2. 2
Learning Objectives
1) Learn about the structure, organization
and functioning of families
2) Learn about the unique stresses
associated with families of varying
composition
3. 3
There are a variety of ways of knowing
and understanding families:
A. Anthropology
views the family as the source and
carrier of culture
B. Social Psychology
sees families as small groups with
tasks to successfully master
4. 4
Understanding Families (cont.)
C. Developmental psychology
studies the environment within
which children are raised and grow
into themselves
5. 5
Understanding Families (cont.)
D. Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry
As the environment within which
normal or abnormal behavior begins,
takes hold and becomes the patterns
enacted by children
6. 6
Understanding Families (cont.)
E. As the base for all members to
experience connection and belonging
while each experiences simultaneously
the push toward autonomy and
independence
7. 7
Understanding Families (cont.)
F. As the environment within which
children learn to know, experience and
modulate their emotions through
relationships with attachment figures
8. 8
Understanding Families (cont.)
G. As a system where the whole is greater
than the sum of the parts and where
each individual affects and is affected
by every other individual
9. 9
Families offer:
An experience of connection with history
Stories of ancestors which offer meaning
and value to lives
A sense of identity through identification
with family members
10. 10
Families offer (cont.):
A safe haven in which to relax and
experience acceptance and regard
A set of relationships within which one
experiences care and guidance and the
opportunity to care for and guide others
11. 11
Families are also places within which
Physical intimacy among some members is
sanctioned
And is also forbidden among other
members
12. 12
Families have very specific tasks:
Gathering enough resources to ensure
survival
Procreation and looking after immature
children
Promoting maturation and successful
aging and loss
Providing enough empathetic connection
to encourage attention to the above tasks
13. 13
Variables of interest in understanding
families:
Functional collaboration
Gender expectations
Power
Responsibility
Warmth
Positive support
Cultural background and difference
14. 14
Family Coherence
Basic Building Blocks of Family Life
– Coherence
– Organization
– Communication
– Values and Beliefs
15. 15
Coherence
A sense of uniqueness and identity of the
family
A sense of membership, inclusion and
belonging
A sense of personal space and voice
A recognition of developmental status and
skills
Accommodation to individual differences
16. 16
Coherence (cont.)
A secure base for emotional expression and
regulation
A recognition of the shared effort to pursue
family activities such as providing safety,
nurturance and socialization
The shared capacity to resolve conflict
To reflect on family strengths, capacities and
areas of difficulty
To reflect upon the family as members see it.
17. 17
Family Adaptability and Reactions
to Change
Recognition of stress or change
Labeling of the challenge
Developing a shared approach to the
problem
18. 18
Family Adaptability and Reactions
to Change (cont.)
Utilizing the family as a focal point for
developing and evaluating stress
management strategies
The role of family coherence in these
family actions
19. 19
Family Coherence and Individual
Resilience
The role of belonging
Family attachment as an affect monitor and
mediator of emotional expression
The role of family myths
The role of family competence in building
individual self-esteem
The role of ritual and celebration
20. 20
When Family Coherence Fails
The possibility of multiple definitions of
the family
Too rigidly defined family views failing to
accept individual difference
21. 21
When Family Coherence Fails (cont.)
The role of individual temperamental
factors and non shared environment
Family behavior amplifying affective
responses, leading to isolation and
scapegoating
23. 23
Partner Relationship: Important
Features (Cont.)
Negotiation of cultural integration
Negotiation of connection to extended
family
Negotiation of location and career
intensity
Negotiation of sexual behavior and leisure
activities
26. 26
Nurturance Requires (cont.)
D.) Reinforcement for providing for the
child
Support from important adults
Clear response from the child-
satiation, comfort, satisfaction,
quieting
Infant’s social responsiveness
connects the child with caretakers
27. 27
Nurturance Requires (cont.)
E.) Empathic capacity to infer infant’s
needs
Appreciation of intentionality of
infant
Reflectiveness on the parents’ part
leading to an appreciation of
reciprocal selfhood
28. 28
Nurturance Requires (cont.)
