Human Development Exam #4

Family systems theory

The family is a whole consisting of interrelated parts, each contributing to the whole

Dyadic subsystems

Involving two people

Polyadic subsystems

Involving more than two people

Dynamic

A self-organizing system that adapts itself to changes in its members and to changes in its environment

Nuclear family

Consists of father, mother, and at least one child, now called the “immediate family”

Coparenting

Ways in which two parents coordinate their parenting and function well

Alloparenting

Parenting by multiple caregivers

Extended family household

In which parents and their children live with other kin (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.)

Cohabituation

Living with a romantic partner without being married has been steadily increasing

Parent acceptance—responsiveness

Extent to which parents are warm, supportive, and sensitive to their children’s needs

Demandingness—control

How much control over decisions lies with the parent as opposed to with the child

Authoritative parenting

Linked with child competence across a range of ethnic groups, social strata, cultures, & family structures

Family stress model

Describes the negative aspects of financial stressors on parent’s mental health, parenting, and child development

Interactional model

Recognizes that parent and child characteristics may combine in certain ways to influence development

Transactional model

Parent and child are seen as influencing one another reciprocally over time