The Family

Past

University of Wisconsin, Greenish Bay

Each and every i of united states has a family unit. However, these families exist in many variations around the globe. In this module, we discuss definitions of family unit, family forms, the developmental trajectory of families, and unremarkably used theories to understand families. We also cover factors that influence families such as culture and societal expectations while incorporating the latest family relevant statistics.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand the various family forms.
  • Describe attachment theory.
  • Identify different parenting styles.
  • Know the typical developmental trajectory of families.
  • Empathize cultural differences in dating, marriage, and divorce.
  • Explain the influence of children and crumbling parents on families.
  • Know concrete tips for increasing happiness within your family unit.

Introduction

It is often said that humans are social creatures. We make friends, live in communities, and connect to acquaintances through shared interests. In recent times, social media has get a new way for people to connect with childhood peers, friends of friends, and even strangers. Peradventure nothing is more central to the social globe than the concept of family. Our families stand for our earliest relationships and—oft—our most indelible ones. In this module, you will acquire about the psychology of families. Our discussion will begin with a basic definition of family unit and how this has changed beyond time and place. Next, we move on to a discussion of family unit roles and how families evolve across the lifespan. Finally, nosotros conclude with issues such as divorce and corruption that are important factors in the psychological wellness of families.

What is Family?

In J.K. Rowling'southward famous Harry Potter novels, the male child magician lives in a cupboard nether the stairs. His unfortunate state of affairs is the upshot of his wizarding parents having been killed in a duel, causing the young Potter to exist later on shipped off to live with his savage aunt and uncle. Although family unit may not be the fundamental theme of these wand and sorcery novels, Harry's case raises a compelling question: what, exactly, counts as family?

A traditional family including a mother, father, son and daughter.
A traditional family has a somewhat narrow definition that includes but relationships of blood, union, and occasionally adoption. More than recently, in many societies, the definition of family has expanded. A modern family may include less traditional variations based on stiff delivery and emotional ties. [Prototype: 10070052 moodboard, http://goo.gl/2xAZGA, CC Past two.0, http://goo.gl/v4Y0Zv]

The definition of family changes across time and across culture. Traditional family has been defined as ii or more people who are related by blood, marriage, and—occasionally—adoption (Murdock, 1949). Historically, the most standard version of the traditional family has been the two-parent family. Are there people in your life you consider family unit who are not necessarily related to you in the traditional sense? Harry Potter would undoubtedly phone call his schoolmates Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger family, even though they practice non fit the traditional definition. Besides, Harry might consider Hedwig, his snowy owl, a family member, and he would not be alone in doing then. Enquiry from the US (Harris, 2015) and Nippon (Veldkamp, 2009) finds that many pet owners consider their pets to be members of the family. Some other traditional form of family is the joint family, in which three or more generations of blood relatives alive in a single household or compound. Articulation families often include cousins, aunts and uncles, and other relatives from the extended family unit. Versions of the articulation family unit system exist around the world including in South Asia, Southern Europe, the South Pacific and other locations.

In more modern times, the traditional definition of family has been criticized as existence too narrow. Modern families—particularly those in industrialized societies—exist in many forms, including the single parent family, foster families, same-sex couples, childfree families, and many other variations from traditional norms. Mutual to each of these family unit forms is delivery, caring, and close emotional ties—which are increasingly the defining characteristics of family (Benokraitis, 2015). The irresolute definition of family has come most, in part, because of factors such as divorce and re-matrimony. In many cases, people practise non grow upwards with their family of orientation, but become part of a stepfamily or blended family unit. Whether a single-parent, joint, or ii-parent family, a person's family of orientation, or the family into which he or she is born, mostly acts as the social context for young children learning about relationships.

According to Bowen (1978), each person has a function to play in his or her family, and each role comes with certain rules and expectations. This system of rules and roles is known as family systems theory. The goal for the family is stability: rules and expectations that work for all. When the role of i fellow member of the family changes, so practise the rules and expectations. Such changes ripple through the family and crusade each fellow member to adjust his or her ain function and expectations to compensate for the alter.

Portrait of a happy blended family including ten children.
There are many variations of mod families, including blended or stepfamilies where two families combine. In a combined family unit the roles of individuals may exist different than in their original family of orientation. [Image: Doc List, http://goo.gl/5FpSeU, CC Past-NC-SA 2.0, http://goo.gl/iF4hmM]

Take, for example, the classic story of Cinderella. Cinderella's initial role is that of a kid. Her parents' expectations of her are what would be expected of a growing and developing child. But, by the time Cinderella reaches her teen years, her role has changed considerably. Both of her biological parents have died and she has ended up living with her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella's function shifts from being an adored kid to interim equally the household servant. The stereotype of stepfamilies equally being emotionally toxic is, of course, not true. Y'all might fifty-fifty say there are ofttimes-overlooked instructive elements in the Cinderella story: Her role in the family has become not only that of servant but also that of flagman-- the others expecting her to cook and clean while in render they treat her with spite and cruelty. When Cinderella finds her prince and leaves to start her own family—known as a family unit of procreation—it is safe to assume that the roles of her stepmother and stepsisters volition change—suddenly having to melt and clean for themselves.

