Some of the most important basic needs of the family are housing, good food, affection or protection. The family is considered the basic nucleus of society. It is the basic unit of development and experience of the members of a group, as well as of accomplishment and failure. No person can live in isolation.
During the first years of life, the socialization of a person occurs almost exclusively with the members of the family. And that is why it functions as the first space educator of people.
In essence, the family takes care of two things. First to ensure the physical survival and second to build the essentially human of man.
This means that the family nucleus is obliged to meet the basic needs of its members, ranging from basic biological needs vital to survival to those that guarantee the development of human qualities.
The top 10 basic needs of the family
1- Food
The feeding Is one of the biological needs that the family must cover. This is one of the fundamental pillars for the health of people and even more so when it comes to children.
Although food is a basic necessity for life, in addition to an inalienable right of individuals, the act of eating goes beyond food to survive.
The action of eating should be a moment of communication between family members, the moment in which they create bonds, they transmit traditions and affection. On the other hand, by satisfying this need, the family not only learns to eat but also creates the habit of eating.
This interaction allows the family to integrate much more. In fact, food is closely related to affection. This means that the way in which food is offered has an influence on the habits and ideas developed by members of a family group.
2- Care and protection
A family also needs safety and care. Family members, whether children, adults or the elderly, with or without particular health conditions, need to be protected.
This care is vital when it comes to newborns. The family must be able to guarantee the survival of the smallest and defenseless and this is achieved through constant care and assistance.
This need is also directly related to food. And since this is the fundamental pillar of health, well-being depends a lot on it.
When it comes to care and protection, it talks about covering the physical and health needs of individuals who make up a family. The response to the demands of care depends on the access that the families have to the resources that allow them to satisfy them.
It also depends on the level of knowledge these people have. That is, it is not enough to know that you have access to certain services but also know how to use them for your own benefit.
3- Housing
Housing is one of the fundamental elements to guarantee human dignity. It is therefore one of the basic needs of the family. Access to housing is considered as an essential human right. This means that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living to ensure a place to live.
Being the family the fundamental cell of any society, having housing is one of the pillars that can not be lacking.
A society in which families do not have access possibilities and have a living space is not sustainable. That is why housing is then an essential element for the construction of a society.
4- Education
The first space of education of any person is the bosom of the family. The most important education is that which the children of their parents receive. These are the direct educators of the children. It is necessary to remember that the family must be a forming nucleus so that its members can introduce themselves correctly in society.
Human beings are social beings by nature. This is why it could be said that children are the new recruits of society. The social development of these depends directly on the education they receive at home. The family is also the first means by which culture is transmitted from generation to generation.
5- Affection
Another of the basic needs of the family is affection. It is essential that it be able to meet the Affective needs Of each of its members. It turns out that affective security is fundamental for the personality of individuals to develop in a harmonious way.
If viewed from a psychological point of view, the family should be able to establish a communications network that not only allows its members to unite as a family but also to transmit the emotions necessary to satisfy their affective needs.
The main objective and priority of this network is to enable the child to have normal growth and reach maturity.
6- Playback
To speak of family is to speak inevitably of reproduction. Without this element the revitalization of society and the survival of the human species would not be possible.
That is why reproduction becomes one of the main needs of the family. It is also a duty of family leaders to provide children with the right models so that they can develop their Sexual identity .
Within the family is where each individual learns the characteristics of each sex. This is done primarily through the identification of parental figures.
For this reason, it is essential that the parents have a clear understanding of their roles, as well as their respective roles within the family group.
7- Communication
Communication is an essential element in the family. It is therefore considered as a basic need. And it is thanks to the communication that can be satisfied each of the needs that have within the family.
Without communication, the members of a family would not be able to transmit the different messages necessary to maintain the proper structure of the group.
These messages, whether verbal or paraverbal, convey different actions and emotions as help, authority, affection and understanding.
On the other hand, each family group has its own language, common to its members because it is based on their ethnic and socio-cultural characteristics. This language is unintelligible to an observer unaware of the reality of the family.
8- Adaptability
Another essential basic family need is adaptive capacity. It is important to keep in mind that the family is a dynamic group.
This is basically due to the fact that it must maintain internal relations with its members and external relations with its environment, which can be social, educational or work.
Exposure to these different environments causes the family to adapt to be able to respond to each of the stimuli that are presented to it. The family usually lives in a process of constant transformation. This evolution has much to do with the different stages that occur in the cycle of life.
These can be the birth of a child, the problem of" Empty nest ", A change of job, a financial crisis, among other things. Faced with these changes the family must be able to have a sense of adaptability
9- Autonomy
Autonomy is a key element within the family. Although it is formed by several people, it is necessary to remember that each one of them has its own personality and identity.
This means that belonging to a group does not have to limit the power of individual autonomy. Each member of the family needs to have a certain degree of independence, as this is what will facilitate their growth and maturation.
However, the family must know how to dose this 'independence'. In the first years of life, this autonomy must be established through mechanisms that allow clear limits to be defined between what dependence and independence are.
These limits must be marked within the family group and also with respect to the social environment in which individuals develop. In this way it is possible to maintain the integrity of each person, creating a balance between what is allowed and what is prohibited.
10- Rules and regulations
As an institution charged with forging new members of a society, the family must establish rules and Behavioral norms .
This is what will allow to maintain a harmonious order and conduct between each of the people that make up a home. However, it should be noted that there are no specific rules that families should follow.
Each family group may have its own rules, which, although not written, are clearly established by the leading members.
Individuals belonging to each group are usually the only ones capable of recognizing and identifying them. Through these norms authority is exercised and patterns of behavior are created where respect and personality are put into practice.
References
- Solórzano, M; Brandt, C. (undated). Familiology. Ibero-American Confederation of Family Medicine. Recovered from medicosfamiliares.com.
- López, M. (2003). Analysis of the characteristics and needs of families with gifted children. Complutense University of Madrid. Spain. Recovered from biblioteca.ucm.es.
- Ayala, R. (2010). Housing: a need and a human right. Retrieved from alainet.org.