Pedagogika Rodziny

(1)

Family Pedagogy

Pedagogika Rodziny

Kwartalnik 5(2)/2015 ISSN 2082-8411

(2)

Redaktor naczelny:

prof. dr hab. Sławomir Cudak Sekretarz redakcji:

dr Mariola Świderska Rada programowa:

prof. zw. dr hab. Amantius Akimjak (Słowacja) prof. zw. dr hab. Józefa Brągiel

prof. dr hab. Henryk Cudak (przewodniczący) prof. zw. dr hab. Arthur Ellis (USA)

prof. zw. dr hab. Reinhard Golz (Niemcy) prof.dr hab. Ing. Emilia Janigova

prof. zw. dr hab. Anna Kwak prof. zw. dr hab. Tadeusz Pilch

prof. zw. dr hab. Andrzej Radziewicz-Winnicki prof. zw. dr hab. Łukasz Sułkowski

dr Mariola Świderska (sekretarz)

prof. zw. dr hab. Andrzej Michał de Tchorzewski prof. zw. dr hab. Mikołaj Winiarski

prof. dr hab. Anna Żilova Redaktor naukowy numeru:

prof. dr hab. Henryk Cudak

Redakcja „Pedagogiki Rodziny. Family Pedagogy”:

Społeczna Akademia Nauk ul. Sienkiewicza 9, 90–113 Łódź 42 664 66 21, e-mail: mariouka@wp.pl

Korekta językowa: Dominika Świech Skład i łamanie: Ilona Marczak Projekt okładki: Marcin Szadkowski Druk i oprawa:

Mazowieckie Centrum Poligrafii,

ul. Słoneczna 3C, 05-260 Marki, www.c-p.com.pl; biuro@c-p.com.pl

Wersja drukowana jest wersją pierwotną.

Wszystkie artykuły naukowe w czasopiśmie zostały zrecenzowane zgodnie z wytycz- nymi Ministerstwa Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego.

(3)

Dissertations

(6)

(7)

Franciszka Wanda Wawro

Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski

The Large Family in Contemporary Conditions

Abstract: In the Polish cultural ethos, the family as a value seems to have an established high position. It is also confirmed by current numerous studies focused mainly on the young generation, which show that for young people the family constitutes a value of the highest priority. It could be presumed, therefore, that the present socio-cultural climate is favourable for the family and enables it to perform its various functions, including the care and cultural function. It also concerns the large family, which in the Polish tradition used to be considered as a beneficial educational environment, or even a kind of a social force. However, in the modern society, which in its definition seems to be a declaration of high quality standards, mainly in terms of developmental chances of all its subjects, the large family has found itself in a specifically difficult situation. The reason behind it is, above all, the fact that having a large number of children is socially ostracized in various ways. If the value of the large family is not only not appreciated socially, but even discredited, then the consequences of such a state of affairs will become apparent in numerous spheres of social life. Most often, it is reflected in the basic decisions in the area of social policy, unfavourable towards large families. For such families it might imply the necessity of engaging in even an extreme struggle for survival in the sphere of everyday existence; even more so when it comes to decent conditions of performing its tasks and its socio-cultural role. Therefore, it is essential to define and refer to the arguments coding in the social consciousness the fact that the large family in the Polish cultural ethos occupied a high position not only in the past, but it still constitutes a significant value which deserves recognition and support.

Key words: having numerous children, the large family, socio-cultural transformations, social policy towards the family.

Pedagogika Rodziny. Family Pedagogy nr 5(2)/2015, ss. 7–16 DOI: 10.1515/fampe-2015-0013

(8)

8

Introduction

The researchers who deal with the issue of the family, especially in the area of social sciences, point out the characteristic (at least in the last two decades) sharp decline in the number of children per family. At the same time, it is apparent that the model of family with one or two children is being consolidated. Various conditions which are responsible for such a state of affairs reach back to the socio- political context before the structural transformation in Poland, but can also be found in the expansion of the cultural pattern transferred from Western European societies and connected with the expansion of the ideology of consumerism and hedonistic values. As F. Adamski rightly points out, after the Second World War, in the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, the model, which was promoted quite persistently and effectively, was that of a small family; such a model was supported by propaganda stereotypes claiming that “for the welfare of the nation and in order to provide everyone with work, accommodation and alimentation, it was necessary to significantly limit the birth rate” [Adamski 1970].

Population policy, as well as social policy in Poland in the abovementioned period, confirmed the practical realisation of the adopted assumptions with consistent strategies implemented in many areas: from promoting birth control methods to artificial stimulation of women’s professional activity, building small flats or through specific solutions introduced in the system of social benefits.

The negative consequences of the permanent decline in fertility can be noticed in the long term and in different dimensions of the functioning of the Polish society. Above all, the tendency of lowering the number of children per family is consolidated, to the point of the currently observed drastic situation when the balance between birth and mortality rates in the Polish society is unfavourable.

Numerous factors give rise to this tendency. The most drastic ones include the aggravating conditions of the young generation’s start in life. Due to the unstable economic situation and other unfavourable systemic solution, young people delay the decisions connected with starting a family and with procreation.

It seems, however, that a factor which deserves to be especially carefully examined is the abovementioned diminished approval shown to large families in the ethos of modern Polish culture. Both academic and public discourses lack the accent on favourable attitude towards the large family which would point to its objective value; all the more, there is a noticeable deficiency of studies concerning such families’ actual living and developmental conditions [Wawro 1995]. The undertaken analyses, presenting the difficult situation of large families, often tend to contain a subtext which negatively assesses the very fact of having a large number of children as “the main cause” of these families’ problems.

