Human Life Cycle

Question 1

Adult Development Stages

Answer 1

1. Early Adulthood
2. Middle Age
3. Later Adulthood

Question 2

Early Adulthood

Answer 2

Finding a mate.

Dealing with new relationships.

Intimacy, with another person and results in the procreation and raising of children.

Setting up a home

Securing a career

Spending a lot of time to physical improvement of the home environment.

Question 3

Middle Age

Answer 3

Longer and more stable stage.

At this stage you deal with setting children free and learning new roles as grandparents.

Adjust to the changing medical needs of an aging body.

More attention is paid to job satisfaction and a different role is played in the community

You stop measuring age by its distance from birth but by its distance from death

Question 4

Later Adulthood

Answer 4

The loss of a job (retirement)

Adjustment to reduced income and

The acceptance of new social roles.

Question 5

The Phases of Family Development

Answer 5

Family development is divided into four phases:

R. I. D. E

Question 6

Expansion

Answer 6

This stage begins with marriage and extends to the point where the youngest child reaches adulthood.

It includes stages 1 – 5 of the family life cycle and extends into stage 6.

It lasts approximately 20 years.

Question 7

Dispersion

Answer 7

Dispersion extends from the time that the first child leaves home or reaches the age that he/she is permitted to do so.

This stage lasts until the last child leaves home.

This period may take extremely long if one or
more child does not marry and leave home.

It corresponds to stage 6 of the family life cycle.

Question 8

Independence

Answer 8

This phase begins when all children have left home and parents are alone again, yet still employed.

The stage of independence lengthens as
families become smaller, children marry at an earlier age and improved health status results in longevity, modern birth control methods delaying the starting of a family is again decreasing this phase.

The phase corresponds to phase 7.

Question 9

Replacement

Answer 9

This stage begins with retirement and extends to the death of both spouses

Question 10

What is a Development Task

Answer 10

A developmental task is a task which arise at certain stages of the life of the family or individual, adaptation to which may lead to happiness and success in later stages

Question 11

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage.

Answer 11

Married Couple

Childbearing

Pre-School Age

School Age

Teenage

Launching Centre

Middle Aged Parents

Aging Family Members

Question 12

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Married Couple

Answer 12

Wife
Husband

Establishing a mutual satisfying marriage.
Adjusting to pregnancy and promised parenthood.
Fitting into the kin network

Question 13

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Childbearing

Answer 13

Wife-mother
Husband-father
Infant daughter or Son or both

Having adjusting to and encouraging the development of infants.
Establishing a satisfying home for both parents and infants

Question 14

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Pre-School Age

Answer 14

Wife-mother
Husband-father
Daughter-sister
Son-brother

Adapting to the critical needs and interests of preschool children in stimulating, growth-promoting ways.

Coping with energy depletion and lack of privacy as parents.

Question 15

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

School Age

Answer 15

Wife-mother
Husband-father
Daughter-sister
Son-brother

Fitting into the community of school age families in constructive ways.

Encouraging children’s educational achievements.

Question 16

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Teenage

Answer 16

Wife-mother
Husband-father
Daughter-sister
Son-brother

Balancing freedom with responsibilities as teenagers mature and emancipate themselves.

Establishing post parental interest and careers as growing parents.

Question 17

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Launching Centre

Answer 17

Wife-mother-granny
Husband-fathergrandfather
Daughter-sister-aunt
Son-brother-uncle

Releasing young adults into work, military service, marriage, etc. with appropriate rituals and assistance.

Question 18

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Middle Age Parents

Answer 18

Wife-mother-granny
Husband-father-grandfather

Rebuilding the marriage relationship.

Maintaining kin ties with older and your generations

Question 19

The stages of Development,, the position in the family and the critical family developmental task in each stage:

Aging Family Members

Answer 19

Widow-widower
Wife-mother-granny
Husband-father-grandfather

Coping with bereavement and living alone.

Closing the family home adapting it to aging.

Adjusting to retirement.

Question 20

Stages of Life Cycle/Development

Answer 20

1. Newly married

2 Birth of first child: Birth to 2 ½ years

3 Pre-school children: Oldest 2 ½ - 6 years

4 Children in School: Oldest 6 – 13 years

5 Teenagers: Oldest 13 – 20 years

6 Launching years: First to last child leaving home

7 Parents alone/Middle years/Empty nest: Last child gone - retirement

8 Retirement and later year

Question 21

NEWLY MARRIED

Answer 21

Each of the married couple sacrifices individuality and freedom. Caring for
the other’s needs become important. Each must separate from the family
of origin and establish an intimate relationship with someone from outside
that group. This relationship includes social, sexual and economical
issues. Instead of being in a parent dominated situation it becomes a
parentless situation where they are mutually dependent.
The couple must adjust to each others personalities and effective ways of
communication must be found and mutual decision-making must be
agreed upon. Economical instability causes loss of jobs and more couples
are dependent on assistance from parents for longer periods. The roles
the partners as far as the gender issue is concerned, must be addressed.

