Personal Events And Experiences - Essay | Assessment

Running head: ASSESSMENT 2
Assessment 2
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ASSESSMENT 2
Introduction
Family is the primary environment that influences the effectiveness of family
members' adaptation within the prevailing social, cultural and physical scenario. However,
the family is nested within a set of complex social, political, historical and other cultural
settings and thereby justifying the self-contained nature of each and every family (Drewery &
Claiborne, 2012). The following assignment is based on by personal understanding regarding
how principal events or experiences in my life have helped to shape the concept of the
family. The essay will also highlight how my concept of family has evolved. All the past,
present and the future generations casting a significant influence over the family along with
the role of the social, cultural and con-textural factors over the functioning of my family will
be critically analysed under the light of the evidences derived from review of literature. My
perspective of family and its influence over childhood and adulthood will be based on the
how my upbringing in India and Indian culture. The paper will also highlight my change in
experience and difference in opinion after I moved to New Zealand.
My family overview
My name is Payel Khanna, I am an Indian. I am a married hindu woman who lives
with her husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law. Before marriage, I used to
live with my father, mother and two elder siblings, one brother and sister. I used to share
strong bond with my siblings and I am feeling extremely happy and proud to say that till now
we share the same wavelength. My in-laws are very supportive and caring and they never
allowed me to feel the absence of my parents in their house. My husband is my best friend
and my brother-in-law always keep be occupied. The similar cultural wavelength of the two
families helped me to adjust easily in my in-laws house. Post marriage, I moved to New

2ASSESSMENT 2
Zealand with my husband and this helped to explore new horizons in my life. However, I still
miss my life in India, Indian culture and my family members.
Cultural context and family
Pryor (2010) states that the first and the most enduring context within which children
reside are regarded as their family. Under diverse cultures and the societies, there are separate
groupings of people within which the children are raised and these are regarded as the
primary source of socialisation and nurturance. These groupings within the families mainly
vary in their structures and the respective roles that are being played by the members of
family. All the members of my family (paternal family) played a significant role in my life
and my up-bring. Apart from my parents, my grand-parents also played a vital part in my up-
bringing. In my in-laws family as well, I see similar kind of bonding. The elders guide their
off-springs towards the right direction. I have seen, when ever my husband come across any
complex situation in his life, be it professional or personal, the first person from whom he
would seek expert’s advice is his father. This strong bonding between the family members is
the pillar of the Indian family culture. This is the reason why the children from the Indian
family provide significant importance and nurture respect to each of the family members. In
Western cultures, the families mainly tend to develop their own micro-cultures within which
the development of the children occurs. The primary agents for socialization in the Western
cultures are the parents. However, after attaining adulthood (18 years), the children are asked
to stay independently. This approach of independent living and managing own needs
independently, decrease the level of overall bonding with the family members (Pryor, 2010).
This is unlike the eastern family culture. The Indian family system believes in the culture of
joint family along with a strong influence coming from the extended family members. My
family, both in-laws and maternal are nuclear family however, our relatives frequently visits