Introduction This paper focuses on understanding the adolescent wellbeing in the lesbian and gay (LG) stepfamily from the perspective of family system theory. The family system theory emphasizes that the members in the family are interconnected with each other, and environment influences the quality of interconnection among the members and in the family system. Also, the concepts of boundaries, rules of transformation, and variety are used to describe the factors that influence the interaction between environment and family system and the quality of interconnection among the family members. Unlike the traditional meaning of “family”, for LG stepfamilies, the family structure and the meaning of family are not clear; thus this kind of ambiguous description may impact relationships, both among the family members and external to the family (Stewart, 2007). Also, some research confirms that LG parents and their children confront more stress from society. The stress may affect family members’ wellbeing and interactions. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors that influence the family system and the quality of interaction among members in order to develop strategies to assist in family problem solving. The purpose of this paper is to discuss elements that influence adolescent wellbeing and interactions between parents and adolescents in the LG stepfamily. Researchers identified that LG stepfamilies experience societal pressures, such as homophobia, stigmatization, social and legal inequality, and violence toward gays and lesbians (Lott-Whitehead & Tully, 1993). However, this paper mainly focuses on the influence of stigmatization from the society and social support on the family system since multiple studies support that ther... ... middle of paper ... ...ont many challenges from the environment, the theory can be used to understand some elements influencing the interrelation between environment and family and their influences on adolescent wellbeing. The theory also explains the importance of interactions among the family members; specifically, the quality of the parent-child relationship influences the adolescent wellbeing. Since adolescents from LG families face difficulties from the environment, social support, positive parent-child relations, and coping skills are vital components to be considered when implementing an intervention to help children who feel stressed or depressed due to social stigmatization. The strengths and limitations of the theory promote future research to study LG stepfamilies from a systems theory perspective and encourage the researchers to cogitate the meaning of the LG stepfamily.
The idea of family is a central theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry alludes to the Old Testament book of Ruth in her play to magnify “the value of having a home and family”(Ardolino 181). The Younger family faces hardships that in the moment seem to tear them apart from one another, but through everything, they stick together. The importance of family is amplified by the choices of Walter and Beneatha because they appear to initiate fatal cracks in the Younger family’s foundation, but Mama is the cement who encourages her family to pull together as one unit. The hardships of the family help develop a sense of unity for the Younger household.
These four perspectives of assessment involve: communication, family structure, life cycle adjustments, and the impact of the social environment on the family. Family theorist have also further expended on the interaction of family and the social environment. Throughout this paper, I will apply the four perspectives of assessment to asses my family of origin; as well as, use various family systems theories to assess my experiences with family of origin in order to develop an awareness of how my experiences affected me, and to prevent them from interfering with my ability to provide my future clients with the best possible
According to Dyk, the family life has become complicated because of a number of stressors. These stressors include the difficulties that people face on a daily basis, in shape of physical, emotional and psychological needs. Moreover, while families have to maintain social relationships,
THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were
This paper has effort to generally show youths growing up gay. A number of issues have been presented involving gay identity formation, parental interaction, and disclosure. Homosexuality is a very controversial subject. By no mean does this paper try to say that it is “totally correct.” However, the paper does examine logical theoretical ideas of what gay adolescents endure, using and combining research and reports of other gay studies.
Family is the fundamental group of people that hones each individual into a social being and trains each person into a being that complies with various changes that may occur in one’s life. It aids in developing a person’s skills and attitude in relating to other people. If not for the family, growing and developing one’s self is a difficult and an almost impossible task to accomplish. In the article by Joan Patterson, known as Understanding Family Resilience, it had highlighted various information and explanations of how a family responds and should opt to act during times of adversity, or also known as family resilience. It is defined by McCubin, H and McCubin, M. as “characteristics, dimensions, and properties which help families to be resistant to disruption in the face of change and adaptive in the face of crisis situations.” Since change occurs on a daily basis and is entirely inevitable, the trait of a family to be flexible in adjusting is necessary. Events that may trigger changes are various crises and challenges or internal and external forces. Such occurrences that arise and are experienced by the family may draw most families to become hopeless and disoriented. In Patterson’s work, a clear explanation and citation of various instances to prove that such misfortunate events that could lead to the disorganization of a family can be avoided and be used as an opportunity to further strengthen the relationship founded in the family.