Gender has been one factor by which family roles have long been assigned. Traditional roles take historically placed housekeeping and childrearing squarely in the realm of women's responsibilities. Men, by contrast, have been seen equally protectors and equally providers of resources including money. Increasingly, families are crossing these traditional roles with women working outside the home and men contributing more to domestic and childrearing responsibilities. Despite this shift toward more egalitarian roles, women yet tend to practice more than housekeeping and childrearing tasks than their husbands (known as the 2d shift) (Hochschild & Machung, 2012).

Interestingly, parental roles take an impact on the ambitions of their children. Croft and her colleagues (2014) examined the beliefs of more than than 300 children. The researchers discovered that when fathers endorsed more than equal sharing of household duties and when mothers were more workplace oriented it influenced how their daughters idea. In both cases, daughters were more than likely to have ambitions toward working outside the habitation and working in less gender-stereotyped professions.

How Families Develop

Our families are so familiar to us that we tin sometimes take for granted the idea that families develop over fourth dimension. Nuclear families, those core units of parents and children, do non simply pop into being. The parents meet 1 some other, they court or date 1 another, and they brand the decision to have children. Fifty-fifty then the family does not quit changing. Children grow up and leave home and the roles shift yet once more.

Intimacy

A man and woman in a tender embrace smile with eyes closed.
Co-ordinate to Zipper Theory, the type of care that we receive as infants tin have a pregnant influence on the intimate relationships that nosotros have as adults. [Image: Muriel HEARD-COLLIER, http://goo.gl/BK7WUm, CC Past-NC-SA 2.0, http://goo.gl/iF4hmM]

In a psychological sense, families begin with intimacy. The need for intimacy, or shut relationships with others, is universal. Nosotros seek out close and meaningful relationships over the class of our lives. What our adult intimate relationships look like actually stems from infancy and our relationship with our principal caregiver (historically our mother)—a process of development described by attachment theory. According to attachment theory, different styles of caregiving result in different relationship "attachments." For instance, responsive mothers—mothers who soothe their crying infants—produce infants who have secure attachments (Ainsworth, 1973; Bowlby, 1969). Almost 60% of all children are securely attached. Equally adults, secure individuals rely on their working models—concepts of how relationships operate—that were created in infancy, as a upshot of their interactions with their primary caregiver (mother), to foster happy and salubrious adult intimate relationships. Securely attached adults feel comfy beingness depended on and depending on others.

As you might imagine, inconsistent or dismissive parents as well bear upon the attachment manner of their infants (Ainsworth, 1973), only in a different direction. In early studies on zipper mode, infants were observed interacting with their caregivers, followed by being separated from them, then finally reunited. About 20% of the observed children were "resistant," meaning they were broken-hearted fifty-fifty before, and particularly during, the separation; and 20% were "avoidant," meaning they actively avoided their caregiver after separation (i.eastward., ignoring the mother when they were reunited). These early attachment patterns can affect the way people relate to ane another in machismo. Broken-hearted-resistant adults worry that others don't love them, and they often become frustrated or angry when their needs go unmet. Anxious-avoidant adults will appear non to care much about their intimate relationships, and are uncomfortable being depended on or depending on others themselves.


Table ane: Early on attachment and adult intimacy

The good news is that our attachment can exist inverse. It isn't easy, only information technology is possible for anyone to "recover" a secure attachment. The process ofttimes requires the aid of a supportive and dependable other, and for the insecure person to achieve coherence—the realization that his or her upbringing is not a permanent reflection of character or a reflection of the world at big, nor does information technology bar him or her from being worthy of love or others of existence trustworthy (Treboux, Crowell, & Waters, 2004).

Dating, Courting, and Cohabitation

Over time, the procedure of finding a mate has changed dramatically. In Victorian England, for instance, young women in loftier order trained for years in the arts—to sing, play music, dance, etch verse, etc. These skills were thought to exist vital to the courting ritual—a sit-in of feminine worthiness. In one case a woman was of marriageable age, she would attend dances and other public events every bit a means of displaying her availability. A young couple interested in one another would observe opportunities to spend fourth dimension together, such every bit taking a walk. That era had very different dating practices from today, in which teenagers have more freedom, more privacy, and can engagement more people.

Ane major difference in the mode people find a mate these days is the way we use engineering science to both expand and restrict the wedlock market—the procedure by which potential mates compare avails and liabilities of available prospects and choose the best pick (Benokraitis, 2015). Comparison marriage to a market might audio unromantic, merely recall of it equally a way to illustrate how people seek out bonny qualities in a mate. Modern technology has allowed us to aggrandize our "market" by assuasive us to search for potential partners all over the globe—as opposed to the days when people by and large relied on local dating pools. Engineering science also allows the states to filter out undesirable (admitting available) prospects at the outset, based on factors such as shared interests, age, and other features.

The use of filters to find the most desirable partner is a common practice, resulting in people marrying others very similar to themselves—a concept called homogamy; the opposite is known equally heterogamy (Burgess & Wallin, 1943). In his comparing of educational homogamy in 55 countries, Smits (2003) found potent back up for higher-educated people marrying other highly educated people. As such, teaching appears to be a strong filter people use to help them select a mate. The virtually common filters nosotros use—or, put some other manner, the characteristics nosotros focus on almost in potential mates—are age, race, social status, and religion (Regan, 2008). Other filters we utilize include compatibility, physical attractiveness (we tend to pick people who are as attractive equally nosotros are), and proximity (for practical reasons, nosotros ofttimes pick people shut to united states) (Klenke-Hamel & Janda, 1980).

