Ohio State nav bar

Skip to main content

The Ohio State University

  • Help
  • BuckeyeLink
  • Map
  • Find People
  • Webmail
  • Search Ohio State
  • Home
  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars
  • Authors

Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Topics:

The Ohio State University
You are here: Home / Family and Relationships / Focus on Family Strengths

November 17, 2015

Focus on Family Strengths

Many times it is easy to point out the problems or dysfunction in our own or someone else’s family. Even though it is easier to spot the problems we have, father-342498_1920there has been a recent shift for families to focus on their family strengths. This may be easier said than done. Often times because families are focused on their problems, they may feel like they do not have any strengths. Even though they may be hard to point out, many strengths exist within families. Strengths may include things like spending time together, good communication, and flexibility. Strengths can also include tangible things such as having a car or being financially stable. In their research on family strengths, Stinnet and DeFrain developed the six common strengths found in families. These are:

• Appreciation and affection which includes caring for one another, friendship, respect for individuality, humor, and playfulness
• Commitment including elements of trust, honestly, dependability, faithfulness, and sharing
• Positive communication such as giving compliments, sharing feelings, avoiding blame, being able to compromise, and agreeing to disagree
• Enjoyable time together includes an abundance of quality time, enjoying each other’s company, and sharing fun times
• Spiritual well-being such as shared ethical values, compassion, hope, faith, and oneness with human kind
• Management of stress and crisis like adaptability, openness to change, seeing challenges as opportunities, growing through a crisis together, and resilience

Focusing on strengths can help families become empowered to solve problems, strengthen togetherness with members of the family, and create a strong family identity. As the holiday season is approaching, it is a great time to reflect on your family’s strengths. Think about what makes your family strong and stick together. The University of Nebraska has a great resource to help you get started. Know that every family is different and has different strengths, focus on your unique family and the strengths you possess.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories: Family and Relationships
Tags: resilience, strengths, strong families

Avatar for Katie Schlagheck
Avatar for Katie Schlagheck

About Katie Schlagheck

Katie Schlagheck, CFLE, is a Family and Consumer Science educator in both Ottawa and Sandusky counties. Being a Certified Family Life Educator her interests focus on the well-being of families and relationships through the range of FCS areas. She specifically is interested with risk and resilience of children and families, parenting, prevention science, and program evaluation. Born and raised in Washington State, she has been exploring all Ohio has to offer, as well as running 5K races in Northern Ohio.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

Loving Kindness chart from self to world

Cultivating Loving-Kindness

Exploring the Heart of It All webinar series presented in Autumn 2024

pages of open book shaped into a heart

Making Every Day Sweet

I will serve 2024MLK

Unite, Serve, and Transform on MLK Day to Create the Beloved Community

Follow Us!

  • Facebook

Footer

Need Assistance?

If you are having issues logging into the site, need assistance with updates, or need to request an alternate format please send an email to the EHE Service Desk at servicedesk@ehe.osu.edu stating the nature of your issue and we will assist you. Thank you.
Are you a Live Smart Ohio Author? Log in here!

Categories

  • Food
  • Family and Relationships
  • Money
  • Mind and Body
  • Webinars

Follow us!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
The Ohio State University
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN ECOLOGY
COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

© 2025 Live Smart Ohio - Family and Consumer Sciences | The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology | Accessibility | Privacy Policy

%d