F. Absence of compelling consistent
concerns (addiction, severe poverty,
depression, spouse abuse, severe
marital disruption)
29. 29
II. Structure Requires
A. Capacity to appreciate developmental
abilities
B. Avoidance of polarized adult
interactions
30. 30
Structure Requires (cont.)
C. Acceptance of responsibility for child
D. Willingness to distance from the child
enough to set a limit
31. 31
Structure Requires (cont.)
E. Capacity to define the child’s world so
that competence develops
F. Utilizing the child’s responsiveness to
limits to reinforce future adherence
32. 32
Structure Requires (cont.)
G. Providing a sense that limits occur
through knowledge of the child and the
capacity to appreciate his/her skills and
needs
34. 34
Affiliation Requires (cont.)
C. Willingness to accept and appreciate
the child as he/she is
D. Appreciation of the child’s affective
responses as legitimate
35. 35
Affiliation Requires (cont.)
E. Willingness to respond to the child’s
affective expression with knowledge
and neither dismissiveness, anxiety nor
disorganization
36. 36
IV. Attachment Requires
A. Capacity for affect expression and
modulation
B. Sense that relationships provide
knowing, definition, safety and
ultimately self-expression and self-
awareness
37. 37
Attachment Requires (cont.)
C. Recognition that stress can be dealt
with socially and affectively
D. Synchrony exists between connection,
calming, safety and competence
38. 38
Variations in Family Structure
Single-parent family
Divorcing family/post-
divorce family
Blended family
Grandparent-or kin-
headed family
Foster care family
Adoptive family
Gay and lesbian
parents
Unmarried couple
as parents
Bicultural family
39. 39
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Single-Parent Families
Economic concerns
Need for social support
Relationship of children with noncustodial
parent
Balance among home, child rearing, and
work
Relationship with and support from
extended family
40. 40
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Single-Parent Families (cont.)
Balance between nurturance and limit
setting for children throughout
development
Maintaining a positive relationship with
children and between siblings
Time pressures
Need for fulfilling personal and social life
41. 41
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Single-Parent Families (cont.)
Recognizing strengths and
accomplishments
Accepting and grieving losses
Collaboration with noncustodial parent
Added burden of health or mental health
concerns of parent and children
42. 42
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Single-Parent Families (cont.)
Negotiations with school, child care
providers, and community supports
Dealing with cultural and community
attitudes
43. 43
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Blended Families
Introducing the children to a new adult
Parental decision to remarry
Determine step-parenting roles and
responsibilities
Facilitating relationship between
stepparents and children
44. 44
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Blended Families (cont.)
Facilitating relationship between
stepchildren
Developing methods of dealing with ex-
spouse(s)
Potential for moving and relocating
Engaging stepparent in health and mental
health treatment for the children
45. 45
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Blended Families (cont.)
Dealing with adaptation to the new family,
including resolving differences and
conflicts in the new marriage
Developing relationships with new
extended family
46. 46
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Blended Families (cont.)
Preparing for birth of children in the new
marriage
Realizing the potential for dissolution of
the new marriage and the impact of this
on the children
47. 47
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Grandparent/Kin-headed Families
Appreciating the stress associated with
relocating the child
Dealing with grandparent (kin) reactions to
natural parent’s inability to raise the child
Assisting the child with the emotional
reaction to loss or inconsistency of natural
parent and previous poor treatment or care
48. 48
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Grandparent/kin-headed Families
(cont.)
Allowing room for involvement of natural
parent as appropriate
Dealing with economic concerns, including
finances for child rearing
Dealing with custody ambiguities
Grandparent health or mental health
concerns
49. 49
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Grandparent/kin-headed Families
(cont.)
Dealing with inconsistencies between
natural parent and grandparent or kin
child-rearing practices
Integrating the children with other
household members
50. 50
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Grandparent/kin-headed Families
(cont.)
Dealing with social service, education, and
health and mental health systems
effectively
Encouraging time and respite for all family
members
51. 51
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Foster Care Families
Ensuring foster care family availability,
certification, training, and adequacy of
living situation
Establishing collaborative relationship
among foster family, social service agency,
mental health professionals, and the
children (as appropriate)
52. 52
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Foster Care Families (cont.)
