midterm Flashcards
Family forms
Two-parent biological family
Single-parent family (primary parent/ solo mother)
Blended family
Extended or intergenerational family (Intentional/fictive/voluntaristic)
Committed partners or small groups
Working wives/mothers
What are the four types of working mothers? These are the captives, the conflicted, the copers, and the committed.
dual income
single moms
Family developmental theory
Families grow and change over time. Eight stages in the family life cycle. Married couple: no children. Child-bearing family. Family with preschoolers. Family with school children. Family with adolescents. Family as launching center. Middle-age family. Aging family. We accomplish certain developmental tasks over time. Problem: cannot really fit families into a box. However, there is a general direction families move in.
International Family Strengths Model
Focuses on family strengths instead of deficiencies. Strengths can be learned/developed. Appreciation and affection. Communication. Commitment. Spending time together. Spiritual well-being. Effective coping with stress and crises.
Systems theory
Family members are interdependent.
Many subsystems
Children
Husband and wife
Parents
A change in one system creates a ripple effect through the others.
MC Parenting behaviors Child behavior problems.
Structural-functional theory
Family is a structural piece of society. Contributions to society (e.g., children, money) in order to maintain it. Family functions: Common residence Economic cooperation Reproduction Sex Socialization of children
Symbolic interaction
Family members are varied and interact differently with one another.
We assign roles to play in the family.
Example: father, mother, daughter, son.
Bidirectional influences.
My mother.
Self-image.
Perception matters!
How we view events that occur within the family.
We choose actions based on our interpretations of others’ actions.
John Gottman
sex
Determined by biology/ genetics: Male and Female
gender
Personality traits and behavior that characterize masculinity, femininity, or somewhere in between
gender role
Outward expression of male/femaleness
gender identity
Personal internal sense of male/femaleness; how you feel inside.
transgender
Feeling that biological sex does not match gender identity
transexual
Someone that has changed their gender through medical intervention
Parental identification and modeling
When a child internalizes and adopts parental values
Influence of media on gender
Popular ideas in society are expressed through media. Children that are heavy watchers of TV generally have more stereotypical views of what is masculine and what is feminine.
Social learning theory
Emphasizes that exposure to social learning theory such as parents, TV, school, and peers is what communicates what it means to be masculine or feminine
Central to this theory is the emphasis on masculinity being something boys develop and femininity being something girls develop.
Cognitive developmental theory
gender cannot be learned until a certain age in their development is reached.
Between 3 and 5 gender constancy occurs where the child begins to conceive of themselves as a boy or a girl only and uses social cues
Gender schema theory
We hold Specific frameworks for how males and females should look and behave.
If Mario wore a pink dress, would he be as believable of a hero? If Princess Peach wore pants and carried a weapon, would you be as likely to see her as a victim?
Social structure/cultural theories
belief that appropriate gender behaviors are learned. differences are supported because of power, social structure, and status in question.
Evolutionary theories
States that men and women are best adapted to their biological functions.
Biological theories
States that differences in hormonal levels and brain activity influences differences between males and females which accounts for differences in behaviors and preferences.
Gender stereotypes
Personality traits
Women = passive.
Men = confident and aggressive.
Domestic behaviors
Women = childcare.
Men = household repairs.
Occupations
Women = secretaries.
Men = doctors and construction.
Physical appearance
Women = small and graceful.
Men = tall and muscular.
