Final answer:
Two persons who have lived together for at least one year and have a close personal relationship are considered domestic partners. The concept of family is broader and can be based on personal belief or legal definitions, and may include various forms such as fictive kin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Two persons who have lived together for at least one year and have a close personal relationship are considered domestic partners. This term applies to people who live together in a romantic or domestic context without being legally married. It differs from other relationships such as siblings, business associates, or acquaintances, acknowledging the close personal bond and often shared living arrangement.
Research indicates that attitudes towards the definition of 'family' can differ between personal beliefs and legal frameworks. For instance, while 60 percent of U.S. respondents in a study agreed that "if you consider yourself a family, you are a family", reflecting an interactionist perspective, the U.S. Census Bureau has a more rigid definition, including only those related by birth, marriage, or adoption.
Furthermore, the concept of family extends beyond these definitions to encompass a socially recognized group of individuals who may share blood, marriage, or adoption ties and form an emotional and economic unit within society. This can include various family structures such as the nuclear family, extended family, and blended families, as well as fictive kin, who are close to us in the same way as those related by blood or marriage.