The document is a reflection paper by a student on how they define family. In the introduction, the student discusses how family can be defined in different ways based on personal experiences. The student considers friends, extended relatives, and close neighbors as part of their family because of the emotional support and encouragement provided. In the conclusion, the student states that there is no single definition of family as it varies between individuals, but what matters most is having strong relationships built on love, support, and encouragement.

1. Running head: REFLECTION PAPER # 1 1
Reflection Paper #1: How Do You Define Family?
Student’s Name
California State University, Los Angeles
Comment [C1]: THIS IS THE FORMAT FOR AN
APA COVERPAGE, DO NOT FORGET TO CREATE ONE
REFLECTION PAPER # 1 2

2. The definition of family depends greatly on personal experience
which allows for
numerous different interpretations and definitions of what
family is. The definition of family
varies by situation and is not strictly recognized as a mother,
father, and children like most of
society has recognized it as. Just the same, marriage does not
signify the automatic definition of
a family either (Skolnick & Skolnick, 2010). For example, an
individual who is put into foster
care may recognize other foster children as their family because
of the encouragement that they
give each other that they will one day get adopted. Through my
experience and upbringing, I
have recognized many individuals as my “family” such as
friends, neighbors, my parents, and
siblings. I consider many of my uncles, aunts, and cousins to be
a part of my family as well. I
consider them all family based on the close relationship that I
share with them. I consider these
close relationships to be my family because of the continuous
interaction that we share, the love
we share for one another, and of the encouragement and
emotional support they have given me

3. throughout my life.
I consider such people like friends, neighbors and extended kin
to be my family when
they provide continuous interaction and communication. For
example, I have only met my
mother’s biological father once and he has never been involved
in my life. Technically he is my
“grandfather” but I do not consider him to be family because we
do not share a close
relationship. Similarly, I consider a couple of friends to be
family because they have consistently
been involved in my life. We share many things in common and
have grown to love one another
and be supportive and encouraging as well. On-going
interactions with family members allow to
for the development of strong emotional bonds, therefore
fostering communication supports
family growth.
Comment [C2]: EXCELLENT THESIS, IT NOT ONLY
SUGGESTS WHAT FAMILY IS, BUT IT EXPLAINS WHY
Comment [C3]: CHECK OUT THE OPENING
SENTENCE, IT LINKS TO THESIS BY DESCRIBING ONE

4. ELEMENT OF FAMILY, AND IT DISCUSSES THE
CONTENT OF THE PARAGRAPH.
Comment [C4]: NOTICE THIS PARAGRAPHY
PROVIDES TWO PIECES OF EVIDENCE TOWARDS THE
ARGUMENT
Comment [C5]: THIS CAN BE A SUMMARY
STATEMENT TO WRAP UP THE PARAGRAPH
REFLECTION PAPER # 1 3
Love plays a major role in helping to define what family is to
me. To love a person is to
care about the individual’s well-being and to help them by any
means necessary. Despite
conflict, disagreements, and hardships, a family stays connected
because of the love that is
shared in the relationship. Within family, love is always present
during the best and worst of
situations. I constantly share disagreements with a friend that I
consider to be family but we
always resolve our issues because we love each other. For me,
loving someone goes hand in

5. hand with emotional support and encouragement.
Having emotional support and encouragement is a key trait
within a family. Giving
support may help with a person’s confidence in their decision
making. Feelings of support from
family are important to me whether they agree with my
decisions or not. Being supportive of
decision making also includes encouragement to follow through
with those decisions or meet
goals. My family supports many of my decisions as well as
shares concerns about any decisions
that they do not agree with. For example, my friends and my
parents have been supportive and
encouraging of my career goals even though they do not agree
with the path I am taking. I
appreciate their support and any feedback they may have as
well.
There is no single answer of what defines a family because it
varies on the individual and
their life experiences. Regardless of the definition of what a
family is, what matters is that there
is a strong and consistent relationship that provides love,
support and encouragement. My

6. feelings towards what a family is lie greatly on the way I was
socialized. At a young age, I was
taught to believe that long distant relatives were a part of my
family, even though I hardly saw
them. Based on this socialization of family being very broad
and big in size, I now consider
friends and neighbors to be a part of my family as they provide
ongoing support.
Comment [C6]: Good opening sentence
Comment [C7]: IN THE CONCLUSION YOU WANT
TO DEVELOP A SUMMARY STATEMENT OF YOUR
ARGUMENT
Comment [C8]: THEN INTERPRET AND DRAW A
CONCLUSION ABOUT YOUR DEFINITION
YOU CAN DISCUSS WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF
DEFINING FAMILY IN THIS WAY
REFLECTION PAPER # 1 4

7. Reference
Skolnick, A.S. & Skolnick, J.H. (Eds.). (2010). Family in
Transition (16th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson.
Reflection Papers : Reflection often centers on thoughts,
feelings, or reactions to an experience that can enhance
learning, knowledge acquisition, and understanding. It is a form
of critical thinking and review. The reflective capacity can
facilitate awareness of ethical issues or value conflicts,
therefore an essential skill for public service professionals.
Students will need to complete two reflection papers. When
addressing the question develop a critical analysis of the
assigned readings, and make sure to also use outside sources as
described for each reflection paper. You should also include
your thoughts and reactions to the readings, and discuss your
emotional response with a clear explanation. DO NOT
SUMMARIZE THE READINGS.
Reflection papers are formal pieces of writing (unlike a journal
entry), therefore should be formatted as such. They should be in
Times New Roman 12 pt font with 1 in margins. The submission
should include a cover page and a reference list.
Reflection Paper # 1 Outside source: Incorporate a credible
website source (.gov or .edu) Readings: Skolnick & Skolnick
Part 3 Questions: What constitutes “good” parenting? How
would you describe your socialization experience? What role do
you think corporal punishment plays in parenting?
The following guidelines should be used to develop each
reflection:
Each reflection will be formatted into a 5 paragraph essay. You
will have three sections, an introduction (paragraph 1), a body
of evidence (paragraphs 2, 3, 4), and a conclusion (paragraph
5). Your introduction should end in a thesis statement that

8. contains an argument (should not be a fact or a question). Your
body paragraphs should present evidence towards that thesis.
Your conclusion should summarize your argument and evidence,
and discuss implications of your argument. Every paragraph
should have a beginning, middle and end. Start with an opening
sentence that describes the content of the paragraph and links to
thesis. A paragraph should be no less than 5 sentences. Each
paper should be about 2 to 3 page in length. The key is to be
concise!
Complex Connections (10 points) Does the information go
beyond common sense connections (e.g., moms and dads punish
kids differently)? Is there a critical analysis of the readings, and
are assigned readings and outside sources clearly integrated as
described for each reflection paper?
Content (10 points) How effectively does the paper answer the
question(s)? Does the author accurately use the appropriate key
terms and are these effectively and thoroughly discussed? Is
important information provided? Is there enough evidence to
support the argument? Does the presenter provide a summary
with critique and implications?
Writing Style (10 points) Does the author use a professional
tone (e.g., use of appropriate word choice, avoid writing the
way one might speak, avoid wordiness)? To what extent is the
paper clear, easy to read, and direct? Does the paper use
standard conventions of punctuation (e.g., commas), sentence
structure, spelling, and paragraph development? Are there
appropriate in text citations and references in APA style?
Organization (10 points) Is the paper well organized? Does the
paper link topics discussed throughout the sections (Are key
terms linked throughout)? Does the paper have a clear
beginning middle and end? Is there a clear thesis that addresses
the question? Does the paper provide effective transitions and
guiding strategies to help the reader understand the general flow
(or direction) and goals of the paper?