Family and Peer Relationships Flashcards
Family Dynamics Framework
common framework for the study of families and for family therapy
ALL members have effect on all other members
internal AND external things
affected by things like social support, employment
changes to 1 family member affect ALL
(positives and negative to this)
changes in structure due to births, deaths, divorce or remarriage can affect the whole fam
Parental Socialization - 3 ways through which this is done
Parents very important for socialization!
1) Direct instruction
2) Indirectly
3) Providers and controllers of opportunity
Direct instruction
e.g. teaching about religious practices
Indirectly
modeling attitudes & behaviors
perhaps even moreso than what you say
e.g. modelling saying “thank you” to waitress at restaurant
Providers and controllers of opportunity
Peers, schools, family gatherings, learning experiences, culture
e.g. choosing which school they go to, signing up for activities
Baumrind’s Typology - Main Dimensions of Parenting Styles (2)
1) Responsiveness
2) Demandingness
Responsiveness
showing love, respect, attention, time, warmth
Demandingness
how well you expect them to do in school, how much you expect them to do independently
Baumrind’s Typology - Types of Parenting Styles (4)
1) Authoritative
2) Authoritarian
3) Permissive
4) Rejecting/Neglectful
Which parenting style is associated with the BEST outcomes?
Authoritative
(think authoritatiVE = loVE)
Which parenting style is associated with the WORST outcomes?
Rejecting/Neglectful
Why is authoritative the best? (many answers)
children more likely to respond to punishment when is RARE
more likely to follow limits when reasonable, when they understands reasons behind it
when parents give children decisions, they’re more likely to comply when parents ask
control that is fair and reasonable is more likely to be internalized
disapproval works best when approval is the norm
autonomy granting fosters self-esteem and maturity
Authoritative Parenting
Demandingness: HIGH
Responsiveness: HIGH
high expectations, allow children to take on age-appropriate responsibilities, grant autonomy, negotiate, clear limits and communicate the “why”
warm, loving, responsive, supportive
Outcomes: do well in school, confident, lots of friends, good coping skills
Authoritarian Parenting
Demandingness: HIGH
Responsiveness: LOW
High demandingness that may not be age appropriate, control child with threats and punishment, don’t explain the “why”, kids have little control and independence
Outcomes (BAD): act out, higher internalizing (girls) and externalizing (boys), lower peer and academic skills
Where would a child with authoritarian parenting be most likely to act out?
a) home
b) school
b) school
Don’t tend to act out at home, comply at home and act out elsewhere
Permissive Parenting
Demandingness: LOW
Responsiveness: HIGH
“Hippie parents”
responsive but NO limits
child makes decisions before they are ready
don’t learn to regulate
Outcomes (BAD): poor at school, lots of externalizing and conduct problems, getting into trouble, acting out
Which parenting style is most likely to lead to a child with poor regulating skills?
Permissive parenting
Rejecting/Neglectful Parenting
Demandingness: LOW
Responsiveness HIGH
uninvolved
no rules, love, support, attention
parents who are focused on own needs
parents usually have own issues - e.g. mental health, extreme stress, low SES
Outcomes: WORST - poor relationships, promiscuity (teen pregnancy), high internalizing (girls) and externalizing (boys)
Biggest criticism of research findings regarding parenting styles
Done by WEIRD researchers, finding what they’re expecting to find
Study on 6th graders who rarely ate dinner with parents vs those that often did
Rarely ate with parents - more likely to have adjustment problems
-Anxiety and depression
-Delinquency and substance use
-Poor school grades
EVEN after controlled for other factors
–> parents important!
What is the worst type of punishment?
Intermittent reinforcement
behaviour is most resistant to extinction
e.g. kid crying for candy at grocery store, give in and let them have it
Characteristics of Effective Punishment (3)
1) immediate
2) consistent
3) explained
Child’s Effects on Parenting (many)
Difficult temperaments
Attractiveness
Unintentional rewarding of negative behaviour
Child’s perception of parents
Bidirectional effect*
What is the best way to reprimand child’s behaviour?
reprimand consistently OR ignore the behaviour
don’t give in
Bidirectional Child-Parent Interactions
looked at physical punishment over time, ages 6 to 12
children’s lack of regulation predicted more punitive reactions later on at 8 to 10
in turn predicted children’s self-regulation at ages 10 to 12
parental punitive reaction AND children’s self-regulation predictive externalizing problem behaviour at age 10 to 12
interaction between child’s lack of regulation and parent’s reactions
problem behaviour –> physical punishment –> more problem behaviour
Sibling Relationships
Many get off to rocky start
Get along better if temperaments are like (unless difficult)
Favouritism=bad
Middle childhood rivalry often increases (especially same sex and close in age)
Relationships improve in adolescence
Parents have warm relationship=good model
Good relationship as children→ good as adults (usually)
When is the worst time to have a 2nd child?
When the first child is 3 years old
Have had enough time on their own to bond with parents
Favouritism from which parent is worse?
a) mom
b) dad
b) dad
When can divorce be a good thing?
