Exam 2 Study Guide PSYC 464 1st Edition Transition to Parenthood Lecture Profound transformation for a couple Changes in o 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 subsystem o 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 parent increases male role as spouse lover declines while parent and worker role increases o 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 child o 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 satisfaction o Finances Direct and indirect costs of raising a child can be a financial strain stressor o Leisure time Strength of marriage and couples relationship is often dependent on time spent together as well as time spent doing activities of personal interest o Household labor Increase in chores with a child traditionalization in sex roles in household maintenance Factors that may ease the transition of parenthood o Positive relationship and satisfying marriage before the arrival of a child o Desire to be parents o Realistic expectations of parenthood and a clarity of the role demands of parenthood o Anticipatory socialization necessary pre parenthood training o Available support via family of origins friends etc Cowan and Cowan study When partners become parents o Hypothesized that the state of the marriage before a baby and the couples relationship prior contributes more to post birth adaptation than the baby does o The transition to parenthood increases stress and amplifies differences o 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 factor o 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 parenting o Biological Genetics play a role in parenting style Says that interventions are not valuable because parenting is predetermined by genetics o 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 they were going to become weak and wimpy wanted to give positive reinforcement but not over do it Early behaviorists said it was bad to coddle children o 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 confrontation o 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 appropriate o 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 children o Uninvolved Low in responsiveness and demandingness neglectful and permissive no clearly defined rules children receive little attention deprived of acceptance affirmation and monitoring children left confused anxious or unable to have self control Multifinality o 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 outcomes Marriage Parenting and Children Lecture Temperament o A child s behavioral style the way they respond how of their behavior there is a genetic component to temperament o 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 cheerful Quality of mood Intensity Intensity of their reaction mild or extreme A scream vs a whimper Distractibility How easy or hard is it to distract a child from something Persistence Attention span how long or short it is can a child