In contrast, Polish large families used to be considered as social capital in the past decades. Renowned Polish sociologist L. Dyczewski [1993] mentions their

Franciszka Wanda Wawro

(9)

9 reliability in ensuring generational replacement as a major argument for their significance. However, it needs to be highlighted that having a large number of children is a clear testimony in itself of the spouses being open to the human life. J. Śledzianowski notes that respect for the value of the human life, which is expressed by the parents in such a family, and which they convey to the children as an attitude of acceptance and openness to every new member of the family, has a chance to properly shape the hierarchy of values, as human life constitutes a value superior to the world of material objects. The quoted author stresses the fact that large families are usually internally coherent and characterised by a strong connection between their members [Śledzianowski 1988]. Moreover, there are studies available which confirm that divorces are much less frequent in large families than in those in which there are one or two children [Graniewska, Balcerzak-Paradowska, Warszawa 1997].

Furthermore, a large family provides an optimal environment for socialisation.

A morally and socially healthy family with numerous children creates beneficial conditions of a special kind, as it has specific emotional and cultural capital at its disposal. The plurality of interrelationships between the family members enriches the psychological climate, strengthens a sense of being rooted in a community, socialises, shapes the openness to the needs of other people, increases the sense of solidarity and responsibility for others. In large families, interpersonal relationships are richer in contents and emotional links are stronger, which ensues from living in close intimacy on a daily basis. Everyday close relationships result in a natural sensitivity to the needs of another person. Older siblings in a large family learn quite early to be protective of the younger children, therefore preparing themselves for being independent in various everyday situations. At the same time, older siblings often become models for the younger childrenof making life and value choices. Moreover, the environment of a large family provides its members with numerous opportunities for developing organisational skills in everyday functioning, the ability to share responsibilities equally, as well as resourcefulness and supportiveness in difficult situations.

The analyses undertaken in the present article are primarily focused on selected aspects of socio-cultural conditions of the transformations in the model of the family and its functioning.

The situation of the large family and the transformations in the modern society

The sociological approach stresses the claim that there exists a specific feedback effect between the family and the society, and therefore its condition is dependent on the condition of broader macrostructures, and it affects them at the same time. Consequently, the sources of the current model of the structure and

The Large Family in Contemporary Conditions

(10)

10

functioning of the family need to be sought in the transformations of the society which have occurred or are occurring presently. The sense of this dependency is emphatically expressed by P. Kryczka, who writes that it is in the family that

“nearly all problems of social, economic and cultural nature are concentrated, leaving on it a distinct mark. On the other hand, it constitutes a natural rearguard, a sort of a last line of resistance to the disorganisation and the general disarray of other social structures” [Kryczka 1997].

Social pedagogy perceives the family in all its developmental dynamics as an unparalleled internal system of mutual benefits, and at the same time a great potential providing its members with a sense of securityas well as the possibility of personal developmentand satisfaction of their intimacy needs. However, this system, although having an internal force ensuring a sort of autonomy, especially in the sphere of value choices, is to a large extent dependent in its appropriate functioning on the social environment. Therefore, the family is extremely responsive to the changes occurring in the society, which is justified by the fact that the abovementioned social changes have after all brought about specific transformations in the external and internal structure of the family [Dyczewski 1981]. Therefore, in the description of the conditions which affect the state of modern large families, it is important to take into account certain socio-cultural processes. I am here referring to these which occurred much earlier in history and were fundamental to the transformation of entire macrostructures (mainly, the so-called industrial revolution and the related processes of industrialisation and urbanisation, the ongoing division of labour and social mobility, the discovery and exploitation of new sources of energy, the mechanisation of labour), the transformations within the area of culture (e.g. promoting the new patterns of self-realisation related to the emancipation of women and their resulting newly awakened professional, educational and socio-cultural aspirations), as well as the modern globalisation processes.

The abovementioned social processes and phenomena, whose dynamic rapidly grew at the end of the 19^th and in the 20^th century, significantly contributed to the transformation of the environment of families’ life and development, which was also reflected in their functioning and structural changes.

In many cases, the father was forced to temporarily leave the family to seek employment away from their place of residence, which undoubtedly affected the quality of the performance of numerous intra-family functions, resulting, among others, in a reduced frequency and intimacy of contacts between the members of the family, growing class differences among them, the appearance and diffusion of new definitions of values which have so far been appreciated in the family, and the promotion of such aspirations as personal and professional achievements as the main determinants of success and renown in life. In the sphere of structural

(11)

11 transformations, there has been a consistently occurring process of the decrease in the size of families. The number of large and multigenerational families has been considerably reduced, while the model of two-generational family with the

“optimal” number of two, at most three children, has become widespread. It is as a result of these numerous transformations which the family community – its structure and functioning - has undergone that the representatives of social sciences signal today the dramatic threats to the family, including its ongoing destabilisation in numerous dimensions: structural, functional and axiological [Wróblewska 2001].

