Feminist Family Theory Roots and Perspectives

Feminists Family Theory
History, Ideas, Postulates and Analyses
Family Feminists Theory essentially has its roots in feminist
theory.
It is essential to acknowledge that there are several types of
feminism.
Feminism in general is—
The organized movement which promotes equality for men and
women in political, economic and social spheres.
Feminists believe that women are oppressed due to their sex—
patriarchy is the system which oppresses women;
ridding society of patriarchy will result in liberation for all.
As an ideology, feminism has existed in at least five
waves.Some ideas of early theorists can be seen in some of
these developments.1st Wave Early feminism 1700s—
1920s2nd Wave Sufferage 1920s—1940s3rd Wave
Modern 1950s—1960s4th Wave Reformation
1970s—1980s5th Wave Post Modern 1990s—now
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759—1797) was one of the first women
to rebel against the idea of separate spheres.Public—men
(finances, legal, politics, industry, struggle)Private—women
(home, childcare)She saw these spheres as debilitating and

reductionist.Wollstonecraft believe that these spheres kept
women pretty, uneducated, and emotionally passiveThis meant
that women could never be equal to men.
By the end of the 19th Century feminism started to develop as a
major political movement known as women’s sufferage.During
the 2nd Wave feminism was strongly supported by Simone de
Beauvoir and Virginia Woolf.These two women are often called
the “mothers of feminism.”
They were the first to attack and theoretically comment on
women’s opporession
Simone de Beauvoir said, “one is not born but rather becomes a
woman.”
She made this statement based on her distinctions between sex
and gender.
Beauvoir became the first person to apply Hegel’s master—
slave dialectic to the power relation between men and women.
In Hegel’s dialectic here is a struggle between self and other.
The dependence of the other clashes with each self’s wish to be
autonomous.Once self asserts its superiority and imposes
recognition of his power of oppression on the other who
submits—In other words, the master needs the slave to confirm
his power—if he destroyed the other there would be no one to
recognize him as master.Feminism in the 3rd Wave
(contemporary) is committed to progressive or emancipatory
goals of achieving equality for women in direct opposition to
the Hegelian Master/Slave dialectic.
Modern feminism began in the 1960s concurrent with the Civil

Rights and anti-Vietnam War protests—Issues wereequal pay
for womenjob training for womenreproductive choicematernity
leavesubsidized childcareend of sex discrimination.
The modern feminists movement generated several types of
feminism
Liberal feminism
Marxist (Social) feminism
Radical feminism
Socialist feminismEach perspective examined the issues of
subjugation and devaluation of women via male hegemonic
systems.Each examined the laws and customs that that served to
restrict and/or reduce women’s roles in society.
Liberal FeminismViewed the subjugation of women in terms of
their career paths.
Focused on equality for women in all areas by working for
change within the existing system.Marxist FeminismFocused on
the exploitation of women in their reproductive roles and in
household labor.
Linked women’s oppression to the class structure. Women’s
work is not values, therefore women are not valued.
Radical FeminismEmphasized male dominance as the problem
in society—both power and authority.
Sees oppression of women as the worst kind of oppression. All
oppression stems from the patriarchy.

Must overthrow the male created patriarchy in order to achieve
equality.Socialist FeminismFocused on women’s liberation from
class oppression and the patriarchy.
Most feminists in the United States tend to find the liberal
approach of feminism as more acceptable.The was a shift in
feminists thought during the 1980s which began to blur the
distinctions that were so clear before.Feminists, who were now
joined by enlightened men, focused on class status and
workplace issues.In effect, feminism began to reexamine the
gendered society in which we live.
Jesse Bernard’s early work (The Future of Marriage, 1972)
experienced a resurgence.
Bernard examined marriage and found that there were two
marriages.
His— Hers—
His marriage was undoubtedly better than hers.
Such work defied the conventional and theoretical (structural
functionalist) thought that dominated the era.
Her work was pivotal in getting family feminist theorists to
consider status within a family.It was also critical in generating
thoughts about how power is used within families—both
intentionally and unintentionally.Theorist began to realize that
power was a result of socialization and not natural or inevitable

