Family Relations Exam 3 Final Study Guide FAD 2230 Nari Jeter Chapters 11 15 FALL 2012 Semester Chapter 11 Power and Violence in Marriages and Families o Violence is linked to power o Most people are happiest when power is shared in a relationship o Power o Types of Power o Coercive Power Can be parent children relationship so it isn t always wrong However punishing a peer isn t healthy o Reward Power for prizes in schools o Expert Power Ability to reward someone in a relationship example behavioral dollars They are an expert in that subject so they have power example Doctor has expert power over you because they are an expert in the subject o Informational Power You can have informational power without being an expert you could have just heard it somewhere basically you have information that they don t Negative form Blackmail o Referent Power o Legitimate Power Type of power one person has because the person they control is giving it over to them They could defer the power because you are older or more experienced Someone gives it to you This is legitimate power over somebody Teachers have legitimate power to teach class Police officer has power to enforce the law Different licenses give power over a certain domain o Power is evident in all types of relationships but when it crosses to the wrong domain then we have conflict o Misuse of power causes problems o Marital Power o First studied in the 1950 s o Blood and Wolfe Interviewed wives only o Resource Hypothesis The spouse with more recourses has more power in marriage o What resources to spouses bring o Men s Resources money future protection more educated typically o Women s Resources Children house cleaning nurturing mothering o More valued by society men s power and prestige o Women were expected to say their husband had more power o Study Results o Most families 72 had relatively egalitarian decision making structure o 25 husbands made decisions o 3 wives made decisions o This did not meet their hypothesis o Women said they had equal power because they think they made a lot of decisions these decisions weren t necessarily important what to cook for dinner o Women in the 1950 s did not like to admit that they were powerless o Criticisms of the Study o The domains men and women had power over o Women Food Shopping Cleaning o Men Where they live Jobs Finances o Having the power to make trivial decisions is not the same as having the power to make important ones o They only asked wives they would have gotten different answers from men they would have said they had all the power o Men would answer this way to live up to their gender role not because they are chauvinistic o Resources and Gender o Men tend to have more resources Money Education Status Physical Strength Alternatives to marriage can be bachelor their whole life and be older in relationships o Women tend to be most equal with men at the beginning of the marriage First Pregnancy and birth diminishes women s resources Female may take time off and lose income Dependent on males to be father and earners Have less energy to resist dominance of the husband Once a woman becomes a parent they depend on the men they have less alternatives they want a stable home and they have less energy o Culture Resources and Gender o Resource theory doesn t explain everything o Culture gives husbands absolute legitimate power o Interaction of legitimate and resource power Culture in our society expects men as protectors even if the wife makes more money Our society gives husbands legitimate power over their wives o Legitimacy and Resources o If Culture gives Power Husband has greater resources Husband is dominant o If Culture gives Power Husband has less resources Husband is dominant o If Culture does not give power Husband has greater resources Husband is o If Culture does not give power Husband has less resources Egalitarian or Wife dominant dominant o Power and Social Class o Most classes perceive that they have egalitarian marriages o Why would middle class marriages be egalitarian Beginning to require both husbands and wives to work makes power more equal because they are dependent on each other divorce has a more negative effect on income for middle class o Why would lower class marriages be egalitarian Have usually had both husbands and wives to work makes power equal they depend on each other o Future of Marital Power o Working women are happier in their marriages More financial freedom Psychosocial benefits o Mutually economically dependent couples Couples in which each partner earns 40 to 50 of the couples income There are more now than ever o Women s resources may be increasing in value caring emotional support o Equality between men and women may occur in overall society Because women are outside the home now their supply is lower demand warmth and nurturing is greater Shift in gender roles women are now more valued In 1950s husbands wouldn t show appreciation now they do o Four Couple Types o Heterosexual married Heterosexual Cohabiting Lesbian and Gay o Married and Cohabiting heterosexuals are least egalitarian o Gay and Lesbian share domestic duties more including child rearing o Gays are more competitive Lesbians are more relationally focused Overall Gays and Lesbians share more domestic duties o Types of Marriage o Peer marriage o Near Peer marriage 50 50 to 60 40 sharing of responsibilities Husband and wife want equal roles but are influenced by arrival of children maximizing income or other factors that prevent a perfect 50 50 split o Traditional marriages Husband dominated but wife is okay with it When you win and your partner loses ultimately your relationship loses o Power and Intimacy o Intimacy is greatest when power is equal o No power equal power in relationship o Seek to negotiate and compromise not to win o Power Politics o How do spouses exert power in the relationship Leaving Threatening Withholding Distancing Pouting Sulking Infidelity o Accumulation of power politics leads to loneliness and distance in marriage It is okay to happen occasionally but chronically it leads to loneliness or distance o Alternatives to Power Politics o 1 Partners take charge of separate domains May increase intimacy Reinforces separateness o 2 Subordinate partner disengages from power struggles o 3 More powerful partner relinquishes some power to save or enhance marriage o Number 3 is the best option the person with more power should give up some to o Number 2 is characterized
View Full Document
Unlocking...