Family Dynamics: The Foundation of Identity and Development
The Family as the Foundation of Human Experience
According to Nathan W. Ackerman, the family is the basic unit of development, experience, performance, and failure. Ackerman, a child psychiatrist who transitioned into family therapy through child psychiatry, founded the Family Institute in New York and the journal Family Process. He famously stated: "Fundamentally, the family does two things: ensuring physical survival and the essentially human constructs of man."
The Matrix of Shared Experience
The matrix for these qualities is the familiar experience of being together. This union is represented by the bond between mother and son and is subsequently reflected in the sense of identity of the individual, the family, and the wider community. The family is powerful in its lasting impact on human lives. Along with individual identity, the family provides a social identity.
Collective Memory and Cultural Values
Collective memory is transmitted through the family so effectively that, in different societies, certain values still exist through transmission despite violence, adverse situations, or opposition to those values. This occurs precisely as a way to manifest the life of an identity, the recovery of family stories, and adherence to an intensely valued "we."
Navigating Rapid Social Transformations
In some periods, these changes have taken place so slowly they were barely noticeable; in others, they have been produced quickly and radically under the influence of historical events and social forces aimed at transforming society. Facing these changes, the family is fragile. The market revolution, mass communication, and globalization that we live in today are having an even greater impact than the Industrial Revolution, generating profound changes in the family. These shifts are unfolding before our eyes so fast that they often defy our powers of perception, reflection, and professional response.
Empowering Families as Allies
We have the possibility for families to consider us as their allies, rather than seeing us as subordinated to institutions. From this position, a lucid professional perspective can serve the family. In this context, action can be directed toward giving increased participation and decision-making power. This could contribute to ensuring that the accelerated process of change experienced by families is made with the least possible cost to family stability and the quality of life of its members.