In many countries, technology is increasingly used to help unmarried people find each other, and this may be especially true of older adults who are divorced or widowed, as there are few societally-structured activities for older singles. For example, younger people in school are unremarkably surrounded with many potential dating partners of a similar age and groundwork. As nosotros get older, this is less true, as we focus on our careers and find ourselves surrounded by co-workers of diverse ages, marital statuses, and backgrounds.

A young couple posing for wedding photos in traditional Indian attire.
In some countries, many people are coupled and committed to matrimony through arrangements fabricated past parents or professional person wedlock brokers. [Prototype: Ananabanana, http://goo.gl/gzCR0x, CC Past-NC-SA 2.0, http://goo.gl/iF4hmM]

In some cultures, however, information technology is not uncommon for the families of young people to do the work of finding a mate for them. For example, the Shanghai Marriage Market refers to the People's Park in Shanghai, Prc—a place where parents of unmarried adults see on weekends to trade information about their children in attempts to find suitable spouses for them (Bolsover, 2011). In Bharat, the marriage market refers to the use of marriage brokers or marriage bureaus to pair eligible singles together (Trivedi, 2013). To many Westerners, the idea of arranged union can seem puzzling. It can announced to take the romance out of the equation and violate values about personal freedom. On the other hand, some people in favor of bundled marriage fence that parents are able to brand more mature decisions than young people.

While such intrusions may seem inappropriate based on your upbringing, for many people of the world such help is expected, fifty-fifty appreciated. In Republic of india for case, "parental arranged marriages are largely preferred to other forms of marital choices" (Ramsheena & Gundemeda, 2015, p. 138). Of course, i'south religious and social degree plays a role in determining how involved family unit may be.

In terms of other notable shifts in mental attitude seen around the globe, an increase in cohabitation has been documented. Cohabitation is defined as an arrangement in which ii people who are romantically live together even though they are not married (Prinz, 1995). Cohabitation is mutual in many countries, with the Scandinavian nations of Iceland, Sweden, and Norway reporting the highest percentages, and more than traditional countries like India, Prc, and Nippon reporting low percentages (DeRose, 2011). In countries where cohabitation is increasingly common, there has been speculation as to whether or not cohabitation is at present part of the natural developmental progression of romantic relationships: dating and courtship, and so cohabitation, engagement, and finally marriage. Though, while many cohabitating arrangements ultimately lead to marriage, many practise not.

Engagement and Marriage

A bride and bride dressed in traditional white wedding gowns hold bouquets of flowers and smile for photos after a wedding ceremony.
While marriage is common across cultures, the details such equally "How" and "When" are often quite different. Now the "Who" of marriage is experiencing an important modify equally laws are updated in a growing number of countries and states to give same-sex couples the same rights and benefits through spousal relationship as heterosexual couples. [Image: Bart Vis, http://goo.gl/liSy9P, CC Past 2.0, http://goo.gl/T4qgSp]

Nigh people volition marry in their lifetime. In the majority of countries, 80% of men and women take been married past the historic period of 49 (United Nations, 2013). Despite how mutual matrimony remains, it has undergone some interesting shifts in contempo times. Around the globe, people are tending to get married subsequently in life or, increasingly, not at all. People in more developed countries (e.g., Nordic and Western Europe), for example, marry after in life—at an average age of xxx years. This is very unlike than, for instance, the economically developing land of Afghanistan, which has one of the lowest average-age statistics for marriage—at 20.2 years (United Nations, 2013). Some other shift seen around the world is a gender gap in terms of age when people get married. In every state, men ally later than women. Since the 1970's, the average age of marriage for women has increased from 21.eight to 24.7 years. Men have seen a similar increase in age at beginning union.

As illustrated, the courtship procedure can vary greatly around the world. And so also tin an appointment—a formal agreement to get married. Some of these differences are pocket-sized, such equally on which hand an engagement ring is worn. In many countries information technology is worn on the left, but in Russia, Federal republic of germany, Kingdom of norway, and Republic of india, women wear their ring on their right. There are likewise more than overt differences, such every bit who makes the proposal. In India and Pakistan, it is not uncommon for the family of the groom to propose to the family unit of the bride, with piddling to no involvement from the bride and groom themselves. In most Western industrialized countries, it is traditional for the male person to advise to the female. What types of engagement traditions, practices, and rituals are common where you lot are from? How are they changing?

Children?

Do you desire children? Do you lot already accept children? Increasingly, families are postponing or non having children. Families that choose to forego having children are known as childfree families, while families that want but are unable to conceive are referred to as childless families. As more young people pursue their education and careers, age at first marriage has increased; similarly, then has the age at which people get parents. The average age for beginning-fourth dimension mothers is 25 in the United States (upward from 21 in 1970), 29.4 in Switzerland, and 29.2 in Japan (Matthews & Hamilton, 2014).