If in the modern society the highest priority among the appreciated values has been given to social position and recognition (so-called prestige values), then such a value orientation is also visible in the lifestyle and aspirations of numerous modern families. It is especially connected with the intensification of women’s social and professional aspirations. Women who strive to attain a high social and professional position, which has become a widespread phenomenon, get involved in educational pursuits and the related professional activation outside the home, which at the same time forces the couple to share responsibilities equally, and sometimes to delegate care tasks to other persons in the family. The women who are focused exclusively on the self-realisation in the sphere of marital and family life do not constitute a category which is positively perceived in the social sphere due to the pattern of professional success propagated in the media. The patriarchal culture in the marital and family relationships is currently being replaced by partnership. This process is called by M. Racław-Markowska “the successive modernisation of the Polish family” [Racław-Markowska 2000].

Cultural transformations have been reflected mainly in the internal order of the valuation of the family. As S. Kawula states, one of the central issues raised in the discourses on the family is the question to what extent “this age-old form of human social life has contemporarily become a necessary phenomenon” [Kawula 2007, p. 6]. It indicates a significant change also in perceiving the marriage and family as a value which should be institutionally validated. Liberal ideologies, propagated in the media, significantly affect the promotion in the modern society of the pattern of marriage as a peculiar form of a private contract, which is undoubtedly aimed at eliminating the definition of marriage as an institution in favour of treating it instrumentally, that is, as a function of individual needs.

K. Slany predicts that more and more widespread forms of marital and family life, based on the so-called “principles of rational choice,” reflected also in the procreation decisions, will become consolidated in the future as well [Slany 2002].

It also concerns the growing tendency of families to fall apart. While in 1990 there were 166 instances of divorce for 1000 new marriages, this number grew to 254 as soon as in 2008. Divorce or separation are treated more and more

(12)

12

often as the only solution to conflict situations, or a change in emotional attitudes fitting in with the principle of the freedom of choice. It could be described as a peculiar syndrome of the popularisation of the lay manner of valuation in the sphere of personal and family life; namely, the abovementioned tendencies are usually accompanied by the acceptance of the model of the family with a small number of children as the norm, as well as the single-parent family (in Europe, the number of children brought up by one of the parents is successively growing).

An important aspect of this syndrome is the fact that in the consciousness of a considerable part of contemporary Europeans marriage, sexual intercourse and having children are treated as separate issues. It signifies a clear tendency to redefine the essence of marriage and family.

The social and intra-family processes and phenomena signalled here, whose dynamic has been successively growing since the 20^th and in the 21^st centuries, have significantly contributed to weakening the social position of the large family and to perceiving it less and less frequently as a value.

The large family and the selected aspects of Polish social policy

The social policy of a country in its correct understanding is aimed at organising and shaping social life purposefully and systematically, so that existential and developmental needs of all citizens could be satisfied according to the accepted quality standards. The activities of a country, as a precisely organised system of various institutions provided with legal tools, an economic base, qualified staff and educational structures, should strive to optimise the living environment and self-realisation of the whole society according to the canon of the most essential values.

In the Polish socio-cultural and political context, however, a wide gap can be observed between the socially accepted order of values, the declared goals of social policy, and the undertaken activities for the benefit of families, including large families. It is worth pointing out here that in the canon of Polish national culture the family, including the large multigenerational family, used to be considered as one of the central values. Systematically conducted studies concerning value orientations of young and adult Poles indicate that affiliative values, such as family, marriage and friendship are invariably given main priority and are situated on the highest level of the choices one makes [Wawro 2015]. In contrast, the Polish policy towards the family, both in the period of the People’s Republic of Poland and after the structural transformation, is characterised by an unfavourable attitude to it. The model of a small family, propagated after the Second World War and into the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, supported with the covert tactics of social policy (e.g. small flats allocated to families, encouraging women’s professional activity, undervaluing large families

(13)

13 in the system of social benefits), certainly resulted in lowering the number of children in an average Polish family. Some sociologists claim, however, that the number of children in the Polish family is one of the features distinguishing it from the families in other European countries; nevertheless, it is undeniable that the propagated models of the family lead, also in Poland, to a larger number of children being treated as a threat to the welfare, as impoverishment of life in its material and spiritual aspect, and sometimes even as the proof of parents being

“losers” or their “backwardness” and “ignorance.”

In order to provide a general description of the situation of Polish large families, it is essential to present the most significant problems which affect them. According to social workers’ judgement, the most frequent reasons for the difficulties of large families are problems with the financial and living situation, as well as pedagogical and health issues. In some families, a few unfavourable factors accumulate, e.g. insufficient means of subsistence and housing problems.

The housing benefits system in the People’s Republic of Poland did not take into account the needs of large families, and the problem still exists. After the systemic transformation the situation seems even more dramatic as the chance of acquiring a bigger flat depends above all on a given family’s financial means, and with the excessive housing prices most of families in need are unable to raise their accommodation standards. The families which signal a need for assistance in most cases apply for an increase in the family allowance, for family counselling and the possibility to work part-time. Many Polish families, and especially large families who are particularly affected by the inadequate social policy and the economic crisis, make efforts to improve their living conditions on their own behalf.

Recent diagnoses established in the field of social pedagogy inform about an increasing population of families affected by the abovementioned negative consequences of the systemic transformation, such as the deteriorating living and material situation, or even living below the subsistence level. For children who come from such families, the shortage of financial means to be invested in their education, as well as the lack of perspectives for the consolidation of stable mechanisms in social structures which would open the way for social advancement, may not only block them in dynamically activating their subjectivity in social life, but even generate an attitude of passivity and preserve it in the subsequent generations. An assumption could be risked that the syndrome of procreation anxiety in case of some young married couples, in the face of the inevitability of objective conditions, is strengthened by their fears for the future, insecurity, distrust of public institutions, weakening hopes, or even a sense of futility connected with the perspectives for their existence in their own country in the future.