Ensuring adequate economic resources for
family life
Dealing with the child’s reaction to
parental loss and relocation
Providing information to the children
about reasons for and duration of foster
care
53. 53
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Foster Care Families (cont.)
Assisting the children with mental health
problems, including responses to previous
trauma or loss
Assisting the children with reestablishing
relationship with natural parents if that
occurs or with inconsistencies of natural
parent’s involvement
54. 54
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Foster Care Families (cont.)
Dealing with the uncertainty of placement
duration and permanency planning
Assisting the children with any moves
among foster families
55. 55
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Foster Care Families (cont.)
Developing positive attachment with and
emotional support for the children through
developmental transitions
Establishing effective limit-setting
responses for potentially traumatized
children
56. 56
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Adoptive Families
Building attachment and emotional
support for children in adoptive family
Developing methods of assisting children
with their emotional responses to change,
parental loss, and possible previous
traumatization
57. 57
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Adoptive Families (cont.)
Dealing with cultural or temperamental
differences between parents and children
Dealing with parental emotional response
to reasons for adopting children
Developing effective parenting skills with
often challenging children
58. 58
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Adoptive Families (cont.)
Appreciating and responding to child’s
experience of not “belonging” to the
adoptive family throughout development
Responding to naturally occurring
adoptive parent-child conflicts and
disagreements
59. 59
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Adoptive Families (cont.)
Developing methods of recognizing the
value of adoptive parents’ decision to
raise nonbiologic children
Identifying and using ratifying and
supportive assistance from mental
health, educational, and social systems,
when necessary
60. 60
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Adoptive Families (cont.)
Assisting children with the decision to
learn more about their birth culture or
meet their natural parents
61. 61
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Gay and Lesbian Families
Reaching agreement and commitment
to raise children together
Recognizing strengths, successes, and
capacities of homosexual parents
62. 62
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Gay and Lesbian Families (cont.)
Dealing with the degree to which each
parental partner is open about his or
her lifestyle with extended family,
neighbors, and community; the
education system; health and mental
health resources; and the other biologic
parent
63. 63
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Gay and Lesbian Families (cont.)
Developing a way to explain parental
lifestyle to children
Assisting children with an explanation of
their family for peers, teachers,
coaches, and others
64. 64
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Gay and Lesbian Families (cont.)
Responding to discriminatory or
misunderstanding comments by family,
community members, ex-partners,
school personnel, health or mental
health providers, or children’s peers
65. 65
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Gay and Lesbian Families (cont.)
Dealing with the children’s questions
and preferences throughout
development
Dealing with naturally occurring parent-
child conflicts, recognizing how they
may be altered by parental lifestyle
66. 66
Common Stresses and Concerns of
Gay and Lesbian Families (cont.)
Assisting children with their own
lifestyle and relationship choices
Dealing with stresses within the
parents’ relationship
67. 67
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Unmarried Couples
Maintaining commitment to the
relationship and to parenting
Determining parental roles in providing
support to the children and setting
limits
Recognizing and responding to areas of
tenuousness, ambivalence, and
insecurity in the parents’ relationship
68. 68
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Unmarried Couples (cont.)
Facilitating children’s relationship with
both parents
Recognizing children’s responses to
changes in the relationship either
toward greater permanence or toward
separation
69. 69
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Unmarried Couples (cont.)
Assisting the children’s response to
separation should that occur and
considering possibility of child’s continued
involvement with separated partner if
mutually acceptable
Acknowledging and responding to
difficulties associated with others’ reaction
to unmarried status
70. 70
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Bicultural Families
Establishing family culture
Appreciating individual parental cultural
differences, traditions, and expectations
Recognizing children’s need for self-
definition and exploration of both
parents’ cultures
71. 71
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Bicultural Families (cont.)
Appreciating and responding to
extended family concerns, questions,
and responses
Establishing a dialogue that recognized
the strengths, possibilities, and
uncertainties of this bicultural synthesis
for this family
72. 72
Common Stresses and Concerns
of Bicultural Families (cont.)
Assisting the children with responses to
questions and potentially insensitive
comments from peers and adults in
their lives
Developing family traditions that
respect both cultural heritages