The decision to become a parent should not be taken lightly. At that place are positives and negatives associated with parenting that should be considered. Many parents report that having children increases their well-being (White & Dolan, 2009). Researchers accept also found that parents, compared to their non-parent peers, are more positive most their lives (Nelson, Kushlev, English, Dunn, & Lyubomirsky, 2013). On the other hand, researchers have also found that parents, compared to non-parents, are more probable to be depressed, written report lower levels of marital quality, and feel similar their relationship with their partner is more businesslike than intimate (Walker, 2011).

If you exercise become a parent, your parenting style will affect your child'south hereafter success in romantic and parenting relationships. Administrative parenting, arguably the all-time parenting mode, is both demanding and supportive of the child (Maccoby & Martin, 1983). Support refers to the amount of amore, acceptance, and warmth a parent provides. Demandingness refers to the caste a parent controls his/her child'due south behavior. Children who accept authoritative parents are generally happy, capable, and successful (Maccoby, 1992).

Tabular array 2: Four parenting styles

Other, less advantageous parenting styles include authoritarian (in contrast to authoritative), permissive, and uninvolved (Tavassolie, Dudding, Madigan, Thorvardarson, & Winsler, 2016). Authoritarian parents are low in support and high in demandingness. Arguably, this is the parenting style used by Harry Potter's harsh aunt and uncle, and Cinderella's vindictive stepmother. Children who receive disciplinarian parenting are more than likely to be obedient and proficient, but score lower in happiness, social competence, and self-esteem. Permissive parents are high in support and depression in demandingness. Their children rank low in happiness and self-regulation, and are more likely to accept bug with authorisation. Uninvolved parents are low in both support and demandingness. Children of these parents tend to rank lowest beyond all life domains, lack self-control, have low cocky-esteem, and are less competent than their peers.

Support for the benefits of authoritative parenting has been institute in countries every bit diverse equally the Czechia (Dmitrieva, Chen, Greenberger, & Gil-Rivas, 2004), Republic of india (Carson, Chowdhurry, Perry, & Pati, 1999), Prc (Pilgrim, Luo, Urberg, & Fang, 1999), Israel (Mayseless, Scharf, & Sholt, 2003), and Palestine (Punamaki, Qouta, & Sarraj, 1997). In fact, authoritative parenting appears to be superior in Western, individualistic societies—so much so that some people have argued that there is no longer a need to written report it (Steinberg, 2001). Other researchers are less certain near the superiority of authoritative parenting and point to differences in cultural values and beliefs. For example, while many European-American children practise poorly with as well much strictness (authoritarian parenting), Chinese children oftentimes do well, specially academically. The reason for this likely stems from Chinese culture viewing strictness in parenting as related to training, which is not cardinal to American parenting (Chao, 1994).

Parenting in Later Life

Just considering children grow upward does not mean their family stops beingness a family. The concept of family persists across the entire lifespan, but the specific roles and expectations of its members change over time. One major alter comes when a kid reaches adulthood and moves away. When exactly children leave home varies greatly depending on societal norms and expectations, as well as on economical conditions such as employment opportunities and affordable housing options. Some parents may experience sadness when their adult children get out the domicile—a situation known as Empty Nest.

A family photo of four generations of men from great grandfather to great grandson.
When one's children reach adulthood information technology doesn't mean that parenting stops. Boomerang kids and multigenerational households that include aging parents are increasingly mutual. [Image: davidmulder61, http://goo.gl/eGPT5i, CC BY-SA 2.0, http://goo.gl/S6i0RI]

Many parents are likewise finding that their grown children are struggling to launch into independence. It's an increasingly mutual story: a child goes off to higher and, upon graduation, is unable to detect steady employment. In such instances, a frequent outcome is for the kid to return home, becoming a "boomerang kid." The boomerang generation, equally the phenomenon has come up to be known, refers to young adults, generally between the ages of 25 and 34, who return home to live with their parents while they strive for stability in their lives—often in terms of finances, living arrangements, and sometimes romantic relationships. These boomerang kids tin can be both good and bad for families. Inside American families, 48% of boomerang kids report having paid rent to their parents, and 89% say they assistance out with household expenses—a win for anybody (Parker, 2012). On the other hand, 24% of boomerang kids report that returning habitation hurts their relationship with their parents (Parker, 2012). For amend or for worse, the number of children returning dwelling has been increasing effectually the globe.

In addition to middle-aged parents spending more time, money, and energy taking care of their developed children, they are also increasingly taking intendance of their ain aging and ailing parents. Centre-aged people in this set of circumstances are unremarkably referred to every bit the sandwich generation (Dukhovnov & Zagheni, 2015). Of class, cultural norms and practices once more come into play. In some Asian and Hispanic cultures, the expectation is that adult children are supposed to take care of crumbling parents and parents-in-law. In other Western cultures—cultures that emphasize individuality and self-sustainability—the expectation has historically been that elders either historic period in place, modifying their dwelling house and receiving services to allow them to continue to live independently, or enter long-term care facilities. Yet, given fiscal constraints, many families find themselves taking in and caring for their aging parents, increasing the number of multigenerational homes around the world.

