© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.1 Understanding the Family
Learning Objectives Discuss the concept of the family as a changing system within a changing world, using the concepts of family systems theory, Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, and the family life cycle to do so Describe some of the major changes in the family since the 1950s and evaluate which are most positive and most negative © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Family as a System within Systems
Difficult to define family to describe across all cultures and eras Proponents of family systems theory conceptualize family as a system Dynamic Self-organizing system that adapts itself to changes in its members and to changes in its environment Embedded in and interacts with larger social systems neighborhood, community © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Family as a Changing System
Duvall’s family life cycle Sequence of changes in family composition, roles, relationships, and developmental tasks Eight stages Each stage has particular set of family members Distinctive developmental tasks Many people do not experience Duvall’s traditional family life cycle © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Stages of the Family Life Cycle
Table 15.1 Stages of the Family Life Cycle © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

A Changing System in a Changing World
Trends in the U.S. More single adults Never married: 28% More postponed marriages 1960 – age 20 for women, 23 for men; 2011 – age 26 for women, 29 for men More unmarried parents Forty-one percent of births in 2010 were to unmarried women Fewer children © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Trends in the U.S. More working mothers 1950 – 12%; 2011 – 64% More divorce Between 40% and 50% of newly married couples can expect to divorce More single-parent families © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Trends in the U.S. More children living in poverty 22% of children More remarriages More years without children More multigenerational families Fewer caregivers of aging adults © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

A Changing System in a Changing World (Children From Birth to Age 17)
Figure 15.1 Percentage of children from birth to age 17 © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.2 The Infant Learning Objectives Compare and contrast the traditional roles of mothers and fathers in childrearing and describe how these roles have been changing Define and give an example of good coparenting and of a positive indirect effect of one parent on the other parent’s interaction with their infant © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Mother–Infant and Father–Infant Relationships
Researchers repeatedly find that fathers and mothers are similar in caring for infants Able to feed their babies effectively Provide sensitive parenting Become objects of attachment Mothers spend more time directly caring for infants Fathers play; mothers give care © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Mother–Infant and Father–Infant Relationships
Figure 15.2 Changes in time use of mothers and fathers between 1965 and 2011 © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Mothers, Fathers, and Infants The System at Work
Indirect effects Mothers who have close, supportive relationship with husbands Tend to interact more patiently and sensitively with their babies Fathers who have just had pleasant conversations with their wives Are more supportive and engaged when they interact with their children © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.3 The Child Learning Objectives Compare and contrast the authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful parenting styles in terms of where they fall on the acceptance-responsiveness and demandingness-control dimensions of parenting Discuss three explanations of why high- and low-SES parents use different parenting styles © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.3 The Child Learning Objectives Define and illustrate with examples the parent effects, child effects, interactional, and transactional models of family influence Summarize the nature of the sibling relationship and its contributions to development © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Parenting Styles Two dimensions of parenting Parental acceptance–responsiveness Extent to which parents are warm, supportive, sensitive to their children’s needs Demandingness–control How much control over decisions lies with the parent as opposed to with the child © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Parenting Styles Authoritarian parenting Parents impose many rules; expect strict obedience Authoritative parenting Flexible; demanding and exert control; sensitive to their children © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Parenting Styles Permissive parenting Child-centered; relatively few rules and make relatively few demands; rarely exert control over their behavior Neglectful parenting Hostile and rejecting or indifferent © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Social Class, Economic Hardship, and Parenting
Compared with middle-class and upper-class parents Working-class parents tend to stress obedience and respect for authority Explanations for differing parenting styles Financial stress Resource Investment Socialization goals © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Social Class, Economic Hardship, and Parenting
Figure 15.4 A model of the relationship among family economic stress © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Models of Influence in the Family
Parent effects model of family Influences run one way, from parent (particularly mother) to child Child effects model of family influence Highlights the influences of children on their parents © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Interactional model Recognizes that parent and child characteristics may combine in certain ways to influence development Gene environment interaction Transactional model of family influence Parent and child are seen as influencing one another reciprocally over time © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Sibling Relationships
Arrival of a sibling Some older siblings grow from the experience Some have difficulties Most adjust well Temporary decreases in children’s affection for and responsiveness to their mothers © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Sibling rivalry Spirit of competition, jealousy, and resentment between brothers and sisters Normal Number of skirmishes in young siblings 56 per hour Sibling relationships are friendlier if parents get along well and are warm and sensitive to all children © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Four functions of siblings Emotional support Caregiving Teaching Social experience Indirect effects Older competent sibling → mother’s positive psychological functioning → supportive parenting → competent younger sibling © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.4 The Adolescent Learning Objectives Describe how the parent–child relationship both changes and remains the same in early adolescence Discuss how parents can best foster autonomy and how the process may differ in individualistic versus collectivist cultures © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Ripples in the Parent–Child Relationship
Most parent-child relationships are close Does change during adolescence Conflict increases temporarily during puberty Mainly about minor matters homework, chores, disobedience Adolescents spend more time with peers © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Achieving Autonomy Key developmental task during adolescence Achieving autonomy Adolescents in both individualistic and collectivist cultures strive for autonomy Authoritative parenting style Gives adolescents opportunities to strengthen their independent decision-making skills while retaining the benefit of their parents’ guidance © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.5 The Adult Learning Objectives Characterize the major effects on couples of the first year of marriage, new parenthood, raising two or more children, entering the empty nest phase of family life, and grandparenting Summarize how marital, sibling, and parent–child relationships are likely to change during adulthood © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Establishing a Marriage
Ninety percent of U.S. adults choose to marry First year of marriage Perceptions of the marital relationship less favorable Marital satisfaction declines Couples most likely to survive when they maintain a high level of positive and supportive interaction © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

