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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

altruistic, reciprocal, family relationships, levinasian

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Some of the greatest challenges we face today are in our own families. Husbands and wives struggle to find meaning in their relationships. Parents often end up battling with their children as they seek to bring their families together in unified goals and purposes. Many are not successful in their pursuit of meaningful family relationships. Divorce and abuse are all to common in today’s society. Even more pervasive are the strained relationships between family members. How is it that these relationships can fall so short of their seemingly immense potential? It appears reasonable that family members should be able to treat one another as equals in fairness and love. They should be able to love and expect to be loved. However, it may be this very demand for equality and reciprocity in love that finally poisons our family relationships. This idea that one deserves to get something out of a relationship when one puts something into it is plagued with egoism. It makes the relationship possible only on the grounds that the individual is gaining some kind of benefit from it.

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