(14)

14

The activities of the country undertaken within family policy which raise most doubts include: low family allowance, the commercialisation of care and educational services, imposing the costs of the services related to health care and recreation on families, as well as increased costs of education and participation in culture or the introduction of market-based instruments into housing [Hrynkiewicz 2006]. Other elements of Poland’s policy, which are unfavourable to starting a large family, include unemployment among the young, encouraging them to emigrate, the persistent promotion of the so-called alternative forms of marital and family life, as well as preserving in social consciousness the image of the large family as irresponsible, dysfunctional and disorganised, and what is more, feeding like a parasite on the fruits of the work of the society.

The situation of large families should be of particular concern to the public authorities, who should provide them with real support. In practice, social allowances in large families constitute a larger proportion of their income than in the case of families with a smaller number of children. The ratio between those allowances and the minimum subsistence level orthe living wage indicate, however, that these benefits constitute only a minor contribution to the family budget. Currently, the allowances for large families have been reduced, as the previously existing preferences in favour of these families were abolished when the new act on family benefits entered into force. According to the new legislative solution, “the privileged position” – that is, the possibility of obtaining higher financial benefits - was given to single-parent families, which are not as affected by the risk of poverty as large families are [Balcerzak-Paradowska 2004].

It needs to be pointed out that the duty of the public authorities to support large families ensues directly from the constitution, according to which “the State, in its social and economic policy, shall take into account the good of the family. Families, finding themselves in difficult material and social circumstances – particularly those with many children or a single parent – shall have the right to special assistance from public authorities” [Article 71, the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997].

Final conclusions

The aspects of the socio-demographical, material and cultural situation of the family signalled here should provide an argument not against having a large number of children (as it happens in literature and social practice), but for the necessity of revising social policy, as well as changing social attitudes towards large families. It assumes the need for a more solid insight – also into the value which these families constitute for the society. It is indispensable to introduce solutions supporting large families in their functioning.

Important recommendations concern the necessity for implementing specific solutions supporting the family in the realisation of all its inherent functions.

(15)

15 In terms of creating conditions for realising the procreation function of the family, the responsibilities of the public authorities include: labour protection, the distribution of the costs related to bringing up the new generation between all members of the society, improving the availability of decent living conditions, including proper housing adapted for families with children, the protection of the reproductive health of women and men, shaping attitudes and behaviour favouring marriage and family. The economic function of the family should be supported by social policy through systematic supplementation of the families’income, a family-friendly tax system which would respect a tax payer’s commitments to the family members who are dependent or unable to work. Supporting the family in its care and educational function can be realised through creating the conditions enabling the parents to combine care tasks and professional activity [Hrynkiewicz 2006]. Moreover, the state should also create the conditions for full participation in culture, especially for large families. In fact, the work of the appropriate state institutions, but also social initiatives, should not only construct the necessary support system for large families, but also promote their social value.

Bibliography

Adamski F. (1970), Model małżeństwa i rodziny a kultura masowa, Warszawa.

Adamski F. (2004) Rodzina [in:] Encyklopedia Pedagogiczna XXI wieku, vol.V, T. Pilch (ed.), Warszawa, pp. 306–311.

Adamski F. (2002), Rodzina. Wymiar społeczno-kulturowy, Kraków.

Balcerzak-Paradowska B. (2004), Rodzina i polityka rodzinna na przełomie wieków, Warszawa.

Charakterystyka rodzin wielodzietnych (2000), Biuro Studiów i Ekspertyz Kancelarii Sejmu, Warszawa.

Dyczewski L. (1981), [OFMConv], Rodzina polska i kierunki jej przemian, Warszawa.

Dyczewski L. (1993), [OFMConv], Rodzina wielodzietna w okresie transformacji systemowej,

„Problemy Rodziny”, vol. 6, pp. 18–27.

Dyczewski L. (2003) [OFMConv], Rodzina twórcą i przekazicielem kultury, Lublin.

Forma P. (2007), Rodzina wielodzietna a kwestie socjalne [in:] Rodzina jakośrodowisko pracy socjalnej. Teoria i praktyka, B. Matyjas, J. Biała (ed.), Kielce 2007, pp. 111–120.

Graniewska D., Balcerzak-Paradowska B., Wielodzietność jako cecha środowiskowa [in:] Rodziny wielodzietne w Polsce. Teraźniejszość i prz yszłość, B. Balcerzak-Paradowska (ed.), Warszawa 1997, pp. 9–30.

Hrynkiewicz J. (2006), Polityka społeczna wobec rodzin wielodzietnych [in:] Dokument Biura Informacji i Dokumentacji Kancelarii Senatu nt. Sytuacja rodzin wielodzietnych w Polsce a polityka rodzinna, July 2006, pp. 1–6.

Kawula S. (1988), Funkcja opiekuńcza współczesnej rodziny polskiej, Białystok.

Kawula S. (2007), Pedagogika rodziny. Obszary i panorama problematyki, Toruń.

(16)

16

Kawula S. (2007), Tendencje przemian rodziny w początkach XXI wieku in: Opieka i wychowanie we współczesnej rodzinie, „Pedagogika Rodziny”, nr 1(2), pp. 5–15.

