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Family Structure
Question A.
Family development theory is a scientific approach to identifying and understanding families. The term family in this context means a social group where there is at least one parent-child relationship. The theory explains the systematic and patterned changes that family setups undergo through their family career. There are various family setups, one being the nuclear family. The nuclear family set comprises of the father and/or mother, as well as the children (Dollahite, & Rommel, 1993).
In accordance with the family development theory, the first stage comprises of a man and a woman joining in marriage to establish their family. During this stage, the couples re-establish their identity, make the necessary bonds with the extended family and deliberate on issues regarding parenthood. The second stage begins when the children are already born and are infants. During this stage, the family integrates the children into the family; the parents take on the new parenting roles presented by the situation and maintain the family bond.
In the third stage, the family deals with the children as preschoolers and they adjust themselves to the separation posed. In the fourth stage, the children have been fully integrated in the school life. They start interacting with their peers with the parents making the relevant adjustments. During stage five, the parents start grappling with the issues associated with teenage children while in stage six, the parents and young adults establish different identities. During stage seven, the family is in the middle age and it aligns itself to include in-laws and grand children. In stage eight, the family is now very old. The parents are in their retirement age and some start preparing for their own deaths (Bretherton, 1993).
This particular reading of the family has been of interest to me. What struck me most is the detailed study in the different issues facing the family, and adjustments made by the family in facing these issues. Using this theory, the family setup can start preparing for future stages such that when they do arrive, the family is ready and well informed to adjust.
Question B.
There lies a major difference between the Life Course Perspective and the Family Development Theory. The major difference is that the Life Course Perspective gives its focus to the individual in the family setup whereas the Family Development Theory tends to focus on the whole family as a group. The Life Course Perspective defines the family as a dynamic system that develops with time. This system is dynamic as it evolves to adapt to the new situations presented at each life cycle stage. The different life cycle stages are inclusive of the time the child is born irrespective of whether it was within or outside the marriage, when the child begins to attend school, finishes school and leaves home to fend for himself. The theory also looks into account the increasing aspects of divorces and remarriage. The theory has come in handy to many family demographers and ethnographers (Boss, Doherty, LaRossa, Schumm, & Steinmetz, 1993).
The family structure of most interest to me is the nuclear family setup. The Life Course Perspective is a very useful concept in studying the nuclear family set up for a number of reasons. The first one is that the theory introduces a dynamic perspective into the different needs of the family and planning for the future. Having detailed information regarding the life cycle stage of a given family in the society has several advantages. The first is that it helps in the identification of the contributions made to society by the family and the potential needs of the family (Baumrind, 1987).
The Life Course Perspective is also very useful as it helps “normalize” family and individual problems. The perspective views problems as general conventional reactions to the diverse transitions as opposed to viewing them as evidence of deep-seated issues.
References
Baumrind, D. (1987). A developmental perspective on adolescent risk-taking in contemporary America. C. E. Irwin (ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc.
Boss, P.G., Doherty, W. J., LaRossa, R., Schumm, W. R., & Steinmetz, S. K. (1993). Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach. New York: Plenum Press.
Bretherton, I. (1993). Theoretical contributions from developmental psychology. P.G. Boss, W.J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W.R. Schumm, & S.K. Steinmetz, (eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 275-297). New York: Plenum Press.
Dollahite, D.C., & Rommel, J. I. (1993). Individual and relationship capital: Implications for theory and research on families. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 14(1), 27-48.
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