A family is a unit that consists of two or more people defined by marriage, blood or even adoption and they share a commitment to the mutual relationship. The family has got varied definitions, and it depends on the situations which an individual refers to. In the work place, for example, employees are referred to as a family because they cooperate and share a common commitment daily (Eshleman 19). Furthermore, family definitions vary and typically depends on who defines it. Different people from different areas all over the world have their meaning of the family. Therefore, the region also influences the definition of family. Some societies, for example, define family as a way of living while others use the culture to define their families.
I was born in Shanghai China, into a family that consists of four people. We are two brothers, and there are two sisters. I am the eldest, and I am being followed by a sister who she is followed by a sister and lastly a brother. We stayed in China for quite a long time until when I was in the middle class when my family migrated to U.S. Our last born was born in U.S and we have been staying in Illinois since we came to this country. I am told that my father has a brother who came to U.S long time ago, and he has been the citizen of the United States since he came to this country. It is known that my father has been coming to U.S to see his brother. My father became interested in the United States while he was visited his brother. My father obtained his bachelor's degree in China and later on pursued his masters at Harvard University. After completed his studies, he went back to China where he got married to my mother before we migrated. After getting married to my mother, they stayed in China for more than 15 years before we migrated and finally settled in the Illinois States. I was told by my mother that both my grandmothers and grandfathers were Chinese. The primary thing that made use migrate into the United States is my father’s brother who had settled in America. Our father has been telling us that, his brother kept encouraging him to go and settled in U.S but at first, he did not want to settle in U.S before he eventually changed his mind to be an American citizen. This is how we ended up in America at Illinois State.
As soon as my father obtained his first degree he got a Job in car assembling firm in China since he was Harvard University school of Engineering. After graduating from Harvard, he did not want to go back to his workplace in China but decided to start a vehicle spare parts supply company at Michigan State University. During this, my father had not decided to live in U.S but since he had married my mother used to visit him frequently. They, later on, decided to settle fully in U.S, and this is when my father bought a six-roomed house in Illinois. Furthermore, he also bought a farm that we have kept poultry. My mother also secured herself a job in Washington DC with the insurance farm. My father keeps on telling me stories concerning the life in China and how he spent his life while he was young. He says he used to spend most of his time with grandmother but after passing away, he did enjoy his life as before remembers what my grandmother has been telling him about life.
The family in different forms is the universal basis of all the human societies and the social structures. However, in the modern times, the family institutions has decayed, and there has been alienated agglomeration where individuals are disconnected. The functions of the family are fulfilled within the family mainly to ensure that needs of the family members are satisfied. Moral values are core in ensuring that the family members have a relationship that is beneficial to all. This is because the members depend on each other, and the dependence provides them with the bonds that hold them together. The family bonds such as that of the daughter and mother, father and son are important since it binds them together and they can easily work together to achieve a common goal(Eshleman 27). I am told by my father and mother that the behavior that is found in China is different from the behavior found in the U.S. In China, people respect their culture. This is seen in the dressing in such a country. People in China dress well as they respect their culture, and the dressing is seen as a way of portraying the cultural values of the society.
However in the United States, things have changed, and this is attributed to the impacts that the social structures and institutions. Furthermore, the globalization and change in technology have also affected the way family members relate. It is through the technological change and globalization that people's behavior have changed. Financial institutions have also changed the way of living. It is when money is adequate that families enjoy their lives since they have everything at their disposal. Families that have adequate money have the opportunity to take their children to school, feed them well and can acquire the goods and services they require (Eshleman 31). However, when money is inadequate, different people cannot acquire the necessities of life. For example, they are unable to take their children to school; they are unable to acquire the goods and services necessary in their lives. Thus, “the negative impacts of income inadequacy on parenting control and responsiveness then accounted for higher levels of problem behavior and lower levels of positive behavior in the children from families with the lowest level of financial and other supports.” (Eshleman 39). For me, I have never had any problem with financial support. My parents have been helping us, and it is through their support that we have been in a position to study and complete our studies.
Other institutions such as media, schools and government influence the family as well. Education is considered an important aspect that propels live positively. When people have adequate education, they are in a position to lead successful family lives. Live in U.S is expensive compared to life in China where everything is cheap. The food and clothing are expensive, and if people are not financially stable here in U.S, they might go without food for a long period (Eshleman 43). My case is, however, different since I have been receiving financial aid from both my parents and I can buy clothes and food. The sociocultural environment is also another factor that affects the family. It is through the socio-cultural environment that a particular family relates with other families. The generic heritage determines our family is perceived in U.S. Since we originated from China many people have been seeing us as people without any focus and who only clinches to the outdated culture. The environment in the Illinois state has however changed us and now we live as U.S citizens, and the behavior we have resembles that of the U.S citizens.
Living in another country changes an individual forever. The person will never be the same and the way such an individual view things in the environment will drastically change and will reflect the new environment where the person lives in. After moving from China to U.S, we have changed completely and the way we do things reflect the way the Americans saw things in their environment. The first thing that an individual gets in the new environment is the "reverse culture shock" (Eshleman 58). Before we move to U.S, we used to have and believed in the Chinese culture but after we settled in U.S things changed. However, at first instance, we used to practice the Chinese culture before we were completely influenced by U.S culture. The reality of the American culture was witnessed after about three months when we started to change the food we used to eat. The dressing also was influenced by the culture and after sometime, we started dressing in the American styles. Therefore, society in general impacts an individual’s living and behavior. Family structures in the new environment, religion and culture have the biggest role to play in the lives of people. The change of society is attributed to change in technology and globalization. With the advancement in technology, the society changes regarding culture and religion. Our family has come a long way and the way we live in U.S currently is different from the way we live in China.
The current society where we live in is different from the Chinese society. The American society has a different eating style since the food consumed in America is significantly different from the food that is consumed in America. Therefore, the food that I eat in American reflects the American lifestyle. The modern consumption culture in America reflects the global change. In U.S for example, people eat ready food where they obtain from institutions such as the supermarkets (Eshleman 79). As we change the environment, we are flooded with the opportunity to consume drinks and food. These eating habits always change, and they give us the sense of living in the current society. Through this, we have the opportunity to fulfill our daily lives. The clothing and shelter have also changed and unlike before, I currently wear the clothes that reflect the current fashions since most people in America go with the new fashions of clothing.
In the working environment, things have also changed. In company that where I work in, culture is also different. In the work place, people engage in their tasks in a different way. For example, you find people strictly adhere to time, and they normally complete their tasks within a given time limit (Eshleman 97). When meetings are scheduled, people arrive for the meeting on time. This has made me also to do things at a faster rate unlike before. Furthermore, freedom and enlightenment is also another culture that has changed me. In the organization that I work in people are given the freedom to do what they want, they come with creative ideas that allow them to come up with high-quality products and services. Through this, I have learned how to be creative to produce quality goods and services. Therefore, the American society has completely changed me and the things I do reflect the America culture and lifestyle.
Work Cited
Eshleman, J. Ross. The family. Allyn & Bacon, 2010.