Kotowska I. E., Giza-Poleszczuk A., Zmiany demograficzno-społeczne i ich wpływ na rekonceptualizację polityki rodzinnej w kierunku równowagi w zakresie ochrony praw rodziny i poszczególnych jej członków. Polska na tle Europy [in:] Przemiany rodziny w Polsce i we Włoszech i ich implikacje dla polityki rodzinnej, E. Leś, S. Bernini (ed.), Warszawa 2010, pp. 31–68.

Kryczka P. (1997), Rodzina w zmieniającym się społeczeństwie, Lublin.

Majkowski W. (1997), Cz ynniki dezorganizacji współczesnej rodziny polskiej. Studium socjologiczne, Kraków.

Majkowski W. (2003), Zagrożenia współczesnej rodziny polskiej [in:] Rodzina polska u progu trzeciego tysiąclecia, W. Majkowski (ed.), Warszawa, pp. 11–30.

Rembowski J. (1986), Rodzina jako system powiązań [in:] Rodzina i dziecko, M. Ziemska (ed.), Warszawa, pp. 127–142.

Slany K. (2002), Alternatywne formy ż ycia małżeńsko-rodzinnego w ponowoczesnym świecie, Kraków.

Śledzianowski J. (1988) [rev.], Optymalny model dzietności. Aspekt pedagogiczny [in:] Miłość, małżeństwo, rodzina, F. Adamski (ed.), Kraków, pp. 344–364.

Tyszka Z. (2001), Człowiek i rodzina w XXI wieku. Czas nadziei cz y cywilizacja udręki [in:]

Współczesna rodzina polska – jej wymiar aksjologiczny i funkcjonowanie, H. Cudak, H. Marzec (ed.), Piotrków Trybunalski, pp. 13–20.

Wawro F.W. (1995), Cz y rodzina wielodzietna jest wartością w polskim ethosie?, „Ethos”, vol. 4 (32), pp. 230–240.

Wawro F.W. (2014), Środowiskowe zmienne społeczno kulturowej kondycji współczesnej młodzież y, Lublin.

Wielgus S. [bp] (2000), Rodzina wobec współczesnych zagrożeń [in:] Rodzina: źródło ż ycia i szkoła miłości, D. Kornas-Biela (ed.), Lublin, pp. 15–29.

Wierzchosławski S. (1997), Rodzina w okresie transformacji demograficznej i społeczno-ekonomicznej [in:] Rodzina w zmieniającym się społeczeństwie, P. Kryczka (ed.), Lublin, pp. 65–108.

Wróblewska T. (2001), Przemiany społeczne rodziny i ich wpływ na edukację [in:] Współczesna rodzina polska – jej wymiar aksjologiczny i funkcjonowanie, H. Cudak, H. Marzec (ed.), Piotrków Trybunalski, pp. 47–52.

(17)

Grzegorz Ignatowski

University of Social Sciences

The Meaning of Family in Fighting the Pathological Habit of Smoking Electronic Cigarettes

Abstract: Among the important pathological phenomena for our contemporary social life, among others, workaholism, internetoholism, addiction to mobile phones as well as drug addiction are listed. Smoking electronic cigarettes should also be regarded as an element of the phenomena exhibiting signs of addiction. Currently there are no formal restrictions that would not allow their use in public places. Their smoking is therefore dependent on the education and personal culture. Research conducted by the author of this paper confirms that the most important transmitter of culture is still the immediate family. In families then one should seek an ally in education to ensure that electronic cigarettes should not be smoked in public areas. The conclusion is therefore that education regarding treatment of electronic cigarettes as something bad and inappropriate should also cover the parents.

Key words: pathology, electronic cigarettes, family.

The description of the condition of modern society and possibilities of how to deal constantly emerging new problems depends on many factors. The most important ones include the economic model advocated by the evaluating person, their political beliefs and worldview. Let us say, for example, that the relaxation of the law with regard to euthanasia or the possibility of same-sex marriages will be considered by some as a benefit, and by others to be a major factor supporting the demoralization of society. For those who insist on the responsibility of an individual for taken actions, a law legalizing prostitution will be a challenge to greater personal responsibility. Supporters of the argument that the law also plays an important educational role will see it as an effective ally in the fight against Pedagogika Rodziny. Family Pedagogy

nr 5(2)/2015, ss. 17–24 DOI: 10.1515/fampe-2015-0014

(18)

18

deviations of our social life. The liberalization of the law in these areas will be seen as a harmful phenomenon expanding the areas of social pathologies. The above-mentioned deviations, given on exemplary basis – divorces, prostitution, euthanasia support – regardless of one’s worldview are commonly classified as pathological phenomena. Taking our daily lives into consideration, we must admit that there still appear new pathological phenomena that affect the condition of populations. We include there, without argument, pedophilia, terrorism, workaholism, internetoholism and even phonoholism. Let us note that the issue of social pathologies is extremely popular with journalists who do not hesitate to put forward sharpen and superficial judgments. The author of this work would like to ask, from a deeper perspective, whether the new phenomena exhibiting pathological features include the habit of smoking electronic cigarettes. In the response to the above question there is a question to what extent and why the family should play a leading role in overcoming this addiction. First, however, the very concept of pathology will be explained and an attempt to classify it will be made. The article will be summed up with author’s conclusions.

