SOCIOLOGY 1201: Your Family of Orientation

Your name and group: ________________________________________

Briefly describe the family(ies) in which you grew up.

As preparation for group work, take a few minutes to recall an event affecting your family for each of the following time periods.

0-5 years old

6-12 years old

13-18 years old

18-present

What was the best thing about growing up in your family?

What do you hope to preserve from your family of origin in your own adult family arrangements?

What was the worst thing about growing up in your family? (keep this confidential from your group if you wish--I will protect your confidentiality)

What do you hope to do very differently in your own adult family arrangements?

Sociology 1201: Your Family--Group Project

Get a volunteer facilitator for this week's group exercise. Also choose a member of your group to be this week's recorder and someone to be the reporter. Use the Project Record Sheet, and be sure that every member of the group signs both copies.

1. Using your individual worksheet as a basis, do a round-robin in which each group member has a couple of minutes to tell the story of their family. No notes necessary from this portion of the group exercise.

2. What were the major points of conflict in your families of orientation, and to what extent were those conflicts resolved in a positive way? The recorder should spring into action at this point.

3. Talk about what each member of your group hopes to preserve from his/her family or orientation in his/her family of choice, and what s/he hopes to change.

a. Does it sound as if members of the group come from similar families? What are the main dimensions of similarity or difference?

b. Does it sound as if the members of your group value the same things in family, have similar ideals? Specify common values or points of difference.