Thinking about this topic, one thing I find interesting is how much we reinforce our own ideas of what the “right” way to be a family is.
A good example is the way, living and growing up in what is classified here as Absolute Nuclear culture, that all of the following were explicitly said by people around me to emphasize that other family systems were wrong:
cousin marriage is backwards, especially close cousin marriage (it’s a thing hicks, low class, stupid people do)
the idea that living at home with your parents once you are an adult means you’re a failure
parents who try to exert too much authority on their children are brutish and controlling and trying to live through their children
having more than one sexual partner is greedy (only high status, wealthy people should be able to get away with it, and even then only as long as they do it in secret)
I’ve also heard people complain about how Absolute Nuclear culture, from the perspective of other family cultures, is:
lonely
selfish (puts the individual above the care of the family)
weak or foolish (doesn’t exert authority or take the partners a person is entitled to)
So regardless of if Todd gets the categories right, it does seem that there is something going on here with self-reinforcing cultures about family system norms that is more than religious beliefs being imposed on people (as opposed to religions imposing the family system, even if they do, they don’t seem especially likely to be the leader, but rather to follow the culture).
Thinking about this topic, one thing I find interesting is how much we reinforce our own ideas of what the “right” way to be a family is.
A good example is the way, living and growing up in what is classified here as Absolute Nuclear culture, that all of the following were explicitly said by people around me to emphasize that other family systems were wrong:
cousin marriage is backwards, especially close cousin marriage (it’s a thing hicks, low class, stupid people do)
the idea that living at home with your parents once you are an adult means you’re a failure
parents who try to exert too much authority on their children are brutish and controlling and trying to live through their children
having more than one sexual partner is greedy (only high status, wealthy people should be able to get away with it, and even then only as long as they do it in secret)
I’ve also heard people complain about how Absolute Nuclear culture, from the perspective of other family cultures, is:
lonely
selfish (puts the individual above the care of the family)
weak or foolish (doesn’t exert authority or take the partners a person is entitled to)
So regardless of if Todd gets the categories right, it does seem that there is something going on here with self-reinforcing cultures about family system norms that is more than religious beliefs being imposed on people (as opposed to religions imposing the family system, even if they do, they don’t seem especially likely to be the leader, but rather to follow the culture).
Not living with parents as adults is increasingly common in India due to the expansion of higher education.