Family
Family Nuclear Family Father, mother and at least one child Extended Family Inclusive of other family members Extended Family Household Parents and children live with additional kin Modified Extended Family Separate individual nuclear families with close ties and interaction
Family Theories Ecological Systems Theory Family is a system within a broader system Based on Bronfenbrenner’s model Family Systems Theory Family is a whole of interrelated parts, each of which affects the other and is affected by every other part
The Changing Family More single adults, empty nesters included Postponed marriage Cohabitation More married women working Decline in child-bearing, more years w/o children
The Changing Family More divorce, remarriages Reconstituted families More single-parent families, child poverty More multigenerational (beanpole) families Fewer caregivers for aging adults 6
Parenting Mothers generally spend more time with children Fathers are capable of sensitive parenting A more playful parent role Divorce means less fathering Fathers warmth and affection promotes Social competence, achievement Fewer psychological disorders
Interaction Effects and Influence in Families Indirect effects: effects on children as a result of parents influences on one another (parent to parent) Parent effects model Parental influence filters down to child and how they develop Child effects model Child has influence on parents behavior toward the child Transactional model Reciprocal influences between parent and child and how each behaves toward the other.
Outcomes of Parenting Styles Children of authoritative parents Adjusted, responsible, high achievement Children of authoritarian parents Moody, unhappy, aimless Children of permissive parents Low: self-control, independence, achievers Children of neglectful/uninvolved parents Behavior problems, antisocial
Grandparenting Average age of first time grandparenthood? Three styles: Remote (29%) Distant emotionally and geographically Companionate (55%) Most common Companions rather than caregivers Involved (16%) Assume parent-like role
Changing Family Relationships Through the Lifespan Siblings: Sibling Rivalry Parent / Child Relationships Sandwich Generation Caregiver burnout (burden) Marriage Divorce Remarriage About 75% remarry within 3 to 5 years
Child Abuse The Abuser Only 1in 10 have severe psychological disorder Typically young, single, poor, unemployed mother Often themselves abused as children Often a battered woman Low self-esteem Tends to have many children Unrealistic expectations of children
Child Abuse The Target Child Hyperactive, difficult Often disabled or sickly The Context Parent feels powerless and threatened and needs a sense of control
Effects of Family Violence on the Child Physical damage to the abused Brain damage – shaken baby syndrome Behavior problems common Deficient intellectual skills Academic problems common Disrupted social and emotional development Lack of empathy