Understanding Families: Socialization, Parenting Styles, and Influencing Factors, Slides of Childhood Development

Download Understanding Families: Socialization, Parenting Styles, and Influencing Factors and more Slides Childhood Development in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 15 Context of Development: The Family Docsity.com UNDERSTANDING THE FAMILY • Most important function is socialization – Process by which children acquire the beliefs, motives, values, and behaviors considered appropriate in their society Docsity.com UNDERSTANDING THE FAMILY • Families are Developing Systems – Developmental change occurs within the family system – The family changes with the development of the family members – Families are embedded within larger cultural and subcultural contexts • Affect how family functions are carried out Docsity.com • Table 15.1 Changing Family Systems in the United States. Data compiled from: Bengston, 2001; Cabrera, et al., 2000; Hetherington & Jodl, 1994; Hetherington et al., 1999; Meckler, 2002; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000; 2002. Docsity.com UNDERSTANDING THE FAMILY • Conclusions about Understanding Families – Nuclear family with a breadwinning father, a housewife mother, and at least 2 children is a stereotype (12% of families) – Families as social systems include dual- career, single parent, blended, and multigenerational families Docsity.com PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE • Four Patterns of Parenting – Authoritarian • Very restrictive, expect obedience, do not explain why limits exist –Raise children with less favorable developmental outcomes Docsity.com • Figure 15.2 Two major dimensions of parenting. When we cross the two dimensions, we come up with four parenting styles. BASED ON MACCOBY & MARTIN, 1983. Docsity.com PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE – Authoritative • Controlling but flexible, make reasonable demands, provide rationales for limits • Rational and democratic –Tend to raise highly competent, well- adjusted children Docsity.com PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE – Behavioral Control versus Psychological Control • Firm behavioral control tends to lead to well-behaved children • Psychological control – guilt, shame, or withholding affection –Poor developmental outcomes Docsity.com PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE – Parent Effects or Child Effects? • Parent effects model –Influences run from parent to child »Supported by research, suggests stressing “do’s” not “don’ts” • Child effects model –Children influence their parents »Also supported by research – difficult children alter caregiving Docsity.com PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE • Transactional model –Socialization is due to reciprocal influence »Research shows parenting influences children more than children influence parenting »Children do affect parents Docsity.com • Figure 15.3 A model of the relationships among family economic distress, patterns of parenting, and child/adolescent adjustment. ADAPTED FROM CONGER ET AL., 1992; DAVIES & CUMMINGS, 1998. Docsity.com SOCIAL CLASS AND ETHNIC VARIATIONS IN CHILDREARING • Ethnic Variations in Child Rearing – Collectivistic cultures tend to stress • Maintaining close ties to relatives • Strong respect for authority • Proper and polite behaviors – Different behaviors can be interpreted differently in other cultures – Middle-class authoritative parenting may not be optimal in all situations Docsity.com THE INFLUENCE OF SIBLINGS AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS • Changes in the Family Systems when a New Baby Arrives – Mother devotes less warm and playful attention to the older child – Child may become difficult and disruptive – Sibling rivalry often develops Docsity.com THE INFLUENCE OF SIBLINGS AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS – Siblings as Models and Teachers • Younger siblings learn from older siblings –Direct instruction and modeling • Older siblings improve in academic aptitude from tutoring younger siblings Docsity.com THE INFLUENCE OF SIBLINGS AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS • Characteristics of Only Children – Relatively high in self-esteem and achievement orientation – More obedient and slightly more intellectually competent – Likely to establish good relations with peers Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE • Adoptive Families – Sensitivity of parents predicts attachment classifications same as for biologically related children – Adoptees do have • More learning and emotional problems • Higher rates of delinquency –Environmental incompatibilities –Abuse/neglect prior to adoption Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE • Gay and Lesbian Families – Parents are as mentally healthy as any other type of parent – No more likely to molest their children – Children are not at risk of being stigmatized – Children are no more likely to become homosexual Docsity.com • Figure 15.4 Sexual orientation of adult children raised by lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and single- parent heterosexual mothers. (Notice that children with homosexual parents are just as likely to display a heterosexual orientation as children raised by heterosexuals. ADAPTED FROM BAILEY ET AL., 1995; GOLOMBOK & TASSER, 1996. Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE • Family Conflict and Divorce – 40-50% of marriages end in divorce – More than half of children will spend time in a single-parent home Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE • Children’s initial reactions vary as a function of gender and age –Preschool/early grade school »Visible signs of distress »May think they caused divorce –Older children »Tend to withdraw »Become involved in delinquent behavior Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE –Impact of divorce tends to be stronger and longer lasting for boys »May do better if father is the custodial parent »Girls may experience more covert distress, more difficult to see »Girls may become involved in early sexual behaviors Docsity.com DIVERSITY IN FAMILY LIFE • Long Term Reactions to Divorce – Most children show healthy patterns of adjustment • May still have lingering after-effects –Perceived loss of closeness with parents –Fear own marriages will be unhappy Docsity.com