Family unit Bug and Considerations

Divorce

Divorce refers to the legal dissolution of a marriage. Depending on societal factors, divorce may be more or less of an option for married couples. Despite popular belief, divorce rates in the United States actually declined for many years during the 1980s and 1990s, and only just recently started to climb dorsum upward—landing at just below 50% of marriages ending in divorce today (Marriage & Divorce, 2016); nonetheless, it should be noted that divorce rates increase for each subsequent marriage, and there is considerable argue almost the exact divorce rate. Are at that place specific factors that can predict divorce? Are certain types of people or certain types of relationships more or less at risk for breaking up? Indeed, there are several factors that announced to be either risk factors or protective factors.

Pursuing education decreases the run a risk of divorce. So too does waiting until nosotros are older to marry. Too, if our parents are still married we are less probable to divorce. Factors that increase our chance of divorce include having a child before marriage and living with multiple partners earlier union, known as serial cohabitation (cohabitation with one's expected martial partner does non appear to have the aforementioned result). And, of course, societal and religious attitudes must also be taken into account. In societies that are more than accepting of divorce, divorce rates tend to be college. As well, in religions that are less accepting of divorce, divorce rates tend to be lower. See Lyngstad & Jalovaara (2010) for a more thorough give-and-take of divorce risk.

Protective and risk factors for divorce summarized from the text.
Tabular array 3: Divorce Factors

If a couple does divorce, in that location are specific considerations they should take into account to assist their children cope. Parents should reassure their children that both parents will keep to honey them and that the divorce is in no mode the children'due south fault. Parents should likewise encourage open communication with their children and be careful not to bias them against their "ex" or use them as a ways of pain their "ex" (Denham, 2013; Harvey & Fine, 2004; Pescosoido, 2013).

Abuse

Corruption can occur in multiple forms and across all family relationships. Breiding, Basile, Smith, Black, & Mahendra (2015) ascertain the forms of abuse equally:

  • Physical abuse, the utilise of intentional physical force to crusade harm. Scratching, pushing, shoving, throwing, grabbing, biting, choking, shaking, slapping, punching, and hit are common forms of physical abuse;
  • Sexual corruption, the human action of forcing someone to participate in a sex deed against his or her will. Such abuse is oftentimes referred to as sexual assail or rape. A marital relationship does not grant anyone the right to need sexual practice or sexual practice from anyone, even a spouse;
  • Psychological abuse, aggressive behavior that is intended to control someone else. Such corruption can include threats of concrete or sexual abuse, manipulation, bullying, and stalking.

Abuse between partners is referred to as intimate partner violence; all the same, such abuse can also occur between a parent and child (kid abuse), adult children and their crumbling parents (elder abuse), and fifty-fifty between siblings.

The most common form of abuse betwixt parents and children is actually that of neglect. Neglect refers to a family'southward failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, medical, or educational needs (DePanfilis, 2006). Harry Potter's aunt and uncle, too as Cinderella'south stepmother, could all be prosecuted for neglect in the real world.

Abuse is a circuitous outcome, especially within families. There are many reasons people become abusers: poverty, stress, and substance abuse are mutual characteristics shared by abusers, although corruption tin can happen in any family. There are also many reasons adults stay in abusive relationships: (a) learned helplessness (the abused person assertive he or she has no command over the situation); (b) the conventionalities that the abuser can/will modify; (c) shame, guilt, self-arraign, and/or fearfulness; and (d) economic dependence. All of these factors tin can play a part.

Children who experience abuse may "act out" or otherwise answer in a diverseness of unhealthful means. These include acts of cocky-devastation, withdrawal, and aggression, as well equally struggles with depression, anxiety, and academic performance. Researchers have found that abused children'due south brains may produce higher levels of stress hormones. These hormones can pb to decreased brain development, lower stress thresholds, suppressed allowed responses, and lifelong difficulties with learning and retention (Middlebrooks & Audage, 2008).

Adoption

Divorce and abuse are important concerns, but not all family hurdles are negative. Ane instance of a positive family unit upshot is adoption. Adoption has long historical roots (it is fifty-fifty mentioned in the Bible) and involves taking in and raising someone else'south kid legally as one's ain. Condign a parent is 1 of the most fulfilling things a person can do (Gallup & Newport, 1990), but even with modern reproductive technologies, not all couples who would like to have children (which is still most) are able to. For these families, adoption often allows them to feel whole—past completing their family.

In 2013, in the U.s., there were over 100,000 children in foster care (where children go when their biological families are unable to adequately treat them) available for adoption (Soronen, 2013). In total, virtually 2% of the U.S. kid population is adopted, either through foster care or through individual domestic or international adoption (Adopted Children, 2012). Adopting a child from the foster intendance system is relatively inexpensive, costing $0-$2,500, with many families qualifying for state-subsidized support (Soronen, 2013).

A mother and two adopted daughters.
Adoption is an important pick for creating or expanding a family. Foster care adoptions and international adoptions are both mutual. Regardless of why a family chooses to prefer and from where, traits such every bit patience, flexibility and strong problem-solving skills are desirable for adoptive parents. [Image: Steven Depolo, https://goo.gl/ElGvwe, CC BY ii.0, https://goo.gl/BRvSA7]

For years, international adoptions accept been popular. In the United States, betwixt 1999 and 2014, 256,132 international adoptions occurred, with the largest number of children coming from Mainland china (73,672) and Russia (46,113) (Intercountry Adoption, 2016). People in the Usa, Spain, France, Italian republic, and Canada adopt the largest numbers of children (Selman, 2009). More than recently, however, international adoptions have begun to decrease. One significant complication is that each land has its own set up of requirements for adoption, as does each country from which an adopted child originates. Every bit such, the adoption procedure can vary profoundly, especially in terms of cost, and countries are able to constabulary who adopts their children. For example, single, obese, or over-50 individuals are not allowed to prefer a kid from China (Bartholet, 2007).