Question 22

BIRTH OF FIRST CHILD

Answer 22

This is a critical transition point in the maturing of the marital relationship.
This phase is often called the “first child crisis”. Relationship with other
outside the family unit changes. The couple must still attend to the marital
role and not just focus on the parent role. Parents should remain in a
mutual supportive intimate relationship while they develop a healthy
environment for the child. A new daily schedule and routine must be
instituted. Extra financial stress causes the mother to take a job causing
guilt feelings. Fatigue resulting from the changed routine and lack of sleep
in a stressor on the marriage. Decrease of leisure time with spouse and
friends leads to conflict. If the partners to not deal with this crisis the
problems arising in future stages will often not be resolved easily. Do not
leave unfinished business. The family physician must be sensitive to cues
that could arise during consultation with mothers and babies. Be
supportive throughout well baby visits and do not omit counselling
sessions with the mom in this period.

Question 23

Mother-child relationship:

Answer 23

Continuous mother child contact and interaction is of utmost importance.
The mother must however refrain from placing excessive dependence on
the child for love and affection which may be lacking from the spouse. If
either of the parents have the need to depend on the child for gratification
or love, excluding the other parent, the family bond is weakened and
individuality and development of the child into an independent personality
will be stifled.

Each new child born into the family unit is actually born into a new family
as with each new addition the family changes. The 3 older children often
serve as role models for the younger. The late pregnancies rather than
the earlier ones tend to create more problems. Unplanned additions of
pregnancies beyond the planned number create problems.
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Question 24

PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

Answer 24

These years are crucial in the development of the child. Patterns learned
at this stage serve as the basis for performance throughout life. The
socializing of the child is important. Children develop communication tools
and skills. They learn to relate to others emotionally. Children develop a
sexual identity. The adjustment of the parents to their own sexual roles
has an influence on this developmental task.

Question 25

SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

Answer 25

This marks the first separation from home for significant times. Parents
are drawn into a wider range of social activities. Children learn to adjust
and conform to rules outside of those at home. The child’s total
environment enlarges. Exposure to racial and religious prejudices is also
encountered. During the first few weeks there may be separation anxiety
with bedwetting and physical complaints. Parents must help the child to
adapt physically emotionally and psychologically. The child with a high IQ
must not be pushed beyond his physical maturity and emotional maturity
by placing him in a higher standard. Marital satisfaction is lowest during
the school going years, teenage years and the launching years. It may be
the strain put on the family due to the socialization process of children
outside of the family that leads to this.

Question 26

TEENAGERS

Answer 26

Any marriage whose equilibrium is already precarious may be destroyed if
the family cannot cope with a difficult teenage period. The teenager is
moving towards independence and freeing himself from childhood
dependency. This process can be traumatic for both the individual and
the parents. If firm restrictions are placed on the threatening child
defiance and rebelliousness are likely to increase. Parents must maintain
a closeness and cohesiveness while simultaneously fostering independent
development of the children. Sexual development and experimentation
may lead to guilt feelings. The parent child relationship changes. An over
protective dominant father may hamper the development of his sons
interactions with the outside world.

Question 27

LAUNCHING PHASE

Answer 27

This phase depends on the number of children and their ages. The
leaving of home causes another relationship between parent and child to
develop. It becomes an adult to adult relationship. Families most difficulty
to adapting to this stage are those with and authoritarian and autocratic
structure, which is threatened when the child does not follow the course
planned by the parents. The most traumatic point is in dealing with
leaving of the last chilled. If the marriage is in danger the family tends to
hold onto the last child.

Question 28

PARENTS ALONE:

Answer 28

This begins with departure of the last child from home and lasts until
retirement. The empty nest syndrome is well known. Once the children
have left the couples attention focuses totally on themselves and their
partners. Realignment of priorities and reappraisal of life goals are made.
Personality clashes may surface and this causes unhappy relationship
during this waning years. Couples who remain married for the sake of
children may surprise friend and foe if they separate once the last child
has left home. The post-parental years are the difficult ones for women.
And often leads to emotional crisis. Woman often seek to recapture the
sparkle of youth by relating more closely with children and grandchildren.
Happiness during the parent alone years depends on the compatibility and
mutual support of the partners. If they are able to invest in each other and
enjoy this time alone, it can be one of the most rewarding periods of their
lives.

Question 29

RETIREMENT AND LATER YEARS

Answer 29

One of the worse injustices of society is the forced retirement of a person
who still has the capacity to remain productive. Society forces people to
change their lifestyles at a late and relatively inflexible period in their lives.
Some substitute must be found or else depression steps in. Suicide is
highest amongst men. The wider the circle of personal or professional
friends the easier it is to proceed in the stage. Individuals must maintain a
sense of independence and social usefulness. We must urge our patients
to prepare for retirement.