifested their belongingness to one family. The kinship was obvious through their relationship and interaction. For example, wedding rings proved that the man and the woman were spouses. Their children were resembled their parents and had highly informal relations, which are typical for siblings. In addition, when the girl and they boy were about to quarrel, the father clearly asked the girl not to offend her brother and he asked the boy not to get on his sister’s nerves. Hence, the family relations and kinship of people observed became obvious. The kinship was also revealed through their affection to each other and quite positive attitude between parents and parents and the boy. As for the girl, she apparently felt a little bit uncomfortable and attempted to distance from her family member. Such behavior of the girl was determined by her age since the rebellious behavior is typical for adolescents, while profound physiological and psychological changes often involve the disruption of traditional family ties of adolescents.

At the same time, the belief system of the girl was apparently not fully shaped since in the course of their conversations, the girl rather followed the lead of her parents or took sides rather than expressed her position as different from those of her parents on some important issues. On the other hand, she often opposed them and did not want to accept some of their views without suggesting anything instead. For example, there was a moment, when a father made some remarks about her clothing and her style. In response, the girl just admitted that her father does not understanding anything in the field of fashion and she just like the way she looks and wears. 

Furthermore, the functionalism of the family became obvious in the course of the observation because throughout the observation, each family member performed his or her part respectively to his or her status in the family and position he or she held in the family hierarchy. To put it more precisely, parents exercised their authorities and apparently attempted to manifest their authority by restricting inappropriate behavior of children. For example, when children were about to quarrel, the interference of the father has put the end to their dispute. In such a way, the father apparently is the highest authority within the family and children obey to his demands. At the same time, each family member performs his or her functions according to his or her family status. For example, when the family has just come to the picnic, the mother and daughter have started to prepare some snacks and coffee for the entire family, while the father and the son just found the place, where to stay and sit for the whole family. Parents apparently took the lead, while children followed them, even though sometimes they disagreed but eventually succumbed to the authority of parents. In this regard, the girl was particularly rebellious and reluctant to obey but parents used different strategies to persuade her to take their side and follow their lead. For example, when the girl did not want to obey to their parents, they tried to talk her in, instead of pushing on her (Lewis 157). In such a way, they have managed to exercise their authority but they did not suppress their children. In this regard, the observed family had the picnic and the 25 minute observation revealed their relations and functions. The father performed the role of the head of the family and was the leader of the family.

The observation also revealed holism of the family since relationships between family members were quite natural and family members were fully integrated. In such a way, the holism of the family had a considerable impact on the behavior of each family member. In spite of their individuality, they still had close ties and relationships, which helped them to establish close ties and interaction with each other (Darnell 145). Each family member had his or her individual expectations and behavioral patterns, but they all have managed to interact with each other effectively. For example, in spite of the situation that could evoke a conflict within the family, they have managed to find a compromise and prevent the conflict from emergence at the early stage of its development. In this regard, parents have played the main part in terms of the conflict resolution and prevention (Weber & Bookstein 136). At the same time, it is possible to trace the holistic relations within the family through the development of family ties. In this regard, family relations between spouses were particularly noteworthy. They have managed to understand each other easily and fast. They did not talk much but they understood each other perfectly. They just had a good time and observed their children. The relationships between them were conflict free and they did not have any disputes. Instead, they manifested their affection and close family ties. They apparently enjoyed the picnic and interaction with their children. They helped each other whenever possible and attempted to do their best to make the picnic interesting for their children.

Thus, the observation has revealed the family relations and cultural norms which determine the interaction between observed family members and their cultural values. In this regard, the 25 minute observation allowed revealing relationships between family members and their social roles. The observation helped to determine the role of each family member in the family. Social interactions between family members also helped to reveal their system of values, which is grounded on traditional family values. Parents served as models of behavior for their children and the highest authority for them. Children, in their turn, also manifest their basically positive attitude toward their parents.

Works Cited:

Darnell, R. Invisible Genealogies: A History of Americanist Anthropology. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2001.

Ferraro, G.P. Classical Readings in Cultural Anthropology. New York: Wordsworth Publishing, 2008.

Lewis, H. S. “Imagining Anthropology’s History.” Reviews in Anthropology, 33, 2004, 155-159.

Weber, G. & Bookstein, F. Virtual Anthropology: A guide to a new interdisciplinary field. Springer, 2011.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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