as had been previously believed.
The modern feminists movement also gave rise to other schools
of feminism, most notably—
Psychoanalytic feminism
Cultural feminism
These perspectives examined how women developed their
identity through relationships, particularly intimate
relationships.
Psychoanalytic FeminismArgued that women’s experiences must
be taken into account in the analysis of their development.
Argued that the Freudian tradition provides the best framework
for understanding how langue shapes subjectivity and gender
definitions.Cultural FeminismAttempts to recover lost or
marginalized women’s works and traditions and create a culture
that nurtures and supports women’s experiences and values.
The 4th Wave of the feminist movement involved a combination
of societal and individual perspectives.At this point issues of
oppression besides gender were also included.Some of these
issues wereclass, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation religion,
physical ability, and ageThis perspective sought to examine the
within class status of women—in other words, it examined why
some women had more privilege than others.

Postmodern FeminismFocused on women rather than the
singular woman.
Emphasis on difference, situated knowledge, and the absences
of meta-narratives to explain experienceMulticultural
FeminismBelieves that not all women are constructed equally.
Each woman experiences oppression differently.
Supports diversity, believes that sexism, racism, and classism
are not separable.
French Feminism
(Helene Cixous
Luce Irigaray)Draws on the French intellectual traditions to
examine the role language plays in creating subjectivity and
maintaining gender asymmetries.
Explicitly critiques many of liberal feminism’s presuppositions
but supports its political advances.Sepratism Feminism
(Mary Dally; Andrea Dworkin)Argues that women’s primary
responsibility is to care for each other and combat patriarchy.
It is best achieved by creating female-only spaces and
relationships.
Lesbian FeminismHeterosexuality is fundamental to patriarchy,

therefore women should escape heterosexuality, embrace
lesbianism and challenge the social order.Queer Theory
FeminismExamines the ways the marginalized sexualities
subvert, parody, and disrupt dominant gender and power
relations.
General ConceptsSex—refers to one’s biological assignment as
defined at birth (male or female).Gender—refers to the social
meanings and behaviors ascribed to one’s sex.Categorization—
is the process of applying labels to behaviors and roles
according to one’s sex.Stratification—the application of value
to different categories.Privilege—the social status given to one
with more power and value in society.
General ConceptsSocial deconstruction—analysis of how views
of reality are constructed by social interactions.Social
discourse—how the analysis of social deconstruction is brought
into the “conversation” of gender expectations and
behaviors.Praxis—the step in which beliefs and values are put
into action.
Basic AssumptionsWomen’s experiences are central to our
understanding of families.Gender is a socially constructed
concept.Social and historical contexts are important.There are
many forms of families.Emphasis is placed on social
change.There is no objective, unbiased observations of humans.

Running Head: LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP
1
LITERATURE REVIEW ON LEADERSHIP
4
Leadership
Brandman University
Chad Hurt
OCLU 501: Organizational Research
10 December 2017
Abstract
Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum; it has to be obtained
from somewhere. Therefore, a given work becomes only useful
in comparison with other people’s work. This calls for the
establishment of what the research study published in
connection with the works of other researchers to analyze the
development of the subject matter. This paper will present a
critical review of the literature that was done in regard to the
research questions about leadership. The objective of this
literature review is to define leadership and to explain the roles
and qualities of good leaders as backed up by scholarly
documentation.
Table of Contents
3Introduction
4CRITICAL REVIEW
5Research questions
5Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
6Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders
are

7Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good
leaders are
7Conclusion
9REFERENCES
Introduction
The notion of leadership relates to one of the most emphasized
and profoundly dissected issues in the society. In a few words,
leaders exist in various capacities in the society, for instance, in
political positions and in the realm of business. Given the fact
that leaders are typically tasked with a vast array of vital
responsibilities, it is of the utmost imperative that the
phenomenon is comprehensively studied so that the
effectiveness of individuals holding such positions can be
augmented. In any given capacity, individuals usually look up
to their leaders to provide them with a model of behavior that
can aid them in realizing their goals. As such, it is of the
essence that leaders conduct themselves in the most appropriate
manner given the fact that whatever they do more often than not
has an influence on other people. Leaders who demonstrate
positive attributes have the potential to impart vital forms of
behavior in others.
In contrast, it goes without saying that those whose conduct
falls short of the expectations of the wider masses cannot have
the desired influence on the wider masses. Since leaders are
constantly learning ways of improving their performance,
various approaches can be proposed with the intention of aiding
these individuals to enhance their performance. For an
individual to be regarded as an effectual leader, they have to
demonstrate a vast spectrum of qualities that can be gauged to
determine whether or not they are delivering on the expectations
that have been placed on them. Thus, the primary objective of
this literature review is to define leadership and to explain the
roles and qualities of good leaders as backed up by scholarly
documentation.
CRITICAL REVIEW

The study will apply the deductive approach in critically
reviewing the literature. The approach helps to identify theories
and ideas to be used in testing and to develop a conceptual
framework for testing the data.
According to James Macgregor (2003), leadership contributes
quite a lot to civilization due to their transformative
capabilities. Leaders are not just solvers of problems, but they
are the people who can help the society move from one level to
another through motivation and morality. Some documents on
leadership have suggested that leaders are the people who not
only ensure that they do things right but also they are seen
doing the right thing. In this regard, which type of leaders
would be perceived as doing what is right? This question could
bring in some answers with a lot of variations in them, but one
thing for sure that will be common is that leaders have one
personality trait in them, a passion for leading, though different
leaders use different styles to lead. There is not a dearth of
experts in the field of leadership or even sophistication of
approaches, but still, there is no consensus on which leadership
style is the most effective. As much as individual leadership
styles do matter, leadership effectiveness is increasingly
believed to be dependent on context and situational factors in
which those particular leaders work. Research conducted on 160
CEOs justified that leadership is dependent not so much on what
a person is like on the inside but by what the demands of the
outside are. Considering temporal changes is essential in
dynamics and patterns of leadership behaviors of the task they
undertake when conceptualizing their styles effectiveness.
Effectual leadership has been rightfully perceived as one of the
most critical aspects of the society throughout history. Without
a doubt, in situations in which effective leadership is absent, so
many things can go awry in virtually every facet of the society.
Just to cite an instance, the collapse of numerous companies
throughout history has been blamed on a diverse array of

factors, one of the most prominent of which relates to
ineffective leadership. The ill-fated instances of a vast sum of
failed corporations are an exemplification of the issues that time
and again come out in corporations that frequently deal with all-
encompassing bottlenecks that primarily arise from
administrative issues (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). Hence, in a bid
to offer workable counsel on the most feasible way on how to
go about issues in leadership, wide-ranging strategies have been
developed to advise leaders on how best they can inspire
individuals and consequentially get the most out of them.
Typically, the ability to instill motivation in individuals is not
as challenging as if often purported to be. In essence,
motivation tends to be tied to a particular external factor.
However, of greater significance, top leaders have the ability to
inspire individuals to act in the desired manner (Müller &
Turner, 2010). People who have the ability to infuse inspiration
afford individuals a feeling of purpose or, of equal importance,
a sense of belonging that is not significantly connected with a
given external incentive or benefits (Battilana et al., 2010).
Thus, for a person to be categorized in the bracket of true
leaders, they must have the ability to come up with a following
of individuals who act not just owing to their being won over
but because they have attained much-needed inspiration. For
persons who have achieved inspiration, the motivation to act in
the most appropriate manner tends to be deeply personal.
Consequently, such persons have a lower likelihood of being
influenced by incentives. Individuals who get to experience the
power inspiration show greater willingness to tolerate problems
(for instance personal suffering) or to pay a premium.
Thus, people who boast the ability to implant inspiration are
bound to develop a following of individuals, which includes
customers, supporters, workers, and voters, all of whom will be
acting for the overall good of the organization out of their
willingness and not out of compulsion (Kouzes & Posner,

