The family in historical and psychological aspects

Polygyny is a form of polygamy in which a man is allowed to have more than one wife. In modern countries that allow polygamy, polygyny is usually the only permitted form. Polygyny originates in the steppes, deserts, where it is necessary to constantly roam in search of food and water, leaving wives and children for a long time was dangerous, as they could be attacked by wild animals or armed people. Polygamy is practiced mainly (but not only) in some parts of the Middle East and Africa; and it is often associated with Islam, but in Islam there are certain conditions that must be met in order to commit polygamy.

Polyandry is a form of marriage in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Fraternal polyandry, when two or more brothers are married to the same wife, is a common form of polyandry. Polyandry has traditionally been practiced in areas of the Himalayan Mountains, among Tibetans in Nepal, in parts of China, and in parts of northern India and Bhutan. Polyandry is most common in societies marked by high male mortality, or where men are often separated from the rest of the family for a significant period of time, since they need to leave for a long time to find food for the family, and it is extremely inconvenient to move through mountainous areas with the family, so the wife stays in some secluded place the place where she and her children are guarded by her remaining husbands, usually brothers.

Psychological problems of family formation

Another famous Soviet teacher A. S. Makarenko (1888-1939) wrote that if, growing up, a child does not learn to love his parents, brothers and sisters, his school, his Homeland, if the beginnings of deep selfishness are brought up in his character, it is very difficult to expect that he is able to deeply love the woman he has chosen, and the other The famous Soviet teacher V. A. Sukhomlinsky (1918-1970) rightly argued that there is no special "science of love" – there is a science of humanity.

According to some psychologists, a necessary condition for a happy marriage is a focus on another person, assuming the ability and desire to understand people around them, take into account their interests, tastes and habits. This orientation is the basis of the collectivistic orientation of the individual and is naturally formed during the education of collectivism. These qualities can be recognized as peculiar cornerstones of a family man's personality. However, the list of psychological characteristics necessary to achieve preparedness for family life turns out, understandably, to be much broader. These include: willingness to assume a new system of responsibilities towards one's marital partner and future children and responsibility for their behavior; respect for the rights and dignity of other members of the family union, recognition of the principle of equality in human relations; readiness for interpersonal communication and cooperation, coordination of interactions, which in turn implies a high moral culture the ability to adapt to the habits and character traits of another person and an understanding of his spiritual movements and states.

These requirements are implemented in different families to varying degrees. Researchers have introduced the concept of the ability to marry, assuming several terms. This is the ability to take care of another person, selflessly serve him, actively do good. The ability to sympathize, empathize, have compassion, that is, to "enter" into the emotional world of another partner, to understand his joys and sorrows, experiences and failures, defeats and victories, to find spiritual unity with another person. The ability to cooperate, interpersonal communication, the availability of skills and abilities in the implementation of many types of work, the organization of household consumption and distribution. A high ethical culture, involving the ability to be tolerant and condescending, generous and kind, to accept another person with all his oddities and shortcomings, to suppress his own selfishness. All these abilities are indicators of a person's ability to quickly change their behavior in accordance with changing circumstances, to show tolerance, stability and predictability of their behavior, and the ability to compromise.