On peut voir des deux côtés qu’en général le premier mot auquel on pense lorsqu’on parle de la famille est l’amour, c’est le mot qui apparait le plus des deux côtés. Le terme Famille évoque aussi des valeurs, car elles nous viennent en général de notre éducation, ainsi on trouve des mots comme la loyauté, l’importance du soutien dans la famille, la fidélité. La famille est décrite comme quelque chose de solide, qui nous permet de nous développer grâce à la fiabilité du foyer et le soutien inconditionnel qu’elle apporte.

Il est intéressant de constater que les opinions sont très similaires sur ce sujet. Beaucoup des mots cités se retrouvent des deux côtés, ce qui n’est pas toujours le cas pour les autres sujets qui ont été proposés. La famille apparaît comme une source d’amour, de soutien, de soin et de sécurité. Pensez-vous que ces valeurs sont les mêmes quelque soit le pays ou pour tous les individus ? Qu’en est il des orphelins ?

I agree with Guillaume V that the primary word to describe family is love. Usually, family means something very different from country to country, so I found it interesting that French and American students both described family as loving. Other commonly used words were those to describe familial relations like brother, sister, and parents. Family can mean something bigger than just our immediate blood-related family, however, so I’m surprised none of these words were given as descriptions of family. Family can be close friends or sports teams as well.

I agree that family is a source of endless support, love, and care. But, a family doesn’t have to mean a home with a mom, a dad, sisters, and brothers. Family can also mean friends. Living away from my family, I found a group of amazing people who care about me and love and support me. My friends are a different kind of family, and we do things that I think a family does like eating meals together, watching t. v. shows, and listening to and arguing with each other. So, I hope that having a mom or a dad doesn’t deter people from enjoying the safety, security, and a sense of love and belonging that comes from being a part of a family.

I agree that both sides seemed very similar but possibly one subtle difference was that the MIT students descriptions were more emotional with ‘joy’ ‘happiness’ and ‘happy’ whereas the ENSEIRB side seemed a bit more practical with words such as ‘liens’ ‘construction’ ‘education’ and ‘discussion’. Is it possible that families in France are more structured and practical than those in the US?

“caring”, “forever”, “love”, “safety” are very spiritual words. I like it when these things are expressed in more practical means such as “hug”, “vacation”, “Thanksgiving”, “Christmas”. Both spiritual and practical words make the picture of family complete.

After seeing what words first come from either side, I believe this somewhat validates the idea that the French perspective of family is in the core family, aka the father, mother, and siblings. Americans believe that family is more than just the core, and that a lot of people generalize the bubble to extended family and even close friends. This is very interesting to me.

Que ce soit dans les deux cultures, lorsqu’on parle de Famille/Family, on retrouve globalement l’amour au centre de celle-ci en pensant principalement aux membres proches comme les parents, les frères et soeurs. On retrouve également un sentiment de foyer et l’importance que la famille occupe dans nos vies. L’éducation et le mode de fonctionnement de chaque famille différent selon les foyers et les individus, ainsi l’éducation que reçoit la personne diffèrent d’un foyer à l’autre et cela a un impact sur la psychologie de l’enfant.

Hello,
It’s interesting to note that the French side placed a larger emphasis on blood family ties while the American side emphasizes the emotions associated with someone personally close to you (though both sides do make mention of love). I’m curious to understand the family and friend dynamics in France, as compared to those in the US.

Hi,
Similarly to Gianna, I noticed that there were fewer mentions related to specific family relations on the MIT side while many of the responses on the French side included specific family members. In the US, the use of the term “family” is quite fluid and not always limited to blood relations, and close friends are often seen as being one’s family as well. I have also experienced other cultures where “family” is strictly used in the traditional sense, where family ties are always considered to be the strongest relations even compared to close friendship, and where even relatives who are not personally very close are expected to help or be loyal to one another. I’m interested in what you think about where French culture (or other cultures you may come from) may fall on this spectrum.

I share a similar view as the other students on the MIT side with regards to what family means to us. Growing in a Latino household meant that everyone that had a stake in our house was seen as family, even if not related by blood. Family is definitely a concept that is not restrained by definitions made on paper, but rather on what people want it to be defined by. I am curious to see if the place where your family comes from influences how you think about the concept of family.

I agree with Miguel. In my household, everyone that is associated with the family including friends has a relationship. I refer to all my cousins as brothers and sisters, and there is a great emphasis on the concept of joint family. All my parents’ friends are my aunts and uncles. I feel that for me a family always meant keeping the people I’m related to close to me, but also adding new people into my family. What do you think influences our definitions of a family?