When there is lots of fighting before the divorce
Kids may internalize fighting and think its their fault
When is divorce most harmful to child?
a) early childhood
b) early childhood and adolescence
c) middle childhood and adolescence
c) middle childhood and adolescence
Short and Long Term Risks of Divorce
Most are short-term**
Depression
Low self-esteem
Dropping out
Delinquency
Having kids out of wedlock
Getting divorced themselves
What important factor mediates child’s adjustment to divorce?
Good parenting!
High parental acceptance (warmth, responsiveness) AND consistency=low level of behavioural problems
authoritative parenting
Generally-speaking, who is more likely to do well after a divorce?
a) girls
b) boys
a) girls
Factors related to children’s adjustment to blended families (4)
1) Form of blended families
2) Children’s characteristics
3) Repeated marital transitions
4) Social supports
Form of blended families
Worst: father-stepmother
explanations:
-start out with more problems
-stepmothers tend to step into the mother role more
Children’s Characteristics (2)
1) Age - Early adolescents find it hardest to adjust
Explanation: view stepparent as threat to freedom, more likely to notice and challenge negative aspects of stepfamily living
2) Sex - Girls adjust less well - due to interruptions in close bonds with custodial parents and greater conflict with stepmothers
Repeated Marital Transitions
more marital transitions, greater risk of severe and long-lasting adjustment problem
Social Supports
Nothing to add really
Who would adjust the worst in a father-stepmother blended family?
a) young girl
b) teen girl
c) young boy
d) teen boy
b) teen girl
LGBTQIA2S+ Parents
Don’t seem to have adjustment difficulties
Don’t seem to get teased but may hide this
Happy home → better outcomes
How early do children start showing preferences for other children?
Early!
Infancy and toddlerhood
Theorists on Peer Relationships (3)
1) Piaget - children learn through DISAGREEMENTS
2) Vygotsky - children learn through COLLABORATION
3) Sullivan - children are an important source of EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
Friendships: Birth - 2 years
pretty much playing on their own but are paying attention to certain peers more
preference for certain children - touching, smiling, engaging in positive interactions
Friendships: Preschool Years (2 ½ - 6 years)
parallel play - playing alongside, but not back and forth
3 or 4 friends - at least 1 friendship maintained
around 4 - back and forth play, pretend play
shared activities
cooperation, fighting, negotiation
learning to manage emotions*
more about proximity* and temperament
Friendships: Middle Childhood (7 - 11 years)
start talking to each other more about their problems
start engaging in gossip
learn that friendship is about who is nice, dependable, trustworthy
fewer friends - choose more wisely
companionship
shared values, interests
rules
Friendships: Adolescence
early adolescent: very susceptible to peer pressure
declines as frontal cortex develops
trying out different roles
cliques make up crowds
spend more time with friends than family
based on intimacy
co-rumination - focusing on the negative, can make each other depressed, especially girls
empathy, understanding, self-disclosure
talking about your problems, worries etc.
friendships less stable than middle childhood
Gender Differences in Peer Relationships
Girls:
-more likely to desire closeness
-more dependency
-more friendship-related confidence
-more friendship related stress, fears of abandonment
Who has more stable peer relationships, boys or girls?
equally stable
How do boys and girls differentiate in terms of friendships?
a) recreational opportunities
b) recreational activities
b) recreational activities (e.g. shopping vs. playing sports)
recreational opportunities - e.g. going to someone’s house
Self-disclosure over the lifespan
talking about problems, issues
Parents - talk to parents more than anyone in middle childhood, then drops off in adolescence, picks up a bit in college, drops off in marriage, comes up with kids
Friends - increases in adolescence, college, single adulthood, drops off when married, increases a bit with kids
Romantic partners - increases steadily with age, most important in college and adulthood
Common Sociometric Categories (5)
1) Popular
2) Rejected
3) Neglected
4) Average
5) Controversial
Which sociometric category has the worst outcomes?
Rejected
Popular Category
many positive nominations and few negative nominations
not necessarily the stereotypical “popular” kids in HS
skilled at interacting, maintain positive friendships
cooperative, social, friendly, helpful
good regulation of emotions
Rejected Category
many negative nominations and few positions ones
more likely to experience maltreatment from parents
hostile, demanding, threatening
highest loneliness score
worst outcomes - problems with police, dropping out, skipping school, suspended, repeat grade
can be predicted to some degree by SES
particularly for low-SES boys
withdrawn rejected: socially withdrawn, wary, timid
aggressive rejected: physical aggression, disruptive behaviour, delinquency, and negative
Neglected Category
low social impact - few positive nominations and negative ones
go unnoticed - do ok
less sociable and disruptive, prefer solitary activities
not anxious about social interactions
outcomes - very similar to popular kids
loneliness score - not much different than popular and average kids
Average Category
average number of both positive and negative nominations
Controversial Category
receive many positive AND negative nominations
noticed by peers, liked by a lot, disliked by a lot
what we think of when we think of “popular” kids
characteristics of both popular and neglected
sociable, good at sports, leaders, humorous
aggressive, disruptive, prone to anger, arrogant
Stability of social categories over time
short-term
-popular or rejected - remain so
-neglected or controversial - changes
long-term - changes
Coaching
parents teaching how to interact with unfamiliar peers
provided in a sensitive, skilled manner
Monitoring
orchestrating and monitoring their children’s interactions with peers
especially important in adolescence
Internalization
process by which children learn and accept the reasons for desired behaviour