The concept of social pathology

Any dictionary or encyclopedia will say that the pathology belongs to the field of medical sciences dealing with the study of the formation processes of diseases, seeking their causes and consequences and their impact on the structure and further functioning of the body. This is quite understandable since the term

“pathology” comes from the Greek words “páthos” and “logos”. The first of the Greek words means experience, feeling, passion but also suffering. The second, in turn, “logos” is depicted in the Polish language with the word “science”. Because it always related with disease-creating changes and deviations from the norm and therefore the term “pathology” is also used to describe social phenomena and changes. It should be noted that the term is used in the literature describing anti-social phenomena quite reluctantly. In the literature mentioning specific phenomena going beyond commonly accepted attitudes, terms such as addictions, deviations, anomalies and acts disintegrating the society are also used. Among other terms being used the following are also given “problematic behaviors”,

“high-risk” or “destructive behavior”.

With the above observations in mind, we can broadly say that the pathology in the social sciences is all phenomena and behaviors that threaten the social order.

In other words, they have destructive effects on the functioning of the body which is in this case is the society. Elżbieta Michałowska from the University of Lodz [2010, p. 68] writes that the phenomenon has clearly a negative connotation.

It covers all phenomena which are clearly undesirable in the society. The author emphasizes that pathological attitudes deviate from the norm accepted in the

Grzegorz Ignatowski

(19)

19 society. Such definition, however, although quite commonly accepted [Budzeń 2014, p. 28], raises some difficulties. It is not yet easy to determine what is the social norm and what is not. The situation becomes even more serious when we consider the fact that we live in the time of universal globalization and migration of populations. An important element in this context, which is the percentage of the population recognizing a given phenomenon as pathological or expressing an opposite opinion, may therefore fairly quickly change.

When determining the social pathologies an important role is also played by the media. Widespread campaign to legalize civil unions leads to the belief that we are not dealing in this case with a deviation from the social norm. Twenty years ago such a judgment was radically different. The same is true for prostitution.

Its legalization would probably change the common, negative evaluation of this phenomenon by a large part of the population as legalization of prostitution would bring social and economic advantages.

Social pathology can be understood in two ways. Referring to medicine, it can be said in general terms that it is a science dealing with the formation, causes and consequences of social behavior deviating from the widely understood environmental standard. Secondly, it is also a phenomenon that differs from commonly accepted attitudes. In the popular “Dictionary of sociological terms”

developed by Małgorzata Pacholski and Andrzej Słaboń [2010, p. 150], social pathologies include “alcoholism, drug addiction, suicides, sexual deviations and sexual crime, prostitution, social maladjustment of children, minors and adolescents, murders and other crimes against life, economic crime, divorces”.

The above list was supplemented with unemployment, homelessness and domestic violence. One of the characteristics of modern times are phenomena that are destructive to the family. In addition to such well-known ones as drug addiction, addiction to medication, alcoholism, incest and infanticide one could add workaholism, infoholism, consumerism and children trafficking [Jędrzejko, Walancik, Janusz 2013, p. 38]. I believe that these examples of social pathologies allow a better understanding of the scope and concept of the very phenomenon.

These lists allow us to draw one simple conclusion. When discussing pathological phenomena it is sometimes difficult to talk about their uniqueness.

In every period of our history we had to deal with suicide, prostitution, sexual deviations. Naturally, in our social context we should be talking about a certain intensification of these phenomena. Along with the ongoing industrialization and technological development we can indicate some new phenomena which have not been considered pathological before. We can include there mentioned above unemployment, but also environmental degradation, addiction to computers or the Internet. Let us also add phonoholism here. Pavel Mühlpachr [2004, pp. 81–

88] included gambling addiction to pathological phenomena as well. His research The Meaning of Family in Fighting the Pathological Habit…

(20)

20

concerns the Czech Republic. We can say, however, that his observations are of general nature. Among the groups at risk of addiction to gaming machines Mühlpachr listed males, children and youth, professional players as well as the unemployed. Out of particular professions the author pointed out waiters and staff of gaming arcades.

Phenomena mentioned in this article are of universal character. Pathology specialists increasingly prefer to talk about deviations from the norm in the local perspective. In fact, certain pathologies disappear in one environment and intensify in another one; in one society they are perceived as negative ones less, and in a different society not so much.

The assessment whether the events are treated as pathological depends on many factors. The most important of them are demography, health, economic standing and cultural conditions of a society. In some environments smoking drugs has always been a good and acceptable cultural expression, in others it was considered a deviation. Other circumstances determining the pathologies include the degree of transformation, development of society and democratization of life, and even the educational system and its effectiveness. In evaluating the pathological phenomena one must also take into account certain subjective factors. In one group some attitudes will be considered destructive, and in a different one they will inspire emotions and admiration. Still there will be others who will consider them as neutral and will treat them as normal in their daily routines.

With a view of occurring changes and emergence of new deviations in mind, the author of this work asked a hundred students which pathologies they consider to be the most serious. The list included workaholism, drug addiction, internetoholism, phonoholism and smoking e-cigarettes. The question posed was also whether students consider the use of electronic cigarettes as a social pathology. We consider the results as a summary of the text so far. Specifically, 55 people recognized that the most serious pathology that affects the society is drug addiction. Phonoholism was indicated by 17 respondents, 16 mentioned internetoholism in the first place and 10 - workaholism. Only two respondents indicated the use of electronic cigarettes as a social pathology. Let us also note that smoking e-cigarettes usually mentioned on the fifth and sixth place. It is also worth noting that 12 respondents did not mention electronic cigarettes at all.

