chapter 11 Flashcards
Remarriage/Recoupling
The high divorce rate in Canada does not necessarily mean that we no longer value marriage. Evidence of this lies in the very high rates of remarriage.
Approximately 75% of people who divorce eventually remarry.
1967 - 12% of all marriages involved at least one partner who was previously divorced.
2011 - 35% “
stage of remarriage
Entering the new relationship
Must achieve an emotional/psychic divorce from previous union
Planning the new marriage
Open communication about any difficulties
Family formation
Renegotiate boundaries and roles
remarriages have a (slightly) _____ rate of divorce than do first marriages
higher
Slightly Higher Incidence of Divorce Due to
- Remarriage partners more accepting of divorce.
- Remarriages receive less social support from their family of origin and extended kin.
- Stress of “Normless Norm”.
- Personal issues from first marriage may not be resolved.
- Presence of stepchildren
Stepfamilies
Families in which one of the children in the household is from a previous relationship of one of the parents.
In 2011 stepfamilies accounted for 12.6% of all Canadian couples with children.
sumple vs blended/complex stepfamilies
Simple Stepfamily: The children of one of the spouses lives in the household.
Blended/Complex Family: Contains children of both spouses from one or more previous unions or one or more children from the current union and one or more children from previous unions.
stepfamily challenges
The creation of a stepfamily involves merging a new partner with a previously established family system or merging two previously established family systems.
The process of adjustment and negotiation is more complex.
No social script to follow.
First marriage families are viewed as the “real” model for family living.
- Boundary Ambiguity – so children can have relationships with those they deem important (complex arangements of people)
- Role Ambiguity – uncertainty about roles (—- step parent as a parent or an adult friend)
- Relationships with Non-custodial
Parent/Family Members - Loyalty Conflicts – kid loyal to actual or step parent
- Financial Strains
- Unrealistic Expectations:
- Instant Love
- Perfect Family
- Rescuer
- Wicked Stepmother
step family tasks
- Accept losses from transition and past.
- Accept that new family is different.
- Establish new family rituals.
- Dispel fairytale myth.
- Create parenting coalition.
3 types of stepfamilies
romantic, matriarchal, nontraditional
romantic stepfamilies
the couples romanticizes the new family and expects that feelings of ove, closeness, and harmony wil arise immediately. probably as a result of unrealistic expectations, this type is least likely to succeed
matriarchal
as the name suggests, the female parent has a dominant function. she often has a powerful personality and is comforatable taking the leadership role. this type can succeed if the male parent has compatible values
neotraditional
this type comes closest to the idealized image of the loving and funtional stepfamilies. the couple has a realitic understanding of the issues and chalenges of forming a stepfamily and develops effective strategies for dealing with them. this type of stepfamily i the most likely to succeed
The Stepfamily and the Wider Society
Relationship of stepfamily to society is somewhat confused
Society resists recognizing nontraditional caregivers such as stepparents, regardless of how important they have been in a child’s life
Given the number of children involved, important to develop a model of stepfamily health rather than stepfamily disturbance
Strengthening Stepfamilies
Develop theories/models of family living based on diverse family structures including stepfamilies
Education programs
Support groups
Policy (e.g. schools)