Regardless of why a family chooses to adopt, traits such every bit flexibility, patience, stiff trouble-solving skills, and a willingness to identify local community resources are highly favorable for the prospective parents to possess. Additionally, it may be helpful for adoptive parents to recognize that they do not accept to exist "perfect" parents as long equally they are loving and willing to meet the unique challenges their adopted child may pose.

Happy Healthy Families

Our families play a crucial role in our overall development and happiness. They tin support and validate usa, but they can likewise criticize and burden us. For better or worse, we all have a family. In closing, here are strategies you can use to increase the happiness of your family:

  • Teach morality—fostering a sense of moral development in children can promote well-being (Damon, 2004).
  • Savor the good—gloat each other's successes (Gable, Gonzaga & Strachman, 2006).
  • Use the extended family network—family members of all ages, including older siblings and grandparents, who tin can act every bit caregivers can promote family well-beingness (Armstrong, Birnie-Lefcovitch & Ungar, 2005).
  • Create family unit identity—share inside jokes, addicted memories, and frame the story of the family (McAdams, 1993).
  • Forgive—Don't hold grudges confronting 1 some other (McCullough, Worthington & Rachal, 1997).

Outside Resources

Commodity: Social Trends Constitute: The Sustainable Demographic Dividend
http://sustaindemographicdividend.org/articles/international-family unit-indicators/global-family-culture
Video: TED Talk: What Makes a Skillful Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness

Web: Child Trends and Social Trends Institute: Mapping Family unit Change and Well-Being Outcomes
http://worldfamilymap.ifstudies.org/2015/
Web: Pew Research Middle: Family and Relationships
http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/family-and-relationships/
Spider web: PSYCHALIVE: Psychology for Everyday Life: Relationships
http://world wide web.psychalive.org/category/live-to-intimacy/
Spider web: United States Census Bureau: Families and Living Arrangements
http://world wide web.census.gov/topics/families.html

Discussion Questions

  1. Throughout this module many 'shifts' are mentioned—shifts in division of labor, family roles, marital expectations, divorce, and societal and cultural norms, among others, were discussed. What shift do y'all find most interesting and why? What types of shifts exercise you think nosotros might see in the hereafter?
  2. In the reading nosotros discuss different parenting practices. Much of the literature suggests that authoritative parenting is best. Practice you agree? Why or why not? Are there times when you think some other parenting style would be meliorate?
  3. The section on divorce discusses specific factors that increase or subtract the chances of divorce. Based on your background, are yous more or less at risk for divorce? Consider things near your family of orientation, culture, religious practices and beliefs, age, and educational goals. How does this risk brand you feel?
  4. The module ends with some tips for happy, healthy families. Are there specific things you could be doing in your own life to make for a happier, healthier family? What are some concrete things you could commencement doing immediately to increase happiness in your family?

Vocabulary

Adoption
To have in and raise a child of other parents legally every bit one's own.
Age in place
The trend toward making accommodations to ensure that aging people tin stay in their homes and live independently.
Anxious-avoidant
Attachment style that involves suppressing one'south ain feelings and desires, and a difficulty depending on others.
Anxious-resistant
Attachment style that is self-critical, insecure, and fearful of rejection.
Attachment theory
Theory that describes the enduring patterns of relationships from birth to death.
Authoritarian parenting
Parenting manner that is loftier is demandingness and depression in support.
Authoritative parenting
A parenting style that is loftier in demandingness and loftier in back up.
Composite family
A family unit consisting of an adult couple and their children from previous relationships.
Boomerang generation
Term used to depict young adults, primarily between the ages of 25 and 34, who return home afterwards previously living on their own.
Kid abuse
Injury, expiry, or emotional impairment to a child caused past a parent or caregiver, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Childfree
Term used to describe people who purposefully choose not to have children.
Childless
Term used to describe people who would like to have children but are unable to conceive.
Cohabitation
Arrangement where two single adults live together.
Coherence
Within attachment theory, the gaining of insight into and reconciling one's childhood experiences.
Elder abuse
Any course of mistreatment that results in harm to an elder person, ofttimes caused past his/her adult child.
Empty Nest
Feelings of sadness and loneliness that parents may experience when their adult children leave the home for the beginning time.
Engagement
Formal agreement to get married.
Family unit of orientation
The family unit one is built-in into.
Family unit of procreation
The family unit one creates, commonly through marriage.
Family unit systems theory
Theory that says a person cannot be understood on their own, but as a member of a unit.
Foster intendance
Intendance provided by culling families to children whose families of orientation cannot adequately intendance for them; oftentimes arranged through the government or a social service bureau.
Heterogamy
Partnering with someone who is unlike you in a meaningful way.
Homogamy
Partnering with someone who is like you in a meaningful way.
Intimate partner violence
Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse inflicted by a partner.
Joint family
A family unit comprised of at least three generations living together. Articulation families ofttimes include many members of the extended family.
Learned helplessness
The belief, as someone who is abused, that one has no control over his or her situation.
Matrimony market
The process through which prospective spouses compare avails and liabilities of available partners and choose the best available mate.
Modern family
A family unit based on delivery, caring, and close emotional ties.
Multigenerational homes
Homes with more than 1 developed generation.
Neglect
Failure to care for someone properly.
Nuclear families
A cadre family unit of measurement comprised of merely the parents and children.
Permissive parenting
Parenting that is low in demandingness and high in back up.
Concrete abuse
The utilise of intentional physical force to crusade harm.
Psychological abuse
Aggressive behavior intended to control a partner.
Sandwich generation
Generation of people responsible for taking care of their own children too as their aging parents.
Second shift
Term used to draw the unpaid piece of work a parent, ordinarily a mother, does in the dwelling in terms of housekeeping and childrearing.
Secure attachments
Attachment style that involves being comfortable with depending on your partner and having your partner depend on you.
Sexual abuse
The act of forcing a partner to take office in a sex act against his or her volition.
Single parent family
An individual parent raising a child or children.
Stepfamily
A family unit formed, afterward divorce or widowhood, through remarriage.
Traditional family
Two or more people related past claret, spousal relationship, and—occasionally-- by adoption.
Ii-parent family unit
A family unit consisting of two parents—typical both of the biological parents-- and their children.
Uninvolved parenting
Parenting that is low in demandingness and depression in support.
Working models
An understanding of how relationships operate; viewing oneself as worthy of love and others every bit trustworthy.