2012). Individuals who are devoted to going to work are
increasingly creative and productive. They return home feeling
contented and usually have happy families. What is more, such
persons treat their fellow employees and clients better. In a few
words, inspired workers have the potential to create stronger
corporations, as well as stronger economies. Through a vast
repertoire of effective leadership strategies, indispensable
practical counsel on how leaders can amplify their potential to
realize broad-ranging benefits for the organization through the
inspiration of workers continues to be offered (Dalton, 2012).
What is more, one of the most noteworthy leadership questions
that people usually ask themselves, in particular, in fast
changing environments, when making critical decisions in the
workplace relates to whether or not employees will welcome
such decisions (Müller & Turner, 2010). Regardless, leaders
need to be firm and decisive. On occasions, a leader may be
forced to make decisions that may not be welcomed by the rest
of the staff. In such circumstances, apprehensions as to whether
the decision will or will not be positively received set in
(Chesbrough, 2010). Nevertheless, if the decision is aimed at
furthering the overall prosperity of the organization, the critical
decision has to prevail even if a faction of the employees will
not be pleased in fast changing environments.
Irrespective of the leadership style an organization opts for,
effective communication should be at the top of a leader’s most
frequently employed tools. In essence, the manner in which a
matter is communicated must be believed in and
comprehensively clarified. On top of these, effective
communication has to see to it that persons must accept the
issue due to their faith in it. Further, leaders need to emphasize
certain leadership principles that are related to the
communication of a range of organizational issues so as to
stimulate cooperation, trust, and change. Most importantly,
there is the principle that leadership needs to be viewed as a
behavior as opposed to a position. Usually, the leadership

phenomenon has been incorrectly perceived as a crucial position
of power that allows the leaders of an organization to use their
influence as they like. Nonetheless, for an organization to
witness change, leaders are required to act as responsibly as
possible with a view to empowering persons to find out and
make use of their utmost potential.
A range of leadership models is currently available for use in
different professional settings. Regardless of a person’s sphere
of operation, pinpointing the most fitting leadership model for
use often tends to be a noteworthy challenge. However, as long
as a leader demonstrates certain characteristics that are of the
essence for instilling inspiration in an organization’s pool of
workers, the employment of any leadership style can assuage or
completely get rid of the challenges that a company is bound to
experience. Even though all leadership styles associated with
particular drawbacks, all of them can be harnessed by a capable
leader to bring the best out of an organization’s employees and
to ensure overall organizational success. Succinctly, leadership
is of the utmost imperative for the success of a broad range of
societal process, hence the need for leaders to exemplify the
qualities that can aid them in fulfilling their vast goals.Research
questions
The research will seek to answer the questions; who is a leader?
What are the striking qualities of a good leader? What are their
roles? The exploration of these questions will avail information
that can be used to shape the general context of leadership and
the roles that leadership has in making a difference in the
society. This literature review will provide an extensive content
that will provide the knowledge regarding the three fundamental
research questions:
1.) Who is a leader?