The issue of electronic cigarettes and the educational role of the family Specialists dealing with social deviations pay attention to the fact that the pathologies most often intertwine and condition each other. Depending on the period, some have more destructive effect on the society, while others appear to be more soft. At the end of the previous section modern phenomena with pathological signs such as workaholism, drug addiction, phonoholism and

Grzegorz Ignatowski

(21)

21 internetoholism were listed. Let us recall that only two people indicated the use of electronic cigarettes and twelve did not reckon them as a social deviance at all.

Further research was necessary. Indeed, respondents felt that the phenomenon of e-cigarette smoking raises some concerns. The author of this work asked the participants of the survey whether and in what areas they would prohibit the use of electronic cigarettes. The proposed list included this time: school, university, library, public transportation, restaurant, place of work, theater, cinema, museum and hospital. It should be emphasized that all respondents considered that there are places where the use of electronic cigarettes should be prohibited. Only two people did not provide any answer. Most respondents, as many as 42, indicated hospital, 25 mentioned school in the first place, 8 – public transport, 7 gave theater as their answer. Among the places smoking e-cigarettes should be banned were also a restaurant – 5 respondents, library – 4, place of work – 3, museum – 2.

University and cinema were indicated by one person.

The belief that the use of electronic cigarettes is not something ordinary is strengthened by one observation. We must note at this point that smoking electronic cigarettes in Poland is not formally prohibited. A new law concerning the protection of health against the consequences of the use of tobacco and tobacco products, limiting the places where it is not allowed to smoke cigarettes, was passed on 8 April 2010. This law says that smoking is forbidden in health care facilities and other public buildings where health care is provided. This ban also includes organizational units of the educational and social care system as well as universities, cultural facilities and public leisure centers. Lawmakers have not forgotten about catering and entertainment premises, means of public transport, service centers for travelers, public transport stops, sports facilities, children’s playgrounds as well as other areas available for public use. The legislature has allowed local authorities to name other places where smoking is banned.

In one of the few works devoted to smoking e-cigarettes where the phenomenon is included as a social pathology, Stanisław Kozak [2014, pp. 73–74] notes that e-cigarettes are not formally listed as tobacco products. The above-mentioned Act does not apply therefore to e-smokers. The author also claims that the ban on the use of electronic cigarettes is contrary to the Polish Constitution. According to our fifth article of the Basic Law, a prohibition constitutes a lack of respect for the freedom of the citizen. It is one of the main reasons why people using electronic cigarettes can be met almost everywhere. They can be encountered on the buses, in the cars, at public transport stops. These are all places that are not available to ordinary cigarette smokers. But we do not find them in hospital, schools and libraries. I asked several library staff and they said they did not allow e-smoking.

They know, however, that there is no formal prohibition in this regard. I must confess that I was made to write this article by one of the students who started smoking e-cigarette during my lecture. I did not give her the permission to do so.

The Meaning of Family in Fighting the Pathological Habit…

(22)

22

There are a few observations worth pointing out as regarding e-cigarettes. Their very name can be understood as an ecological product, meeting environmental standards. Popular referring to the fact that the products are ecological has become so common that we probably got used to this simple advertising trick and do not take it seriously now. Electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, however. Like many other electronic devices they are reusable. Due to the ban on traditional smoking in many public places, they are popular among heavy tobacco smokers.

Inhalation allows the adoption of purified nicotine and is less harmful to health [Co to jest e-papieros?]. In the context of smoking substances which contain nicotine, there is an important question of the amount of carcinogenic elements, i.e. harmful chemicals, in the electronic cigarette. According to previous studies, such cigarettes are free of carcinogenic tar substances or they are present in trace amounts. The smoke exhaled by smokers is also harmless to the public.

Furthermore, e-cigarettes do not affect the change in blood pressure and pulse.

This does not mean that in case of e-smoking there is no risk of cancer or diseases of the respiratory system. It is, however, much smaller than in the case of traditional cigarette smoking. For the time being, we need to admit that we do not yet have accurate results of research on the subject [Dyjecińska 2015, p. 2].

Let us try to analyze existing research conducted by the author of this paper.

Survey participants indicated that electronic cigarettes are not considered to be one of the most important social pathologies. They pointed out, however, that they would limit the places where e-smoking should be banned. The author posed one more question to the same group of respondents: who had the most important influence on their upbringing and culture? For there is one basic reason to put such a question. Since, as yet, it is not possible to prohibit e-smoking, one would want to know where to look for allies in limiting the places available for heavy

“smokers”. Smoking or not using electronic cigarettes should be regarded from the perspective of one’s education and personal culture. In addition, supporting one’s case with legal prohibitions, although in this case could be effective, it does not always mean that one has to refer to legal means. Returning to the survey let us say that this time the list of possible answers included: the immediate family, school, television, radio and the Internet. The results were not surprising. 69 respondents indicated that the immediate family has the biggest impact on their education and manners, 12 mentioned the school, 10 – the Internet, and 9 – television.

