When Elizabeth was growing up, she always called her mom’s best friend “Aunt Karen” even though they weren’t related to each other. What is this practice of including people in the family group because of feelings of affection and referring to these people by family names such as aunt, uncle, brother, or sister known as?

Fictive kin are people who are not biologically or legally related but are treated as family because of affection or close relationships. Calling her mother’s best friend “Aunt Karen” is an example of fictive kin. Family composition describes who makes up a family, while polygamy and polyandry refer to marriage arrangements.

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