2.) What qualities make up a good leader?
3.) What are the functions of leaders?
Research Question One: Defining who a leader is
This question can be answered through a review of leadership
theories. According to the Greta man theory, by Carlyle (2013)
leaders are born, and those men who have been bestowed with
heroic capabilities could only become leaders. The perspective
of Carlyle was expanded further by Sydney Hook as “(as cited
in Dobbins and Platz, 1986),” by highlighting the effect which
could occur by the event making man and the eventful man.
According to him, the eventful man remained sophisticated in a
historic situation though he did not get to determine his course.
The event making man, on the other hand, initiated actions
which affected the course of events which could have been way
different if he was not involved in the situation. However, it
later turned out that this definition of a leader did not have a
moral standing with the emergence of people like Hitler.
This perspective was challenged later, and leadership theory
advanced from a dogma that leaders are destined by nature or
born to be their role at a given time to a state of reflecting
certain characteristics that envisage a capacity for leadership.
The trait theory further stressed that born leaders possess
certain traits both personality and physical traits which
distinguished them from non-leaders. Two traits were identified,
in particular, emergent traits (the ones that are dependent on
heredity) including attractiveness, height, intelligence and self-
confidence and traits of effectiveness those that are dependent
on experience including charisma. Therefore, I would define a
leader as anyone who possesses such traits and not forgetting
the moral standing; a leader, however, is not just a person who
possess these critical traits, a leader must use these traits to role
model, set goals and articulate visions.

Research Question Two: Stating what the Functions of Leaders
are
The people who advocate for transformational kind leadership
have shown some confidence that the frameworks of the past
should not in any way be a compass for the future. Such people
believe that leaders who are successfully transformational
create compelling, clear visions for the future. Leaders who are
transformational concentrate their capabilities on long-term
goals and vision changing and aligning systems and training and
developing others. Such leaders depict transactional behavior as
well (Avollino and Bass, 2004). According to Bass, great men
were not made but born. But some people would argue that
these roles of leadership are morally flawed. This is so because
such perspectives could lead to authoritative leaders, thereby
bringing in the issue of servant leadership.
The servant leader takes care of the needs of the follower and
helps them to become freer, knowledgeable and autonomous.
Therefore, according to Bass, I would second the fact that the
critical roles of a leader are to induce followers to ensure that
their needs are reordered by transcending the interest of self and
strive for higher order needs.
Research Question Three: Stating what the qualities of good
leaders are
According to transformational leadership, the qualities of a
good leader are,
1.) Idealized influence
This is the attribute of a leader to be able to inspire the
followers so that they can consider their leaders to be role

models. Idealized influence can also be taken to mean charisma.
2.) The inspirational motivation which is the attribute of the
leader to develop the consciousness of the followers so that they
can be aligned towards the vision and mission of the
organization.
3.) Intellectual stimulation
This is an attribute that enables leaders to stimulate the
intellectual capacity of their followers, help them engender
creativity and help them to accept challenges as part and parcel
of their tasks.
Conclusion
The notion of leadership continues to intrigue many in the
society, and with good reason. Without a doubt, leaders play an
essential role in driving forward the society by making use of
their skills. Their unique attributes are of the essence to the
diverse situations that they confront on a regular basis in the
society. Myriads of individuals look up to leaders for much-
needed guidance and inspiration with respect to a vast array of
issues that occur in the society. By borrowing a leaf or two from
good leaders, individuals can end up molding appropriate
behavior that can be extremely important to the accomplishment
of their goals. As such, it is important for leaders to gain the
understanding that the positions that they hold in the society
places a great deal of responsibility in the sense that they are
always expected to act as a shining example to the wider masses
in many ways.
Leadership is not just about influencing the masses and making
them follow one's ideology. Rather, leaders must always strive
to set positive examples that are a true reflection of the most
desired attributes in the society as opposed to making an
attempt to force their own inappropriate ideologies on people.
Leadership has some moral standing in it. It is not about

