Family: Early and Enduring Influences

Flashcards covering vocabulary and definitions from chapter 7 notes.

Family

A social unit in which parents and children share economic, social, and emotional rights and responsibilities and a sense of commitment and identification with each other.

Socialization

The process by which family members channel children's impulses into socially accepted outlets and teach children the skills and rules they need to function in society.

Family System

A complex system made up of interdependent members and subsystems; changes in one member's behavior affect the functioning of other members.

Direct Effects

How family members affect each other through praising or criticizing; hugging or spanking; clinging or talking back.

Indirect Effects

Involve a two-step process whereby family members affect each other by modifying their relationships with others, which in turn affect development.

Couple System

The founding subsystem within the family system, which joins two adult partners and affects children's development.

Social Learning Theory

Suggests that children learn how to interact with people and resolve conflicts by watching their parents; if parents fight, children learn aggressive interaction strategies.

Attachment Theory

Suggests that as a result of exposure to conflict between their parents, children experience emotional arousal and distress and develop a sense of emotional insecurity, which leads to later problems in social interactions.

Cognitive Processes (and parental conflict)

Theory that the impact of parental conflict depends on how children understand it. If they perceive the conflict as threatening, they become anxious, depressed, and withdrawn; if they perceive the conflict as being their fault, they are more likely to act out; if the parents resolve the conflict, the children are less likely to have these problems because they expect that they, too, will be able to resolve conflicts.

Theoretical Explanations for Effects of Parental Conflict

Include Social Learning theory, Attachment theory, children's cognitive processes, poor parental mental health and genetics.

Becoming a Family project

A project designed to strengthen couple relationships and reduce the adverse consequences of the transition to parenthood.

Authoritarian Parenting

Parenting style that is emotionally rejecting and highly controlling.

Permissive Parenting

Parenting style that is emotionally positive and low in control.

Authoritative Parenting

Parenting style that is emotionally positive and firmly controlling.

Uninvolved Parenting

Parenting style that is emotionally negative and low in control.

Bidirectional Socialization

Parents' behavior affects children's and children's behavior affects parents'.

Transactional Socialization

Children and parents change each other over time.

Coparenting System

Parents interact with children, and their actions are related; this creates another subsystem within the family.

Birth Order

Position in the family (first, second, or later) creates distinct experiences for children. Firstborns more adult oriented, helpful, and self-controlled. Later-born less fearful and anxious.

Nonshared Environments

Differences (or perceptions of differences) in treatment create nonshared environments within the family that lead to different developmental consequences for the siblings.

Family Stories

Help to transmit family values and reinforce the uniqueness of the family as a unit.

Family Routines and Rituals

Day-to-day activities that keep the family functioning (routines) and formal religious observances, family celebrations, and rites of passage (rituals).

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Construct that comprises three related demographic characteristics: education, income, and occupational status.

Individualist Cultures

Value individual autonomy and emphasize competition, self-actualization, dominance, and open expression of emotion.

Collectivist Cultures

Value interrelatedness and connectedness with the group and emphasize social harmony, cooperation, empathy, accommodation to the needs of others, and sometimes deference to authority.

Chronosystem

Children and families are embedded in a chronosystem, meaning they are affected by changing times.

New Reproductive Technologies

Offer hope for couples who cannot conceive a child.

Joint Legal Custody

Both mother and father share the responsibility for decisions concerning their children's lives, but the children may reside with only one of the parents.

Joint Physical Custody

The children live with each parent for close to half the time and have physical access to both mother and father on a regular basis.