I agree with Adrien, that at the center of family is always love in general. Do you usually associate words like love only with family or also extend that to friends and people that you are close to? If not, is there some other way you would describe it?

I agree with the comments above that the word “family” is used quite loosely in the US. I think it’s something we value so much that in many student organizations, like culture clubs and sororities/fraternities, there are “family” lines, where groups are formed between upperclassmen/older members of the organization and newer members/underclassmen to facilitate mentorship and bonding. I’m curious to see whether these are also common in France.

Hello,
I believe it is one of the few subjects we all agree on; not only on the meaning of the word “Family”, but also the importance of this warm shelter, which is a source of unconditional love and mutual respect.
This union through the invisible bloodline that crosses our mind and heart is the most sacred thing that most of us are fortunate to have and that in some cases takes efforts and sacrifices to keep it united.

I agree with Isabelle that family, at least to me, means not only the people I am related to by blood but the connections I have made with people around me. Being in college has taught me that one can have multiple families, in a sense: Once of which I grew up with, the second I found here. Have you had any similar experiences, or is family mostly considered to be the core group of blood relatives? If it is the latter, is this a cultural difference or a difference between individual experiences?

Comme vous êtes beaucoup à le noter, les français voient d’abord la famille liée par le sang. Mais nous formons aussi des liens forts avec nos amis que l’on peut aussi considérer comme notre famille. Je pense juste que cela dépend de l’expérience de chacun. Certains vont distinguer leur famille de leurs amis car ils verront leur famille comme quelque chose qu’ils auront toujours dans leur vie, alors que d’autres verront plus leurs amis comme une deuxième famille qu’ils ne perdront jamais. Cela dépend du ressenti de chacun et non de la culture du pays.

People are connected by love, which builds friendship. If there’s an additional linkage by blood, that’s family.

It seems like in both the US and France there are differences from person to person about whether they consider friends and others to be family. So I wonder if there is a reason more people put ‘liens’ for the ENSEIRB students. Is it possible there is a word association from a saying?

I agree with Camille about the nature of our relationships with “family.” People seeing friends as family members is not dependent on country of origin, but rather many other factors. In college, for example, this is the first time I’ve lived without my parents and brothers. This has led me to form strong familial type friendships with my roommates and teammates. What typical factors push people to see friends as family members? Is it possible to live successfully without any form of family? How can we provide family to those who don’t have it?

I agree that the way we define “family”, or any relationship, depends on individual experiences. Personally, consistent support and acceptance, as well as shared culture, have made it much easier for me to be more comfortable with my friends and see them as family, so those qualities could be a good foundation for building families for those who don’t have them.

Bonjour,
Je suis d’accord avec Paige sur le fait que lorsqu’on quitte la maison de nos parents, il est important de créer des liens avec ses amis. Moi aussi j’ai créé des liens très forts avec mes amis en prépa, du fait que je ne rentrais plus chez mes parents le soir et les week-end. De ce fait, je pense que ces liens se créent lorsque la personne se retrouve seule ou moins intégrée dans sa propre famille. Il arrive parfois qu’une famille ne soutienne plus leurs proches et qu’ils doivent se tourner vers d’autres personnes pour combler ce manque. C’est pour ça que je pense qu’on ne peut pas vivre pleinement heureux sans une forme de famille, comme tu le mentionnes Paige. Même si certaines personnes sont capables de vivre seule sans problème, je pense qu’elles ont quand même un vide en elles qui les empêche d’être pleinement heureuses. Pour répondre à ta dernière question, je pense que des amis proches peuvent devenir une famille si une personne en a vraiment le besoin et qu’elle laisse les gens rentrer dans vie, ce qui est parfois difficile. Penses-tu qu’il soit facile de laisser certaines personnes rentrer dans ta vie, au point qu’elles connaissent tout de toi (comme une famille) ?

Bonjour à tous

Je suis d’accord avec l’idée que le rapport à la famille varie d’une personne à l’autre en fonction de ses expériences. Ainsi il peut être normal de ne pas considérer comme sa famille uniquement ses parents, frères et sœurs, voire ne pas les inclure dedans si malheureusement on est en conflit avec eux, et privilégier alors ses amis qui sont des personnes sur lesquelles on peut compter à tout moment, des personnes fiables que l’on considèrera alors comme sa famille.

Pour répondre à Vivian nous avons aussi à l’Enseirb ce concept de famille de parrainage pour nous intégrer, et c’est quelque chose de commun.