influencing people to help one achieve some individual
ambitions; it is about transforming the people by empowering
them so that they can move from one level to another. It is
about helping the followers to come up with ways of reordering
their needs through striving for higher goals. Concisely, the
value of good leadership to the society remains massive, with
its positive outcomes being evident in more ways than
one.REFERENCES
Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2013).
Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead.
Emerald Group Publishing.
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1997). Full range leadership
development: Manual for the Multifactor
Battilana, J., Gilmartin, M., Sengul, M., Pache, A. C., &
Alexander, J. A. (2010). Leadership competencies for
implementing planned organizational change. The Leadership
Quarterly, 21(3), 422-438.
Burns, J. M. (2003). Transforming leadership: A new pursuit of
happiness (Vol. 213). Grove Press.
Dalton, D., 2012. Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent power in action.
Columbia University Press.
De Oliveira, R. A., & Ferreira, M. C. (2015). The Impact of
Transactional and Transformational Leadership Style on
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. Psico-USF, 20(3), 493-
504.
Dobbins, G. H., & Platz, S. J. (1986). Sex differences in
leadership: how real are they?. Academy of Management
review, 11(1), 118-127.
Euwema, M. C., Wendt, H., & van Emmerik, H. (2007).

Leadership styles and group organizational citizenship behavior
across cultures. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 28(8),
1035-1057.
García-Morales, V. J., Jiménez-Barrionuevo, M. M., &
Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, L. (2012). Transformational leadership
influence on organizational performance through organizational
learning and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 65(7),
1040-1050.
Grisaffe, D. B., VanMeter, R., & Chonko, L. B. (2016). Serving
first for the benefit of others: preliminary evidence for a
hierarchical conceptualization of servant leadership. Journal of
Personal Selling & Sales Management, 36(1), 40-58.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The Leadership
Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in
Organizations Ed. 5. Jossey Bass Incorporated.
Nagendra, A., & Farooqui, S. (2016). Role of Leadership Style
on Organizational Performance. CLEAR International Journal
Of Research In Commerce & Management, 7(4), 65-67.
Northouse, P. G. (2012). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage.
Siegel, J. P. (Ed.). (2013). Thomas Carlyle: The Critical
Heritage. Routledge.
Sudha, K. S., Shahnawaz, M. G., & Farhat, A. (2016).
Leadership Styles, Leader’s Effectiveness and Well-being:
Exploring Collective Efficacy as a Mediator. Vision
(09722629), 20(2), 111-120.
Turunç, Ö., Çelik, M., & Mert, İ. S. (2013). The Impact of
Leadership Styles on Ethical Behavior. Journal of Academic
Research in Economics, 5(1), 60-86.

Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood
HDFS 215
Dr. Kimmery Newsom
z
Individuation Process and Subsequent Development and
Adjustment
Individuation process
Influences each individual’s present and future development
During early adulthood, two principal indicators of relative
success,
Coherent personal identity
Capacity for intimate relationships
z
Identity Development
Fundamental to adult development
Occurs during late adolescence and early adulthood
Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development:
Establishment of a secure identity provides foundation for
commitments one makes to
Personal ideology
Occupation
Lifestyle
z
Identity Development, cont’d
Influenced by a number of factors
Emergence of a mature ego
Provides a framework of meaning that the individual

subjectively applies to experience
Consolidation of maturing cognitive abilities
Adolescents acquire ability to view themselves, their parents,
and larger society more critically
z
Identity Development, cont’d
Become capable of taking multiple perspectives
Contributes to self understanding by allowing them to consider
new roles and view themselves as they are seen by significant
others
Identity is further enhanced by movement into a peer group
Provide individuals with opportunities to experiment with new
roles and responsibilities
Engage in same- and opposite gender relationships
Essential to consolidation of the mature identity needed to carry
into adulthood
z
Individuation, Family Dynamics, and Identity Formation
Tradition life-span perspectives view individuation as
A synonym for autonomy
A prerequisite for identity development
When examined from a perspective that integrates individual
and family development two issues arise.
Exclusive focus on autonomy as the principal indicator of
individuation
Traditional developmental perspectives do not account for the
family context within which these changes occur
z
Individuation, Family Dynamics, and Identity Formation, cont’d
Both parents and adolescents undergo changes that must be