How can a simple six letter word be so complicated to define? Family is a single word that is open to many interpretations depending on the individual. If you try to condense this ideal to a single clinical definition you end up excluding numerous members of society. What comes to mind when you think of the word family? While in the most broken down and literal sense, family means a relative with a blood or legal bond, the word family can encompass blood relations, adoptions, and even intentional relationships such as friendships. Economies, cultures, and backgrounds can further differentiate what one’s perception of a family is. For many people, including me, a family is so much more. It is the amount of commitment, cohesiveness, and importance
Congratulations on your wedding. I am very excited for you and your fiancée. Your marriage to your best friend is something we all look forward to. There will be challenging times for you, as there are with every newly married (and long married) couple. But even the challenging times bring great rewards.
"A family is a small social group of people related by ancestry or affection, who share common values and goals, who may live together in the same dwelling, and who may participate in the bearing and raising of children. They have a physical or emotional connection with each other that is ongoing" (Vissing, 2011) and is the foundation of all societies. They can be formed by a grouping of father-mother-children or even more complicated combination of relatives. In the primary stage of family life in the United States, everyone from every generation lived together in one house. Subsequently, the idea of traditional family evolved and a married couple with children is at present, often called the traditional family. There are many types of families; however, this paper will focus on the traditional family. It will describe how the functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, and the interactionism theory apply to the sociological institution known as a family. It will explain some of the similarities and differences between the sociological theories in regards to families and how they affect the family members.
In order for society to meet the basic social needs of its members, social institutions, which are not buildings, or an organization or even people, but a system whose of social norms, mores and folkways that help make people feel important. Social institutions, according to our textbook, is defined as a fundamental component of this organization in which individuals, occupying defined statues, are “regulated by social norms, public opinion, law and religion” (Amato 2004, p.961). Social institutions are meant to meet people’s basic needs and enable the society to survive. Because social institutions prescribe socially accepted beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors, they exert considerable social control over individuals.
The principle of family atmosphere is the combination of all forces within the family or all the relationships which exist between people. The concept specifies a family as a system which causes each family member to influence others within the family. The family atmosphere develops and the outcome is how family members relate to each other. The parents determine the family’s methods of relating and interacting. The parents are the models for children’s gender roles, how a children learn to partake in the world and their relationships with others. Children can experience the parent model in a va...
When the word “family” is discussed most people think of mothers, fathers, and other siblings. Some people think of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even cousins and more on the pedigree tree. Without family in people 's lives they would not be the same people that they grew up to be today and in the future. When people hear the word family they think about, the ones who will help them in any way they can whether it 's money, support, advice, or anything to help them succeed in life. Family will forever be the backbone of support. They are the ones who support their children during those life decisions. Family is not always blood related. Finally family is forever, family will never go away.
What do you personally believe are the most important functions of family? Why or why not be specific. The most important functions I will say is social unit. This shows a person from a child to adult what it means to be part of society. There not just one specific function that makes a perfect family. There are many factors that help make a better family. According to www.hrsbstaff.ednet.ca_of_the_family.htm “ A functional family is one in which family members fulfill their agreed upon roles and responsibilities, treat each other with respect and affection, and meet each other needs. To better understand family functions Talcott Parson a sociologist stated “that the main functions of the family were, “ to ensure that new babies actually
The stages of the family life-cycle schema of family development is based on the information drawn from Barnhill and Longo (1978), Becvar and Becvar (1999), Carter and McGoldrick (1980), and of Duvall (1962). It tells us of the stages in the family life cycle and the developmental issues related to each stage. It consists of the following nine stages: Stage 1) Unattached adult; Stage 2) Newly married adults; Stage 3) Childbearing adults; Stage 4) Pre-school age child; Stage 5) School-age child; Stage 6) Teenage child; Stage 7) Launching centre; Stage 8) Middle-aged adults; Stage 9) Retired adults. It is important to note that between each stage there is a transitional period where each family member is required to change. Each member in each life-cycle stage has certain developmental tasks to fulfill for a healthy family structure to
Everyone seems to define family differently, however, the significance of family is the same. For you, family means everything. You can always count on your parents and siblings for help and love. Family is very valuable and important to you and should never be taken for granted. No one can deny that family is the foundation of our generation. A family is where we all start our life journey and helps us grow to be successful throughout our lives.