These studies show clearly and confirm scientific analyses that our immediate family has the greatest impact on the transmission of culture. It is the smallest unit of the society that most effectively carries out important social functions, which are necessary for the existence of society. One of the main functions include of the family is its socializing role. Kazimierz Pierzchała writes [2009, p. 73] that

Grzegorz Ignatowski

(23)

23 this role means “the introduction of family members in the life of the society and provides them with cultural values”. It is extremely important in this context is that in families today that tolerance for different views of children and treating them as partners is increasing. Furthermore, the family is not treated as a formal institution but it is rather seen as an intimate community. Its members can freely express their controversial opinions, unpopular statements and philosophical beliefs. This allows families to open up to new phenomena such as, beyond any doubt, the use of electronic cigarettes. Pierzchała also underlines that in many cases the family “produces moral control in a child over their own behavior, shaping beliefs and thus makes an individual a member of a particular society as well as consumer and producer of its culture”.

Closing remarks

In many publications it is noted that, depending on how strong the family is, the society will be able to resist social pathologies [Będkowska-Korpała 2009].

Elżbieta Michałowska [2001, p. 61] further notes that sources of many pathologies should be sought in dysfunctional families. She reminds that the family home is now the site of numerous tensions and stress. Parents demonstrate also a unique lack of time for their children. Simultaneously, as the author stresses, the most important feelings and beliefs are rooted in the relationship between parents and children. It is there where we should look for the source of moral and emotional order which, as Michałowska writes, is “the code for the whole life”. Let us share then one more observation. We have no doubt that we need to make every effort to ensure that parents believe that the use of electronic cigarettes is harmful and should be regarded in the perspective of social pathologies having as yet unpredictable consequences for our future.

Bibliography

Będkowska-Korpała B. (2009), Uzależnienia w praktyce klinicznej. Zagadnienia diagnostyczne, PARPAMEDIA, Warszawa.

Budzeń H. (2014), Zjawiska patologiczne występujące w rodzinach i ich wpływ na wychowanie dzieci i młodzież y [w:] M. Jędrzejko, E. Gładysz (red. nauk.), Patologie społeczne. Przestępczość, niedostosowanie społeczne, Akademia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna w Łodzi.

Co to jest e-papieros?, http://www.e-papieros.edu.pl/co_to_jest_e-papieros.html, access 9 March 2015.

Dyjecińska J., E-papieros: szkodliwy cz y nie?, http://www.poradnikzdrowie.pl/psychologia/

nalogi/e-papieros-szkodliwy-czy-nie_42302.html, access: 9 March 2015.

Jędrzejko M., Walancik M., Janusz M. (2013), Patologie – uzależnienia: z jawisko i jego implikacje, ASPRA, Warszawa.

Kozak St. (2014), Patologia cyfrowego dzieciństwa i młodości. Prz ycz yny, skutki, zapobieganie w rodzinach i w szkołach, Difin, Warszawa.

The Meaning of Family in Fighting the Pathological Habit…

(24)

24

Michałowska E. (2010), Międz y rygoryzmem a tolerancją. Młodzi wobec z jawisk patologii społecznej, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.

Michałowska E. (2004), Wpływ środowiska szkolnego na percepcję i ocenę z jawisk patologii społecznej przez młodzież, „Przegląd Socjologiczny”, 2001, no.1, pp. 59–72.

Mühlpachr P. (2004), Uzależnienie od automatów do gier [in:] M. Prokosz (ed.), Dewiacyjne aspekty współczesnego świata. Przejawy, zapobieganie, terapia, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń.

Pacholski M., Słaboń A. (2010), Słownik pojęć socjologicznych, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Krakowie.

Pierzchała K. (2009), Rodzina – jej definicja i funkcje [in:] K. Pierzchała, Cz. Cekierka (ed.), Człowiek a patologie społeczne, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń.

Ustawa z dnia 8 kwietnia 2010 r. o zmianie ustawy o ochronie zdrowia przed następstwami używania tytoniu i wyrobów tytoniowych oraz ustawy o Państwowej Inspekcji Sanitarnej, http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU20100810529, access: 9 March 2015.

Grzegorz Ignatowski

(25)

Ewa Frankiewicz Ryszard Kucha

Społeczna Akademia Nauk

Distance Education in Poland, the Integrity of a student, the Pupil and Material Situation at Schools

Abstract: The text is raising the question of teaching by Internet, which reached peculiar scale in Poland, without any deeply reflexion about positive and negative effects of its using. In the article authors emphasize difficulties connected with using remote control – education, beginning from through lack of competences of average teacher in the scope of preparing e – learning materials, through dishonesty and impunity of students/pupils, closing on the difficulties connected with financial base (rather lack financial base) in the most educational institutions.

Key words: Internet, teaching, education, student, pupil.

Education in Poland has had a long tradition of pedagogical experimentation and innovation, starting from the first half of the 18th century and private education, through the Polish country side children’s care centres, work schools, clandestine teaching and scouting methods, to the 21st century, and distance education [Kujawska 2009, p. 143].

Today, it is difficult for us to understand that 1.5 million years ago man, from the zoological point of view, was at the unique species level and had unique properties [Malinowski 2001, pp. 9–15; Frankiewicz 2013, p. 65]. Today, in the age of “knowledge and science” [Frączek 2009, p. 259], in the face of change and universal globalisation, the slogan a “unique species” tends to have extremely different meanings – the unique property is no longer speech and thinking, the Pedagogika Rodziny. Family Pedagogy

nr 5(2)/2015, ss. 25–32 DOI: 10.1515/fampe-2015-0015

Pedagogika Rodziny

Family Pedagogy