1. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT14
A Topical Approach to
LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT
Families, Lifestyles, and Parenting
John W. Santrock

2. Families, Lifestyles, and Parenting
Analyzing Family Life
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Parenting

3. Analyzing Family Life
The Family Life Cycle

4. Reciprocal Socialization
Analyzing Family Life
Reciprocal Socialization
Bidirectional; children socialize parents just as parents socialize children
Example: scaffolding

5. Direct and Indirect Interactions Between Parents and Children
Analyzing Family Life
Direct and Indirect Interactions Between Parents and Children

6. Single Adults Dramatic rise in percentage of single adults
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Single Adults
Dramatic rise in percentage of single adults
Common problems:
Forming intimate relationships with other adults
Loneliness
Finding niche in marriage oriented society

7. Percentage of Single Adults 30 to 34 Years of Age
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Percentage of Single Adults 30 to 34 Years of Age

8. Cohabiting Adults Dramatic rise in couples cohabiting before marriage
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Cohabiting Adults
Dramatic rise in couples cohabiting before marriage
Also increasing among older adults
Cohabiting arrangements tend to be short-lived in U.S.
One-third last less than a year
Does not improve and may be bad for subsequent marriages

9. Increase in Cohabitation in the United States
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Increase in Cohabitation in the United States

10. The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Trends in Marriage
Changing male-female equality in marriage produced more fragile and intense marital relationships
More adults remain single
Average duration of a marriage in U.S. is just over 9 years

11. Increase in Age at First Marriage in the U.S.
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Increase in Age at First Marriage in the U.S.

12. What Makes Marriages Work
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
What Makes Marriages Work
Establishing love maps
Nurturing fondness and admiration
Turning toward each other instead of away
Letting your partner influence you
Solving solvable conflicts
Overcoming gridlock
Creating shared meaning

13. Marriage in Middle and Late Adulthood
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Marriage in Middle and Late Adulthood
Middle Adulthood
Most married individuals express considerable satisfaction.
Late Adulthood
Adjustments needed at retirement
Happiness affected by each partner’s coping with aging

14. Divorce Rate in Relation to Number of Years Married
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Divorce Rate in Relation to Number of Years Married

15. Six Common Pathways in Exiting Divorce
The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Six Common Pathways in Exiting Divorce
Enhancers
Good enoughs
Seekers
Libertines
Competent loners
Defeated

16. The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Remarried Adults
Complex histories and multiple relationships make adjustment difficult
Only one-third stepfamily couples stay remarried
Strategies that help:
Realistic expectations
New positive relations in the family

17. The Diversity of Adult Life Styles
Gay and Lesbian Adults
Homosexuals prefer long-term, committed relationships
About half of committed male couples have open relationships
Lesbian couples usually do not have open relationship
Gay and lesbian couples increasingly creating families that include children

18. Trends in Becoming Parents
Parenting
Trends in Becoming Parents
Tendency to have fewer children
Number of one-child families is increasing
Many people having children later
Advantages to having children both early and late
Career-focused women may delay longer or not have children

19. Parenting Styles and Discipline
Authoritarian
Restrictive, punitive style; parents exhort child to follow their directions and respect their work and effort
Authoritative
Encourages children to be independent but still places limits and controls on their actions
Neglectful
Parent very uninvolved in child’s life
Indulgent
Parents very involved with children but place few demands or controls on them

20. Classification of Parenting Styles

21. Corporal Punishment Corporal punishment by parents associated with:
Parenting
Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment by parents associated with:
Higher levels of immediate compliance
Increased aggression among children
Lower levels of moral internalization and mental health
Most child psychologists recommend reasoning with the child

22. Coparenting Parents Children Poor coordination between parents
Undermining
Lack of cooperation & warmth
Disconnection by one parent
At risk for problems
Parental cooperation
Warmth
Prosocial behavior
Competence in peer relations

23. Autonomy and Attachment between Adolescents & Parents
Parenting
Autonomy and Attachment between Adolescents & Parents
Conflict when adolescents push for autonomy, especially in early adolescence
Parents should relinquish control gradually, as adolescent is able to make reasonable decisions
Gender and culture affect seeking and granting autonomy

24. Parenting
Working Parents
Work can produce positive and negative effects on parenting
When child’s mother works in first year, it can have negative effect on child’s later development

25. Effects of Divorce on Children
Parenting
Effects of Divorce on Children
More likely to show poorer adjustment
Adjustment improves if
conflicts reduced by divorced
parents harmonious and authoritative
Socially mature and responsible children show few behavioral problems
Children with difficult temperament often have problems coping with divorce

26. Single-Parent Families in Different Countries
Parenting
Single-Parent Families in Different Countries

27. Divorce and Children’s Emotional Problems
Parenting
Divorce and Children’s Emotional Problems

28. Birth Order Difficult to generalize
Other Family Relationships
Birth Order
Difficult to generalize
Higher expectations for first-born children
More adult-oriented, helpful, conforming, anxious, and self-controlled
Only child often achievement-oriented and displays desirable personality

29. Grandparenting Highly satisfying for most Rewards of Grandparenting
Other Family Relationships
Grandparenting
Highly satisfying for most
Easier than parenting
Enjoy frequent contact
Rewards of Grandparenting
Biological continuity and reward
Emotional fulfillment, companionship

30. Adults Caring for Aging Parents
Other Family Relationships
Adults Caring for Aging Parents
Middle-age “sandwich generation” caring for children and aging parents
Mostly daughters
Fewer than suggested in media
Considerable stress when parents grow ill and die