accommodated by other family members
Parents must relinquish physical and psychological control over
their children while transforming their own roles and identities
Adolescents and young adults must renegotiate the level of
connectedness with the family and master the progressive
changes in their evolving identities
z
Capacity for Intimacy
Successful emergence from childhood into early adulthood
reflects not only the development of a personal identity but the
capacity for intimacy in one’s relationships
Intimacy: capacity to commit oneself to concrete affiliations
and partnerships and to develop the ethical strength to abide by
such commitments even though they may call for significant
sacrifices and compromises (Erikson, 1968, p. 263)
z
Transition To Marriage
Anderson & Sabatelli, Chapter 8
z
Introduction
Identity Transformations that accompany marriage and establish
Marital themes
Negotiate marital roles and responsibilities
Establish a congruence of conjugal identities
Marital couples must establish boundary strategies that regulate
distances with the extended family, friends and work
z
Introduction, cont’d

Internal boundary strategies between marital partners also must
be established
Creates a comfortable and satisfying balance of individuality
and intimacy
All couples must establish strategies for managing the
household and finances
Couples must enact strategies that effectively manage the
emotional climate of the marriage
z
Introduction, cont’d
Couples must establish intimacy and support strategies
Develop mutually satisfying sexual script
Evolve strategies for the management of conflict
From a developmental perspective,
Stress associated with the transition to marriage emanates from
the wide range of strategies that must be negotiated over a short
period of time
z
Postmodern Perspective on Marriage
Blumstein and Schwartz (1983) identified experimental forms of
marriage
Voluntary marriages
Trial marriages
Co-habitors who plan to never marry
Same-sex couples
z
Postmodern Perspective on Marriage, cont’d
Voluntary marriages were defined as
Based on love with the commitment to marriage periodically

reviewed
Trial marriages were defined as
Marriage-like relationship is experienced as a prelude to formal
marriage
The number of cohabitation rates have increased in the US in
the past several decades
Visibility of gay and lesbian couples in society has greatly
increased
Same-sex couples are now allowed to marry in all 50 states
z
Marriage refers to a specific family subsystem comprised adults
from two different families of origin who have bonded together
to form what they intend to be a stable and long-term cohabiting
relationship
Postmodern perspective on marriage assumes that all marriage-
like relationships regardless of their legal status, are similar
when it comes to the relationship issues and tasks that they must
manage
z
Generic definition of marriage allows us to discuss common
tasks that must be managed within any intimate relationship
during the transition to marriage
When this newly formed subsystem is integrated into an
extended family system
Marriage-like relationships are similar in terms of the system
issues and ordinary challenges that they must contend with
z
Gay and Lesbian Relationships

Intimate same-sex relationships have existed throughout history
Estimated that about 1% of adult women self-identify as lesbian
and 2% of adult men self-identity as gay
40% of gay men and 50% of lesbian women between ages 18
and 59 are currently living with a same-sex partner
Experiences of same-sex couples in the United States influenced
by the social stigma of homosexuality
z
Gay and Lesbian Relationships
Social attitudes are becoming more tolerant
Still more common for gay and lesbian couples to report
incidents of social rejection, prejudice and discrimination
Despite the differing social contexts for same-sex and
heterosexual relationships many commonalities
Essentially there are more similarities than differences among
relationships in
Lifestyle patterns
Patterns of adjustment found within relationships
Comparing patterns of communication
Same “maintenance behaviors” for relationship
z
Tasks of Newly Formed Couples
Establishing an Identity as a couple
Establishing Marital and Family themes
z
Emotional Processes, pt. 2

HDFS 215
Emotional Triangles
When two people have an on-going issue, they focus on
something or someone else.
Triangulation allows us to stabilize, displace our anxiety, or
control the issues.
Triangle in people, objects, work, hobbies.
2
Friedman’s “7 Laws about Emotional Triangles”
3rd person is part of the triangle’s homeostasis.
3rd person may want to stop triangulation, but will have
difficulty trying to change the relationship of the other two
people.
Trying to bring people together or separate them usually fails.
Friedman Cont’d
The 3rd person usually ends-up with the stress of the other two
people.
Triangles within a system interlock.
It is unhealthy for one person to always be the focus of conflict.
We can only change the system we are in.
How to deal with triangles?
Wait until you can objectively think about the triangle.
Connect equally with other 2 people in triangle.
Identify what issue is at the heart of the triangle.