References

  • Adopted Children (2012). Kid Trends Data Bank. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=adopted-children.
  • Ainsworth, Thou. D. S. (1973). The development of infant-female parent attachment. In B. Cardwell & H. Ricciuti (Eds.), Review of kid development enquiry (Vol. 3, pp. one-94). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Armstrong, 1000., Birnie-Lefcovitch, S. & Ungar, One thousand.T. (2005). Pathways between social support, family well-existence, quality of parenting, and child resilience: What we know. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 269-281.
  • Bartholet, E. (2007). International adoption: Thoughts on the human rights issues. Harvard Police force School Faculty Scholarship Serial, Paper 21.
  • Benokraitis, N. V. (2015). Marriages & families: Changes, choices, and constraints (eighth Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Bailiwick of jersey: Pearson.
  • Bolsover, G. (2011). What'due south it similar inside Shanghai's 'marriage market'? CNN. Retrieved from http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/life/people-behind-paper-846851/
  • Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practise. New York: Aronson.
  • Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment. Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Loss. New York: Basic Books
  • Breiding, Yard. J., Basile, K. C., Smith, South. G., Black, Yard. C., & Mahendra, R. (2015). Intimate Partner Violence Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements. Centre for Affliction Control and Prevention, Version two.0.
  • Burgess, E. Due west. & Locke, H. J. (1945). The family: From institution to companionship. New York: The American Volume Co.
  • Burgess, East. W. & Wallin, P. (1943). Homogamy in social characteristics. American Journal of Folklore, 49, 109-124.
  • Carson, D., Chowdhurry, A., Perry, C., & Pati, C. (1999). Family characteristics and adolescent competence in India: Investigation of youth in southern Orissa. Periodical of Youth and Adolescence, 28. 211-233.
  • Chao, R. K. (1994). Beyond parental command and authoritarian parenting style: Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of preparation. Kid Development, 65, 1111-1119.
  • Croft, A. Schmader, T., Block, K. & Scott Baron, A. (2014). The 2nd shift reflected in the second generation: Practise parents' gender roles at dwelling house predict children's aspirations? Psychological Science, 25, 1418-1428.
  • Damon, West. (2004). What is positive youth development? Annals of the American University of Political and Social Science, 591, 13-24
  • DePanfilis, D. (2006). Child Fail: A Guide for Prevention, Cess, and Intervention. Child Corruption and Neglect User Transmission Series. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • DeRose, L. (2011). International family unit indicators: Global family structure. In The Sustainable Demographic Dividend: What do Union and Fertility take to do with the Economic system? Charlottesville, VA: The National Marriage Project.
  • Denham, Eastward. (2013). Keeping kids out of the middle. Huffington Post, February 22.
  • Dmitrieva, J., Chen, C., Greenberger, Eastward., & Gil-Rivas, 5. (2004). Family relationships and boyish psychosocial outcomes: Converging findings from Eastern and Western cultures. Journal of Research on Adolescence, xiv, 425-447.
  • Dukhovnov, D. & Zagheni, E. (2015). Who takes care of whom in the United States? Time transfers by age and sex activity. Population and Development Review, 41, 183-206.
  • Gable, Due south.L., Gonzaga, G.C. & Strachman, A. (2006). Will you exist there for me when things become correct? Supportive responses to positive result disclosures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 904-917.
  • Gallup, G., Jr., & Newport, T. (1990). Virtually all adults want children, but many of the reasons are intangible. Gallup Poll Monthly (June): eight-22.
  • Harris, (2015). Iii in Five Americans Currently Have a Pet, and They Bear witness Their Love in Some Interesting Ways. Retrieved from http://www.theharrispoll.com/health-and-life/Pets-are-Members-of-the-Family unit.html
  • Harvey, J. H. & Fine, M. A. (2004). Children of divorce: Stories of loss and growth. Rahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Hochschild, A. & Machung, A. (2012). The 2nd shift: Working families and the revolution at home. New York, NY: Penguin.
  • Intercountry Adoption (2016). Bureau of Consular Affairs—U.Due south. Department of State. Retrieved from https://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/statistics.html.
  • Klenke, K. East. & Janda, 50. H. (1980). Exploring Human being Sexuality. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
  • Lyngstad, T. H. & Jalovaara, K. (2010). A review of the antecedents of marriage dissolution. Demographic Research, 23, 257-292.
