Understanding Family Dynamics and Parenting Styles: A Comprehensive Guide - Prof. Belinda , Study notes of Developmental Psychology

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Chapter 15

The Family

Understanding the Family



The family as a social system



Direct and indirect influences



Families are developing systems.



Families are embedded systems.

clicker



Are your parents…?



A. married



B. divorced



C. never married

clicker



Do you have a step-parent and/or step-

siblings?



A. yes



B. no

Understanding the Family



A changing family system in a changing world

• (^) More single adults
• (^) Active postponement of marriage
• (^) Decreased childbearing
• (^) More women are employed
• (^) More divorces
• (^) More single-parent families
• (^) More children living in poverty
• (^) More remarriage

Parental Socialization During

Childhood and Adolescence



Two major dimensions of parenting

• (^) Parental acceptance/responsiveness
• (^) Parental demandingness/control 

Four patterns of parenting

• (^) Baumrind’s early research  (^) Authoritarian parenting  (^) Authoritative parenting  (^) Permissive parenting
• (^) Uninvolved parenting

Parenting patterns



Authoritarian – low in warmth, high in control



Authoritative – high in warmth, high in control



Permissive – high in warmth, low in control



Uninvolved – low in warmth, low in control

 Explaining the effectiveness of authoritative

parenting – Parenting effects more likely than

child effects?

Authoritative parenting

 (^) Warm and accepting  Parent has rules and makes demands for more mature behavior  (^) Rules discussed, parent makes final decision  (^) Enforcement is strict and consistent but not harsh  (^) Reasons given for rules  (^) Rules and demands are age-appropriate  (^) Provide opportunities for children to make decisions and explore within boundaries  (^) Mistakes treated as opportunities to learn

Authoritarian Parenting

 (^) Warmth varies from warm and accepting to cold and rejecting  (^) Has rules that are dictated – no discussion allowed  (^) Rule enforcement strict and punishment is harsh  (^) No reasons given for rules  (^) Rules & demands often not age-appropriate  (^) Provide few opportunities to make decisions or explore withingboundaries  (^) Mistakes seen as child or parent failure not learning opportunities

Permissive parenting

 (^) Warm  neglectful  Parent has few rules and makes few demands  Rules discussed and CHILD has final say  Rules inconsistently enforced (none to harsh)  Reasons MAY be given  Rules tend to be under-demanding or not age- appropriate  (^) Provide many opportunities for children to make decisions and explore but with few boundaries  (^) Mistakes ignored or treated harshly, not used to teach

clicker



When you were about 9 or 10 years old, did

both your parents use the same parenting

style?



A. yes



B. no

clicker



What was the primary parenting style you

experienced during elementary school?



A. authoritative



B. authoritarian



C. permissive



D. mixed

Social-Class and Ethnic Variations

in Child Rearing

 Social class differences in child rearing

• (^) Economically disadvantaged parents tend to stress obedience and respect for authority, to be more restrictive and authoritarian, to reason with children less frequently, and to show less warmth.  Explaining social class differences in child-rearing
• (^) Many factors
• (^) Stresses associated with low-income living
• (^) Blue-collar workers must please supervisors and defer to authority; therefore, obedience is emphasized more.

Social-Class and Ethnic Variations

in Child Rearing (cont.)



Ethnic variations in child-rearing

• (^) Native American and Hispanic parents maintain close ties to a variety of kin and insist that their children display calm, proper, and polite behaviors, with a strong respect for others.
• (^) Asian and Asian-American parents tend to stress self-discipline and interpersonal harmony; they appear to be more authoritarian.

The Quest for Autonomy:

Renegotiating the Parent-Child

Relationship During Adolescence



Encouraging autonomy includes parents

gradually relinquishing control.



Conflicts and power struggles are an almost

inevitable consequence of an adolescent's

quest for autonomy.

clicker



Are you a(n)……..child?



A. only



B. oldest



C. youngest



D. middle

The Influence of Siblings and

Sibling Relationships



Changes in the family system when a new

baby arrives; possible sibling rivalry



Sibling relationships over the course of

childhood

• (^) Rivalrous conduct typically declines with age.
• (^) Siblings more likely to get along if parents get along
• (^) Less conflictual if mothers and fathers respond warmly to all their children

The Influence of Siblings and

Sibling Relationships



Positive contributions of sibling relationships

• (^) Emotional support
• (^) Caretaking
• (^) Teaching new skills
• (^) Social skills
• (^) Negotiation

The Influence of Siblings and

Sibling Relationships (cont.)



Characteristics of only children

• (^) Relatively high, on average, in self-esteem and achievement motivation
• (^) More obedient and slightly more intellectually competent than children with siblings
• (^) Likely to establish very good relations with peers

clicker



Are you adopted?



A. yes



B. no

Diversity in Family Life



Adoptive families

• (^) Adult's desire to be a parent is much more important to a child's outcomes than the adult's genetic ties to the child.
• (^) Possible environmental incompatibilities
• (^) Adopted children typically fare much better in adoptive homes than in foster care.
• (^) Adoption system in U.S. is changing from a confidential system to a more open system.

clicker



Are your parents gay or lesbian?



A. yes



B. no

Diversity in Family Life



Gay and lesbian families

• (^) In the U.S., several million gay men or lesbians are parents, most through previous heterosexual marriages.
• (^) More than 90% of adult children of lesbian mothers or gay fathers develop a heterosexual orientation.
• (^) Children of gay and lesbian parents are just as cognitively, emotionally, and morally mature as children of heterosexual parents.

Figure 15.5 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 & Tasker, 1996.