PSYC 464 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lecture 1 What is a Family What is a family Pipher definition o Blood genetic o Unconditional love obligation o Live together o Chain of connectedness something that relates them o Support system A S definition o Shared sense of history o Emotional bonding o Devise and apply strategies to accomplish meeting the needs of family members as well as group as a whole Legal definition o 2 or more ppl one who is householder related by birth marriage adoption and live together o Household group of ppl who occupy dwelling Postmodern families 80s media moves away from traditional stereotype satisfy 3 fundamental conditions of family from textbook numerous and flexible familial roles range from traditional family to single parent same sex parents adopted biological children step families half children etc Lecture 2 Family as a System Family as a System Gestalt concept whole greater than sum of parts can t understand any individual in the fam w o understanding family unit in isolation from one another Subsystems marital parental parent child sibling Three levels of interaction complex levels of interaction o Person to person mom to dad mom to daughter dad to son o Dyad and one individual parents to child most common o One dyad to another dyad parents to children Interdependence o Mutual dependence members influence each other and are influenced by each other ripple effect ex mom getting new job more hours away from family influences time and energy with kids and will affect dads relationship w kids because he ll need to step up and spend more time w kids role change could affect mom and dad s relationship Structure o Composition people in the fam of ppl o Organization roles responsibilities rules that govern the way people relate in the family patterns of interaction o Strategies and Rules Methods to accomplish tasks influenced by history culture that family is in embedded ex strategy in the past was to have more kids to get more work done more help on farm on household chores taking care of other kids Rules reflect well established strategies maintain stability of family reflect how family defines themselves to each other and outside world reflect what s acceptable in the family what is talked about metarules qualify rules ex family can talk about anything except dads ex wife Can be overt or covert Tasks o First order What family has to execute successfully in order for someone to do well Common to all families regardless of composition SES culture race era Developing identity Concerned with the identity of the family as a whole and as individuals Family themes organizing values of the family based on culture religion etc ex fighters not quitters value higher education ideas family centers around can involve stereotypical roles of individual family members Family myths a discrepancy between the family theme and reality is associated with conflict within or between families and outside world ex one members image isn t consistent with family image athletic family with one son that is an artist Regulation boundaries Marks limits of family system External who is let into the family How much is shared with the outside world Internal how family members interact with one another flow of information is regulated between members of the family Clarity of the boundaries are essential for family functioning Hierarchy distinction between different levels of a system clear lines of authority Rigid or loose ex not having people over to visit can be isolating for family and individual o rigid can exist inside the family o loose no family secrets people can come over no public vs private family life no separate parental unit permeability open versus closed unclear neither situation is optimal o enmeshed over involvement between family members diffuse boundaries o disengagement lack of involvement rigid boundaries w I the family coalitions one family member pairs up w another member against a third problematic when its cross generational will undermine authority of parental subsystems alliance two family members that share an interest not shared by a third Emotional climate How does family express emotions talk about feelings Express only positive Express only negative How is conflict handled Who has power in the family Implications for well being of family sets the stage for how family members interact with people in the outside world sets the stage for how you solve conflict with peers dating partners Maintaining household How are basic needs met Food clothing shelter education how family uses resources to meet these basic needs o How well the family functions is related to how well they execute the four first order tasks o Second order Modify first order when change in family comes ex child going into adolescence family member gets sick Always in the process of change need to be able to adapt Adaptability Extent to which a family can adapt to all the stressors in the outside world Stressor tells family that strategies rules need to be adjusted developmental change is a common stressor Lecture 3 Methods for Studying Family Relationships Studying Family Relationships When choosing methods researchers have to make a trade off choose to ignore one aspect to study another What methods do we use o Pros and cons of each method need to be weighed relative to each other when thinking about what you re studying o Self Reports Information from one or more family member Forms Questionnaires Paper and pencil typical questionnaire Interviews Interaction records participant observations Subjective in nature looking for persons perspective Pros Easy cheap quick effective in accessing peoples internal thoughts sometimes it s the only way to get that information Cons Interpretation issues question may not be understood or interpreted in the way the researcher meant Response bias social desirability idea that people want to present themselves in the most favorable view might not be completely honest about the issues at hand bias due to poor memory selective distorted memory of event people may not always know the truth Can only get one persons perspective can work with multiple people to get multiple perspectives Interviews Structured o Ex adult attachment interview assess adults attachment to a figure in their childhood usually a parent open ended but specific questions Unstructured o Content can depend on person youre interviewing can get individual perspective and a lot of detail