1. Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment
Chapter 10
Families

2. KEY POINTS ADDRESSED Defining “Family” Trends in Family Life
Charting Theoretical Perspectives by:
KEY CONCEPT; NAME OF THEORY; THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE; ASSOCIATED AUTHOR; DESCRIPTION of THEORY; CHANGE TARGET; ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Psychodynamic
Social Behavioral
Family Systems and Life Cycle
Stress Models
Multilevel Family Practice
Strengths Based
Diversity in Family Life:
What We Need to Know About Social Class, Immigrant Families, Gay/Lesbian Families
Chapter 10: Families

3. Defining Family: How do you know a “normal” family when you see one?
Identify the members of Junior’s family.
What characteristics or relationships helped you decide that these individuals were members of Junior’s family?
In what ways does Junior’s family represent changing trends in today’s family life?
The Family is a social institution that
carries out certain obligations in meeting
the needs of the society:
Socialization
Procreation
Mutual support
Chapter 10: Families

4. Trends in U.S. Family Life
From a unit for economic production to a unit of economic consumption
From reliance on kinship supports to individual self-sufficiency
From a basis of economic support to basis of emotional support
From a culturally deviant to a culturally variant perspective
Chapter 10: Families

5. Trends in U.S. Family Life
Medical advances and court rulings have made childbearing discretionary
Unmarried cohabitation is no longer legally prohibited
Divorce and remarriage have increased dramatically
Number of stepfamilies and complexity of family live have increased
Large numbers of women entered the paid labor force
More families consist of at least two wage earners
Chapter 10: Families

6. Trends in U.S. Family Life (cont)
Average life expectancy has increased
Care needs for elderly family members has increased
Racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity have increased
Autonomy and self direction, as opposed to obedience and conformity, in children holds greater value
Power between men and women has been equalizing
Chapter 10: Families

7. Charting Theoretical Perspectives: Family Systems, Task Centered

8. Charting Theoretical Perspectives: Family Life Cycle, ABCX Stress Model

9. Charting Theoretical Perspectives: Multi-level Family Practice, Strengths

10. Test Your Knowledge:
Explain why each of the family theories are associated with a particular theoretical perspective… i.e. Why do we designate the Task Centered Approach within the Social Behavioral Perspective?
Explain why traditional family therapy, which focuses on family-level change alone, is less effective with “isolated, impoverished, single-parent families” than with non-poor families.
Chapter 10: Families

11. Diversity in Family Life
Four dimensions to consider for describing and comparing similarities and differences among cultural groups:
1. Migration experience
2. Ecological context of family
3. Family organization
4. Family life cycle
Chapter 10: Families

12. Diversity in Family Life: What We Need to Know About Social Class
Children raised in a single-parent or remarried families:
Can grow up physically, mentally, and psychologically healthy
Are at higher risk for poverty and stress
Tend to live more complex lives and often must cope with a variety of internal stressors
Chapter 10: Families

13. Diversity in Family Life: What We Need to Know about Immigrant Families
There are different patterns of immigration in different regions of the United States.
By 2040, one in four residents of the United States will be immigrant (first generation) or the child of immigrants (second generation.
The migration experience includes changes in social networks, socioeconomic status, and culture that result from migration.
It is important to understand families’ countries of origin, settlement patterns, and immigration policy—including eligibility for mainstream or special education, health and mental health services, and other financial and social services and resources.
Chapter 10: Families

14. Diversity in Family Life: What We Need to Know About Gay and Lesbian Families
Lesbians and gays are bicultural. They have been reared and socialized in the dominant heterosexual culture and have internalized the norms, values, and beliefs learned in that culture.
Gays and lesbians are part of a complex multigenerational family system consisting of a family of origin, a multigenerational lesbian/gay community, and/or a family of choice that consists of friends, partners, and/or children.
Chapter 10: Families