refers to the culturally defined relationships between individuals who are commonly thought of as having family ties. All societies use kinship as a basis for forming social groups and for classifying people. However, there is a great amount of variability in kinship rules and patterns around the world. In order to understand social interaction, attitudes, and motivations in most societies, it is essential to know how their kinship systems function.
, which issocially recognized links between ancestors and descendants.
bond with you and are your affines or affinal relatives. In contrast, people who have socially recognized biological links to you, such as your mother, father, grandparents, children, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, and cousins, are your consanguines or consanguinal relatives. They have a relationship with you.
, is used to create links to people who otherwise would not be kinsmen. This can be an expedient for dealing with irregular circumstances or even a mere social courtesy. Godparenthood and the adoption of children are examples of fictive relationships in European cultures. Godparenting has been particularly important in Latin America where friends voluntarily create lasting ties of shared responsibility for their children--they become respectedcompadres (co-fathers) orcomadres (co-mothers).
and "mother" is a .