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Chapter 10

Families and Time

Time as a Social Construct

What time is it? A simple question, isn’t
it? We’re not usually shy about asking even
a stranger this question. But what does
time have to do with managing family
resources? It might help to look at time as
it relates to navigating the complex waters
of culture.
Timeis essentially a social construct.
That means it has different meanings in
different circumstances. That is not to say
time is an arbitrary social construct.A
country cannot just decide to create its own
interpretation of what time it is at a given
moment. Certain international standards
prevent that kind of chaos. However, what
significance time has can vary immensely.A
man white-knuckling through traffic to get
his pregnant wife to the hospital has a
different awareness of time than a child
quietly playing in a sandbox.
Every culture and society constructs its
own meaning of time, passing its temporal
awareness from one generation to the next.
For instance, American, Japanese, and
many European cultures tend to view time
as quantitative and linear. These cultures
measure time in units which reflect
forward movement. Thus, time becomes a
commodity (“time is money”) which can
be bought (“buying” time), spent
(“spending” time), or wasted (“wasting”

time). Time is logical, sequential, and

oriented to the present. This approach to

time is calledmonochronic, meaning time

(chronos) has a singular (mono) meaning.

This linear approach is structured and

concrete, most often arranged in a way

which is sequential (“math class first, then

study hall”). In a monochronic society,

people are said to be “clock-bound,” and

businesses stress efficiency and time

management.

Other cultures view time differently. In

some Asian cultures, as well as Native-

American and Latin-American cultures,

time has a different “feel,” a sense of

unlimited continuity. Time does not

march forward in measured units, but

rather focuses around events. This

approach to time is calledpolychronic,

which means time holds multiple (poly)

meanings. In this respect, it is cyclical or

circular (“what goes around, comes

Our attitude toward time can have profound impact on marriage.

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