Exam # 2 Study Guide PSYC 464 1st EditionTransition to Parenthood Lecture - Profound transformation for a couple- Changes ino Structure Transition of the family from a two-person to a three-person system which involves the addition of a parental subsystem in additional to a marital subsystemo Family themes Revised family themes; may include defining a parental role identity [has to do with parental desire to be parents, amount of training before the role, clarity of role demands, social support] – family moves from adult focused to children focused Parental identity change is tougher for mothers than fathers because of greater emotional investment, appearance changes, tension between working and household role- McDaniel study – studied the use of media on the social well being of new mothers – frequency of blogging positively predicted feelings of connection to family and friends [major reason for blogging was to stay in touch with people]; as mothers are able to share successful parenting experiences on blogs, receive feedback from family and friends, and also learn through vicarious experience while reading blogs, their perceptions of social support could increase; linked to diminished maternal depressive symptoms and better marital functioning- Women’s role as the spouse/lover and worker declines and her role as the parentincreases; male role as spouse/lover declines while parent and worker role increaseso Boundaries Boundaries may need to be more open to allow for greater involvement of family of origin; outside support is necessary Challenge of maintaining marital relationship while being responsive to the needs of others – spouses spend more time with children and less time with each other Work and family boundary – greater need for finances – men moving more towards work to provide for the family, women moving more towards the home to take care of the childo Intimacy Couples who have a satisfying marriage after the birth of a child are those with more positive relationship before the child Frequency of sex tends to decrease; parents tend to report lower sexual satisfactiono Finances Direct and indirect costs of raising a child; can be a financial strain/stressoro Leisure time Strength of marriage and couples relationship is often dependent on time spent together as well as time spent doing activities of personal interesto Household labor Increase in chores with a child; traditionalization in sex roles in household maintenance- Factors that may ease the transition of parenthoodo Positive relationship and satisfying marriage before the arrival of a child o Desire to be parentso Realistic expectations of parenthood and a clarity of the role demands of parenthoodo Anticipatory socialization/necessary pre-parenthood trainingo Available support – via family of origins, friends, etc- Cowan and Cowan study – When partners become parentso Hypothesized that the state of the marriage before a baby and the couples relationship prior contributes more to post-birth adaptation than the baby doeso The transition to parenthood increases stress and amplifies differenceso Found that it was not the relationship that was the problem in post birth conflict but that the circumstances of having a baby was a greater contributing factoro Three years after the study there were no divorce rates in the group that received the intervention compared to 16% divorce rate in the control group [no baby] Parent-Child Relationships Lecture Theories of parentingo Biological Genetics play a role in parenting style Says that interventions are not valuable because parenting is predetermined by geneticso Behaviorism Focus on reinforcement Looked different from how parents talk about reinforcement today – worried that parents were going to overly reinforce their parents and if they got too much praise theywere going to become weak and wimpy; wanted to give positive reinforcement but not over do it Early behaviorists said it was bad to coddle childreno Attachment theory The infant-parent relationship is critical/a biological imperative Secure attachment with the parent allows a safe base for the child Inadequate bonding can lead to an anxious attachment for the child- Parenting styles [Baumrind]o Indulgent Permissive; responsive but not demanding; lenient, do not require mature behavior, avoid confrontationo Authoritarian Highly demanding, but not responsive; obedience oriented; well-ordered and structured environments with clearly stated rules; favor forceful discipline; may be highly controlling and intrusive – goal is to bend will of child whenever child thinks/acts contrary to what parent thinks is appropriateo Authoritative Demanding and responsive; impart clear standards for children, are assertive but not intrusive; discipline is supportive; want their children to be assertive, socially responsible, self regulated, and cooperative; nurturing and rely on positive reinforcement to control their childreno Uninvolved Low in responsiveness and demandingness; neglectful and permissive; no clearly definedrules; children receive little attention; deprived of acceptance, affirmation, and monitoring; children left confused, anxious, or unable to have self control- Multifinalityo One condition of parenting can lead to many different outcomes [i.e. A parent can be authoritative and still have a child that does not come out ok; conversely a parent can be authoritarian and have a child that is fine]o The mechanisms with which a parent parents a child is an important determinant of outcomesMarriage, Parenting, and Children Lecture - Temperamento A child’s behavioral style/ the way they respond; how of their behavior there is a genetic component to temperamento Dimensions [identified by Thomas and Chess] Rhythmicity [regularity]- How regular, how much of a routine is the child on their own [babies nap and eating schedule and bowel movements]  Activity level- Can be high or low; how much an energy a child has; how much are they moving [babies] or running around [older children]  Approach-withdrawal- How easy it is for a child to approach a new situation/person/food/toy vs. how much do they withdraw from it Adaptability- How flexible a child is- How easy or hard it is for a child to shift schedules Mood- Negative or positive- How much do they smile vs. cry or fuss; cranky vs.