Studied by 4 people
Traditional Nuclear Family
core unit of husband, wife and their children
Multigenerational Family
households that include at least 3 generations such as children, parent(s), and grandparents. Sometimes includes unmarried relatives
Blended Family
Created when two people marry and at least one of them has been previously married and has children
Dual career family
both martial partners are engaged in work that is developmental in sequence and to which they have high commitment
Childless family
Couple who decide to not have children
Aging family
head(s) of household are 65 and above
gay and lesbian families
same-sex partners living together, may or may not include children
Multicultual/ multiracial family
Individuals from two different cultures unite and form a household that may or may not have children
Stages of the Family Life Cycle
unattached adult, newly married adults, childbearing, preschool-age child, school-age child, teenage child, launching center, middle-age adults, retirement
unattached adult
A new generation emerges, the single young adult must separate from their family of origin without cutting off or fleeing
Tasks for the unattached adult
a. Differentiation from family origin b. Development of peer relations c. Initiation of Career Choices
Newly married
The foundation for a new family, referred to as second order change
Tasks for the newly married stage
a. Formation of martial system separate and distinct from families of origin b. Making room for spouse with family and friends c. Adjusting career demands
Tasks for the childbearing stage
a. Adjusting marriage to make room for child b. Taking on parenting roles c. Making room for grandparents
Preschool age child
Looking to establish connections with other families, groups with similar family systems to compare
Tasks for preschool age child stage
a. Adjusting family to the needs of specific child(ren) b. Coping with energy drain and lack of privacy. c. Taking time out to be a couple
Tasks for School age child
a. Extending family/ society interactions b. Encouraging the child's education c. Dealing with increased activities and time demands
Teenage child tasks
a. Shifting flexibility of family boundaries to allow independence b. Refocusing on mid-life career and marital issues c. Dealing with increased concerns for older generation
launching center
Adapt to the exits and entries to the family system
Tasks for the launching center
a. Releasing adult children into work, college, marriage b. Maintaining supportive home base c. Accepting occasional returns of adult children
Middle Age Adult Tasks
a. Rebuilding of marriage b. Welcoming children's spouses, grandchildren into the family c. Dealing with aging of one's own parents
Retirement Tasks
a. Maintaining individual and couple functioning b. Supporting middle generation c. Coping with death of parents/ spouses d. Closing or adpating family home
Basic family functions
Stability and safety, health and education, and emotional competence
Stability and safety for the child and the family
Families provide a continuous caring and nurturing environment for children to develop family identity and a sense of belonging
Children must feel and be safe in the family environment
Families must have adequate financial resources to continually secure food and shelter
Health and education
Families maintain health and provide nutrition for healthy growth and learning
Families teach morality, respect, public acceptability, self care, socialization and social roles
Emotional competence
Families provide emotional support so that social and emotional competence of its members can emerge
Family is a source of self-esteem, motivation, achievement and work orientation
Provides religious and spiritual orientation
Nurturance Strategies
Support, warmth, acceptance, encouragement
Types of parents who fail to teach their children emotional intelligence
Dismissive parents
Disapproving parents
Laissez faire parent
Authoritarian parenting
Highly controlling, lacking warmth
authoritative parenting
Nurturing and sets clear guidelines for child's behaviour
permissive indulgent parenting
Lacks control and can be either indulgent or neglectful
helicopter parents
overly involved and concerned parents
3 Factors that determine a parent's parenting style
Parents' developmental history
Child's qualities
Contextual sources of stress and support available
Family of origin
The family a person is born and raised in
8 interlocking concepts of bowen theory
1 - differentiation of self 2 - triangle 3 - nuclear family emotional system 4 - family projection process 5 - multigenerational transmission process 6 - sibling position 7 - emotional cutoff 8 - societal emotional process
Homeostasis
A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level
Triangles
3 way relationship
Two purposes of coalitions
Reduce anxiety Control the third point of the triangle
Triangulation
Triangulation refers to a situation in which another family member is brought into a conflict that actually exists only between two members
Four basic relationship patterns
Martial conflict Dysfunction in one spouse Impairment of one or more children emotional distance
Martial Conflict
Each spouse focuses on what is wrong with the other, tries to control the other and each resists the other's efforts at control
Dysfunction in one spouse
one spouse pressures the other to behave in certain ways
Impairment of one or more children
Parents focus their anxieties on one or more of the children
Emotional Distance
People distance from each other to reduce the intensity of the relationship but risk becoming too isolated
Family Projection Process
The process by which parents project (displace) part of their own unresolved emotional attachments or conflicts onto one or more of their children.
Projection Process Steps
Parent focuses on a child out of fear that there is something wrong with the child
The parent interprets the child's behaviour as confirming the fear
The parent treats the child as if something is really wrong with them
Rigid Families
a family with an inflexible set of rules, roles, and leadership structures that do not change to fit personal growth among members
Loose Families
Boundaries are not respected/ very open
Internal boundaries
Boundaries between different subsystems that exist in families
Three types of subsystems
Spousal, Parental, sibling
Spousal Subsystem
a family subsystem made up of the two spouses
parental subsystem
Interactions among parents or caregivers and their children
sibling subsystem
interactions among children in a family
Enmeshment
the over involvement of all family members in the affairs of any one member
Disengagement
Not to get too close emotionally or socially
Fusion
People know each other as well as they know themselves
Negative Feedback
Corrective and helps family go back to the same level of homeostasis
Positive Feedback
Change will occur
Pursuer
wants more closeness
Distancer
Wants more space
Blamer
Finds fault
Placater
peacemaker
Over-functioner
takes on excessive responsibilities
parent
Nurtures and takes care of tasks
Martyr
over responsible, guilt inducing
enabler
allows for dysfunctional behaviours
child
irresponsible/ carefree
Peacemaker
referee
Underfunctioner
takes minimum responsibility
advocate
defends others
scapegoat
person carrying the blame for others
victims
appear to be powerless but are the most powerful one in the family
persecutors
anxious and insecure people however they appear to be confident
Family Rules
The implicit and explicit agreements in the family
Family myths
A set of beliefs based on a distortion, shape interactions
Family rituals
repetitive activities that have special meaning for a family
Note 
Flashcard (24)