Klaipėdos universitetas

In the article we analyse the approach to the family, fatherhood and motherhood presented in Roman Catholic theology. We analyse the period after the Second Vatican Council, and discuss the new opportunities for theological knowledge and analysis, in order to see how a unified approach to man and the family, and how the creation of a relationship with God is developed through the family. We analyse how, by understanding who a person is, we can find answers to questions of the meaning of life, as well as the discovery of the perfection of parenthood. We ask how the question of God and religious knowledge can serve to spread human love in the family.

The affiliation of the family with the land, ownership rights as necessary for a sufficient means of existence on one hand, and God’s blessings on the other, is a founding triangle constituting the basic principles of every ancient society. The triangle is also described in the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible. For many centuries, the ‘nation-land-God’ triangle has been an undisputed foundation for the sustainability of every society. The ancient intuition foresaw the inalienable constituents of society as still being worth remembering for modern man. However, in the 21st century, all three constituents could be described and named differently. Our reflections go far beyond the ancient book (or rather, collection of 39 books) composed more than 2,000 years ago for the needs of society in Ancient Israel. The house, the household, was the key concept for both the family, posterity and economics in Biblical times, and so it is today. We tend to think that family ties and economic relationships are separate concepts, but they are made by affiliation with the land, and changes in relations between the three elements have a deep impact on the stability of the nation, with far-reaching consequences.

In the article, we analyse the natural right of parents to raise their children, the law arising from their being natural parents and bringing children into the world. We make an analysis of the problematical understanding of natural law and rights. These form not only the point of view of the right education and the educational powers of separate individuals (parents), but also of all of society and the state. We analyse the challenges to the modern Western world which questions the ability of parents to raise their children in the best and most acceptable way to them. We delve deeper into the pre-Christian understanding of natural rights and laws exposed in the reflections and conceptual understanding of the Ancient philosophers, as well as the Christian approach in understanding the natural law and rights of parents on the understanding of children’s education, analysing and understanding the guidelines presented by the Pontifical Council for the Family, and looking at the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church’s concept of education.

The author demonstrates how the current refugee situation reflects the crisis of values within the European Union. Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in the United States have revealed that some western citizens are eager to restore traditional values and extreme order as an opposition to the current idea of democracy within the EU member states which leads to libertarian tendencies, and potentially to chaos. The conflict of traditionalist and libertarian tendencies among the European Union citizens most likely will increase, and this can lead to the further European Union disintegration. The case of Latvia and related analyses have shown that some Central and Eastern Europe countries will are not willing to accept refugees. Therefore, this study uses the grounded theory approach, based on historical facts and opinions of classical authors, while explaining that healthy and wealthy society should be based on an extended or at least on a nuclear family. In this paper, a case study of Latvian citizens’ attitudes towards refugees is used to support psychological hypotheses which are mainly of the theoretical nature. In the author’s opinion, it is important to understand that real traditionalism means democracy which is based on order and hierarchy. In contrast, libertarianism leads to the democracy where the family model is not supported and the whole system of values is corrupted. The author demonstrates on historical events that such attitude can lead to destruction of the whole society, and explains why virtues and family oriented systems have been established and promoted by classical philosophers and by religions.

Research presented in the article reveals emotional expressions of early age children with developmental disorders who are brought up in families. In article discussed emotional state and factors that influence development of emotional expression. It is set up that character of relationships could vary depending on the active communication in the aspect of quantity and quality. Parents communication based on the close emotional interaction is not Always successful; and another implication supports idea that child’s closed environment must ensure satisfaction of basic emotional reactions in the process of forming and development child’s psychosocial needs.

The situation of families in children disability situation is very complex affected by many factors and their integral interaction. The families often feel balancing between the reveal and ideal discourse of reality, between life before and after disability fact. Therefore, researches constantly face a methodological challenge transferring families’ life into the scientific research. According to Smith (2010, p. 33), a researcher is always at least one-step is distinct from the picture that (s)he needs to draw. Potentially method is very helpful to reveal family life as reality, however we have to be creative in applying a method, because the method is not a collection of neither a learned nor repeated procedures that was done by another masters. Research of family in disability situation is perceived as sensitive therefore in this variable process social reality is created in a “sense of family”. The article introduces analysis of different epistemological approaches towards qualitative research in social sciences and in particular in the field for families of children with disabilities.

The article analyses John Paul II’s activities and ideas in the light of his attitude towards the family. Some of his informal and formal writings and their familistic themes are therefore discussed. The analysis shows that even before the beginning of the pontificate, there was a distinct focus on the marriage and family, which was revealed both in his practical pastoral work and in the themes of his educational, theological, philosophical and fictional writings. After becoming Pope, John Paul II continued to maintain this priority and devoted much of his written and unwritten activities to the pastoral care and current affairs of the family, detailing the tasks of the family in the society and the church, and highlighting its social and theological foundations. Through his teaching, he formed the concept of the family as a “civilization of love” encompassing different generations, which becomes especially relevant in today’s sociocultural context experiencing the consequences of pathological individualism.

Recently, health-related quality of life has become one of the main underlying assumptions for public health practice, especially for gaining insights into highly complex health problems that are mainly determined by social factors. Children’s health is highly determined by social factors, especially those in the family environment. We follow a newly emerging trend to investigate health-related quality of life within a family-centered social system instead of individualistic approach; therefore, we chose KIDSCREEN52 questionnaire. We consider KIDSCREEN52 questionnaire significant for public health practice.