  • Maccoby, E. East. (1992). The role of parents in the socialization of children: An historical overview. Developmental Psychology, 28, 1006-1017.
  • Maccoby, E. Due east. & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (quaternary ed.). New York: Wiley.
  • Spousal relationship & divorce (March, 2016). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/alphabetize.aspx
  • Matthews, T. J. & Hamilton, B. E. (2014). First births to older women continue to rise. NCHS Data Brief, No. 152.
  • Mayseless, O., Scharf, 1000., & Sholt, G. (2003). From administrative parenting practices to an disciplinarian context: Exploring the person-environment fit. Journal of Enquiry on Boyhood, 17, 23-50.
  • McAdams, D. P. (1993). The stories we alive by: Personal myths and the making of the self. New York: Guilford Printing.
  • McCullough, M. East., Worthington, E.L. & Rachal, M. (1997). Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 321-336.
  • Middlebrooks, J. Due south. & Audage, N. C. (2008). The Furnishings of Childhood Stress on Health Beyond the Lifespan. Centers for Affliction Command and Prevention, National Heart for Injury Prevention and Command. Atlanta, GA.
  • Murdock, G. P. (1949). Social structure. Oxford, England: Macmillan.
  • Nelson, S. Thou., Kushlev, K. English language, T., Dunn, E. Westward., & Lyubomirsky, South. L. (2013). In defense of parenthood: Children are associated with more joy than misery. Psychological Scientific discipline, 24, 3-x.
  • Parker, K. (2012). The boomerang generation: Feeling OK near living with mom and dad. Pew Social & Demographic Trends. Pew Research Center: Washington, DC.
  • Pilgrim, C., Luo, Q., Urberg, Grand. A., & Fang, X. (1999). Influence of peers, parents, and individual characteristics on adolescent drug employ in two cultures. Merril-Palmer Quarterly, 45, 85-107.
  • Prinz, C. (1995). Cohabiting, married, or single: Portraying, analyzing, and modeling new living arrangements in changing societies in Europe. Aldershot, U.k.: Avebury.
  • Punamaki, R., Qouta, S., & Sarraj, E. (1997). Models of traumatic experiences and children'due south psychological adjustment: The roles of perceived parenting and the children's own resource and action. Child Evolution, 68, 718-728.
  • Ramsheena, C. A. & Gundemeda, N. (2015). Youth and marriage: A report of changing marital choices among the university students in India. Journal of Folklore and Social Anthropology, 6, 137-147.
  • Regan, P. C. (2008). The wedlock game: A primer on love, sex, and marriage. New York: Sage Publication.
  • Selman, P. (2009). The rise and fall of intercountry adoption in the 21st century. International Social Work, 52, 575-594.
  • Smits, J. (2003). Social closure among the higher educated: trends in educational homogamy in 55 countries. Social Science Research, 32, 251-277.
  • Soronen, R. L. (2013). National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey. Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption conducted by Harris Interactive.
  • Steinberg, L. (2001). We know some things: Adolescent-parent relationships in retrospect and prospect. Periodical of Research on Adolescence, 11, 1-19.
  • Tavassolie, T., Dudding, S., Madigan, A. L., Thorvardarson, E., & Winsler, A. (2016). Differences in perceived parenting style between mothers and fathers: Implications for child outcomes and marital conflict. Journal of Child and Family Studies. doi: 10.1007/s10826-016-0376-y
  • Treboux, D., Crowell, J. A., & Waters, E. (2004). When "new" meets "one-time": Configurations of adult zipper representations and their implications for marital functioning. Developmental Psychology, twoscore, 295-314.
  • Trivedi, A. (2013). In New Delhi, women marry up and men are left behind. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/in-delhi-women-ally-up-and-men-are-left-behind/?_r=0
  • United nations (2013). World Union Data 2012. Department of Economical and Social Affairs. Population Partitioning. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WMD2012/MainFrame.html
  • Veldkamp, East. (2009). The emergence of "pets as family unit" and the socio-historical development of pet funerals in Nihon. Anthrozoos, 22, 333-346.
  • Walker, E. L. (2011). Consummate without kids: An insider's guide to childfree living by option or by gamble. Austin, TX: Greenleaf Book Group.
  • White, M. P. & Dolan, P. (2009). Bookkeeping for the richness of daily activities. Psychological Science, 20, 1000-08.

Authors

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commerical Share-Alike The Family by Joel A. Muraco is licensed nether a Artistic Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the telescopic of this license may exist bachelor in our Licensing Agreement.

How to cite this Noba module using APA Style

Muraco, J. A. (2022). The family. In R. Biswas-Diener & Due east. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook serial: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/3htscypq