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The role of the family in the vital functioning of society is determined by the fact that it has the characteristics of both a social institution and a small social group. As a social institution, the family is characterized by an aggregate of social norms, sanctions, and models of behavior serving to regulate relations between married partners, parents, children, and other relatives. As a primary small group it is based on marriage or blood kinship, and its members are linked by their shared everyday life, mutual moral responsibility, and mutual aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]