If that does not work…
Think of ways to emotionally distance yourself.
Draw boundaries
Time
Availability
Physical contact
Topics you will or will not discuss
Be kind and assertive.
Emotional Processes Summary
Three key points:
When emotional processes are managed effectively in families,
families are healthier.
Emotional freedom increases when differentiation occurs.
Two areas of concern:
Fusion
Chronic Family Anxiety
Now…
Apply the concepts to our readings from Wall’s The Glass
Castle.
In My Life Diary
HDFS 215: Dynamics of Family Development
(90 points)
The In My Life (IML) Diary is an opportunity for you to apply
the course concepts that you find the most interesting or

personally meaningful to your own life and family experience.
You will write a total of at least 12 diary entries throughout the
semester, and then audit your diary via a reflection and two
expansions. Your active participation in class discussions and
activities will prepare you for this ongoing project by helping
you understand course concepts and apply those concepts to
your life. This is an adaptation of the In My Life Blog
developed by Dr. Jen Reinke.
Steps:
1. The In My Life Diary is an electronic diary or journal; this is
your place to more fully examine how a handful of topics of
your choosing relate to your own life and your own experiences.
This is your chance to take a step back and reflect on what you
are learning – about your chosen topics and about yourself.
Challenge yourself to go deeper here than you might feel
comfortable.
· For this step, there are hundreds of topics to choose from, and
each entry should have two components:
1. Course material
2. Real life examples/personal connection to the course material
· The title for each entry should have some connection to the
course topic or information you are going to be discussing
further in your entry.
· Each entry should be around 290-300 words in length. (If your
entry is longer than 300 words you will not be penalized!)
· 12 entries are REQUIRED, though you may write additional
entries if you so choose (only the first 12 will be graded).
2. Complete Checkpoint 1
· You will need to complete your first 3 IML entries by Friday,
9/22. Be sure to follow the steps for writing an entry from
above.
· This is worth: 9 points (3 points per diary entry)
· Points for this portion will be given for completion, but be
sure to check your entries for additional comments. These
comments will either give you more direction for some things

you need to fix, OR a “green light” to go ahead and keep
writing just as you are!
· You will need to complete at least 6 (total) IML entries by
Friday, 10/27.
· You will have already completed 3 entries from Checkpoint 1.
Make any necessary revisions to your previous entries and add 3
more entries to get the 6 entries you need for Checkpoint 2.
· This is worth: 18 points (3 points per entry)
Friday, 12/1.
more entries to get the 9 entries you need for Checkpoint 3.
5. Complete Final Checkpoint
Tuesday 12/19 at 1:50p.
more entries to get the 12 entries you need for the Final
Checkpoint.
Below is the grading rubric that will be used in reviewing your
entries; please review this carefully so you can receive full
credit for each entry.
Score
Characteristics
3

Fantastic! The entry is focused and coherently integrates both
course content and real life examples. The entry demonstrates
awareness of biases, assumptions, or preconceived notions, and
it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry
reflects in-depth engagement with and accurate understanding
of the topic.
2
Pretty good. The entry is mostly description or summary of the
chosen topic, without consideration of alternative perspectives,
and few personal connections are made. Or, the entry solely
focuses on personal connections and does not fully integrate
course material.
1
Room for improvement. The entry is unfocused, or simply
rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of
student engagement with the topic. It is unclear which course
topic is being described and applied. Entries that appear to be
written in a hurry, are filled with “fluff”, or do not meet the
minimum word requirement fall into this category.
0
No Credit. The entry is missing.

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