Fulfillment of selected functions of the family and young adolescents’ styles of coping with difficult situations

The modern family undergoes considerable social and cultural transformations, which results in an accumulation of problems in its internal functioning, and is relevant for the individual and social development of its members. The article describes the issue of fulfi lling the socialization and educational function as well as emotional and expressive function in complete and broken families, and their signifi cance for choosing the style of coping with diffi cult situations by young adults. The study included 233 people in the 16–24 age group. Based on the analyzes carried out, it was found that people growing up in complete families use the style focused on task and emotions more frequently, whereas respondents from broken families prefer the style focused on emotions and engaging in substitutive activities. There are differences between gender and age of people from complete and broken families, and the style of coping with problems they choose. The results of the research discussed in the article may be useful in educational and preventive practice.