Building Groups and Families .
In this culture , close , personal
relationships are the standard by which we judge the quality and happiness
of our everyday
lives. Yet in a complex , individualistic society likes ours, they are becoming more differcult
to established and sustain . Although we like to think that the things we do in our relationships are completely
private experiences, they are continually influenced by large - scale political interested and economic presures.
Like every other aspect of our lives, these relationships can be understood only within the broader
social context.
Laws, customs, and social institutions often regulate the way we form these relationships, how we act inside them, and how we dispose of them when they are no longer working. At a more fundamental levels, societies determine which relationships can be considered "legitimate " and therefore entitled to cultural and institutional
recognition. Those relationships that lack such societal validation are often scorned and stigmatized.
Michael DeBonis
UpState New York.
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