Session 5: Family crisis and disruption Flashcards
Discuss in detail what is meant by the composition of families.
*When thinking of a family in narrow terms, it is a married couple w/ their unmarried children living together.
- This is known as a nuclear family.
- It serves as the core/nucleus from which larger family
groups are built.
- A family w/ relatives like uncles, grandparents living w/ parents & their children is known as an extended family.
- This type has an advantage over the nuclear family
- Crises like divorce & death put less strain over the family (more people provide support)
- Constitutes a larger economic unit
- Monogamy: 1 woman is married to 1 man.
- serial monogamy: person has several spouses over their lifetime; w/ 1 spouse at a time
- Polygamy: more than 1 spouse at the same time
- polygyny- man marries more than 1 wife at the same time. Viewed as a mark of status.
- polyandry- woman has more than 1 husband at the same time. It devalues the social worth of women.
Explain what is meant by the term family disorganization.
- Process in which many interrelated factors have played a significant role at various stages
- Takes place over a period of time
- Integrated functioning eventually fades away
- Includes weakening maladaptation of ties that bind family members as a group
- Reciprocal relationship becomes damaged
Describe the 4 different ways in which family disorganization occurs.
- Members attempt to shelter a form of organized family
- Lack of emotional support between spouses affects communication & relationship between the parents and children/ the siblings
- High level of individualism exists
- Family does not meet each other’s needs - Doesn’t function in an approved way, owing to a member being prevented from functioning in an accepted manner
- Mental, emotional, physical disabilities lead to build up of strain in members’ relationships because of member’s ability to fulfill their role - External environmental factors
- Violence, unemployment, imprisonment &natural catastrophes make it difficult/impossible to fulfill family roles - Disorganization due to divorce
- Will only result in a disorganized family if members don’t operate smoothly to meet each other’s needs.
Name the 8 types of stressors that contribute to a family crisis.
- Daily family hassles
- Sudden change
- Addition of a family member
- Loss of a family member
- Ambiguous loss
- Ongoing family conflict
- Caring for a dependent, ill/ disabled member
- Demoralizing events
Discuss how daily family hassles are a family stressor.
- Balancing employment against family demands
- Working odd hours
- Arranging child-care/transport to work among low-income families
- Protecting children from violence in dangerou neighborhoods
Discuss how sudden changes can be a family stressor.
- Sudden change in income/social status
* Can be positive like winning the lottery
Discuss how addition of a family member can be a stressor.
- Through birth or adoption
- Through marriage, remarriage or cohabitation
- Not only in-laws are added, but an array of their kin come into the family
- Family boundaries change
Discuss how ambiguous loss can be a family stressor.
- Negotiating family boundaries is difficult
- Uncertainty on whether the member is “really” gone
- Member may be physically absent but psychologically, socially and emotionally present
- Ambiguity of post-divorce family boundaries is stressful
- A member who is in the military/ MIA
- Members who are physically present but psychologically absent, like alcoholics
- Creates boundary ambiguity
- Not knowing who’s in/out
Discuss how caring for a dependent, ill/ disabled member can be a family stressor.
- Being responsible for an adult child/ sibling w/ mental illness or retardation
- Parents raising a physically/mentally disabled child
- Parents caring for children w/ chronic physical conditions like asthma, cerebral palsy, diabetes, or epilepsy
- Adults w/ advanced AIDS may return home top be taken care of
- Caring for terminally ill members may cause children to exhibit behavior problems
Discuss how demoralizing events can be a family stressor.
- Job loss, unwanted pregnancy, poverty, homelessness
- Having one’s child placed at foster care, scandal, family violence, mental illness, alcoholism
- Being the brunt of racist treatment
- Grandparents raising grandchildren is associated w/ demoralizing events
- Physical, emotional and mental illness can be demoralizing when they carry possible attributes of family dysfunction
- STIs may be a threat to the marriage
- Alzheimer’s disease
Discuss how ongoing family conflict can be a family stressor.
- Unresolved conflict amongst members
- Role of an adult child living w/ parents is unclear and can be the source of unresolved conflict
- If children of teenagers/divorced adult children are involved, the situation becomes more challenging
Distinguish between vulnerable and resilient families.
Vulnerable families have poor adjustment to stressing events:
- feel less in control of what happens to them
- cope w/ problems by showing diminished respect towards each other
- less experienced in delegating responsibilities
- resistant to compromise
- little emphasis on family routine
Resilient families adjust better to stressing events:
- emphasize mutual acceptance, respect and shared feelings
- members rely on each other for support
- work together to solve problems (better to foster when family has sufficient economic resources)