New Parenthood By age 40 85% of women have given birth to a child 76% of men have fathered a child New parenthood is a stressful transition Parents who cope adaptively Have an easy baby Possess positive personal qualities and coping skills Receive reliable support from their partners © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Child-Rearing Family
Children have a slightly negative effect on marital satisfaction Stress of parenting Claims energy from marital relationship Parents Emphasize the positives about parenthood Feel it has contributed a great deal to their personal development © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

The Empty Nest Parents react more positively than negatively to children leaving home Fewer roles and responsibilities Less stress and strain More opportunity to focus on their marital relationship Evidence they have done their job as parents © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Grandparenthood Three major styles of grandparenting Remote Geographically and emotionally distant Companionate Most common style See grandchildren frequently, enjoy activities with them Involved Often helped with child care, gave advice, and played other practical roles in their grandchildren’s lives © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Changing Family Relationships
Marital relationships Frequency of intercourse decreases Psychological intimacy increases Happily married couples have more agreeable personalities © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Sibling relationships Typically the longest-lasting relationship Relationships often become warmer and more equal in adulthood Often grow even closer in old age © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Parent-child relationships Middle generation squeeze Those most likely to experience caregiver burden Care for parents/spouses with behavior problems Do not want to help or help out of duty Lack personal resources Lack social and cultural support for caregiving © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.6 Diverse Family Experiences
Learning Objectives Describe the “typical” implications of never marrying, cohabiting with a partner, remaining childless, living in a dual-career family, and living in a gay or lesbian family Discuss the “typical” effects of divorce on parents and children and what factors are likely to make for good adjustment © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Childless Married Couples
Childlessness does not diminish the well-being of adults Sometimes boosts it Marital satisfaction higher than couples with children during childrearing years Children do not guarantee happiness; not having children does not mean unhappiness © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Dual-Career Families Working parents experience spillover effects Ways in which events at work affect home life and events at home carry over into the workplace Parent’s stressful day at work → withdrawn from spouse and children after work No indication that mother’s working has damaging effects on development U.S. has no national policy of paid family leave © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Gay and Lesbian Families
Gay and lesbian relationships evolve through the same stages of development as heterosexual couples Lesbian mothers are similar to heterosexual mothers Children have similar developmental outcomes Children are no more likely to develop homosexual or bisexual orientation © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Divorcing Families Couples at highest risk for divorce Younger (20s and 30s) Married for an average of only about seven years Have young children These couples feel their marriages lack communication, emotional fulfillment, or compatibility © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Divorcing Families Divorce is typically a one- to two-year crisis Divorced adults are at higher risk for: Depression Psychological distress Physical health problems Even death © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Divorcing Families Factors that facilitate a positive adjustment to divorce Adequate financial support Good parenting by custodial parent Good parenting by noncustodial parent Minimal conflict between parents Additional social support Minimal other changes Personal resources © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Reconstituted Families
Within 3–5 years of a divorce, 75% of single-parent families acquire a stepparent About 60% of remarried couples divorce Recurring cycles of singlehood, cohabitation or marriage, conflict, and separation or divorce One-third of adults find remarriage more stressful than divorce © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

15.7 The Problem of Family Violence
Learning Objectives Describe the various forms that family violence can take Illustrate how characteristics of the abuser, child, and social context can all contribute to child abuse Summarize the effects of child abuse on victims and two approaches to preventing abuse © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Why Does Child Abuse Occur?
Mistreating or harming a child physically, emotionally, or sexually Most visible form of family violence 75% of abused children are neglected 16% physically abused 9% sexually abused 7% emotionally or psychologically abused © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Why Does Child Abuse Occur?
The abusive parent Most often a young mother who: Has many children Lives in poverty Is unemployed Has no partner to share her load Often battered by partners Low self-esteem Were abused themselves © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

What Problems Do Abused Children Display?
Intellectual deficits and academic difficulties are common among mistreated children Social, emotional, and behavioral problems are also common Many maltreated children are resilient © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

How Do We Stop the Violence?
Teach positive parenting skills to parents who use harsh parenting techniques Comprehensive, ecological approach designed to convert a pathological family system into a healthy one Change is needed in communities © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "© Cengage Learning. All rights reserved."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback