FAD 4265 Exam 1 Study Guide Chapter 1 Images Ideals Myths Why is it difficult to be objective when studying families Familiarity mystification sacredness secrecy family by our own family experiences o Familiarity Perceptions are guided by cultural visions of Everyone has a family everyone considers themselves an expert on their family yet we are too close to our families to see them dispassionately o Mystification The deliberate mis definiton of family matters or deliberate strategies to create confusion and prevent full knowledge of a family distorts family realities o Sacredness set apart on high moral ground public What is the difference between back stage and front stage family living Back Stage People are free to act in ways they would not in o Back stage accounts for the deceptive quality of family o More of the negative aspects of family are here relations Front Stage Behavior to maintain a proper appearance in front of others Distinguish between 3 main images of family Family as haven emerged as the country was becoming industrialized and breadwinners moved into factory jobs refuge or escape to a loving trusting and protecting space and love of the family after work o Still have the home is one s castle image of leaving the hectic work world to the embrace of protection Children who have trouble as school still might find the home as a haven o Characterizes the family as a place of intimacy love and trust in which individuals may escape the competition in modern society protect against outside world Family as fulfillment as we focused more on the individual the family became a place for individuals to gain meaningful experiences of self discovery independent choice self actualization intense relationship between partners and parents children o Cohabiting is a more recent outcome testing ahead of time whether marriage would be meaningful Intensive parenting provides fulfillment for some When marital fulfillment dwindles the image allows for divorce and remarriage to try again for meaning 1 1 o Family is more compensatory than protective supplies what is vitally needed but missing in other social arrangements Family as encumbrance the one image that doesn t portray family in a positive sense family or children are seen as detrimental to fulfillment and fulfillment is gained in other areas such as career o Resulting from emphasis on individual and avoiding family ties that would hold one back Because the great majority of Americans find their greatest rewards in their family lives we don t often think about this image o However various situations are commonly viewed as detrimental a young pregnant mother might view a baby as an encumbrance violence and other patterns prevent people from fulfillment and may even prevent safety All of these family images place family and society in opposition of each other Ideals live by what would like to be vs realities live with what actually do The text authors imply that idealistic images haven fulfillment etc are wrong because they do not represent reality for many Reality o We can t live up to all ideals o Divorce o Violence o Coldness o Job loss o Happy family o Helping family o Working together o Supporting in hard times Ideal However as an ideal or symbol of a good life or positive relationship an image also might be powerful to motivate inspire Images symbolize a quality such as closeness an option guidelines expectations behaviors almost any idea Images of the Family o E g what does wedding symbolize about family What o Family also symbolizes other groups usually in a positive does a baby symbolize sense our team is like a family or our teachers welcome everyone as part of the classroom family 2 2 We are bombarded by images of families in society through movies television magazines the Internet and specific families scrapbooks photos family homes all present an image of a family or families negative or are they idealistic positive visions that we live by trends in family living sometimes becoming commonly used and or debated images Are they realistic what we actually live with positive and There are also more specific images that represent cultural o Super mom Soccer mom Hurried child Tiger mom Deadbeat dad Helicopter parent SNAF Standard North American Family Ideological code that distorts family reality and glorifies the two parent family model o Ignores the reality of family life in many sectors of the population 6 myths of family and why they are myths Myth uncritically examined beliefs simplistic images can 6 myths about families currently persist contribute to myths 1 Families of the past were stable and harmonious Maybe more stable in terms of less divorce but more stayed in unhappy marriages more women died in childbirth there were economic upheavals there have always been wayward children etc problems considered unique in today s society also existed in the past 2 Families provide a separate world from work and outer This myth glorifies the past we now know that forces This myth polarizes family and society Actuality Work and family are not separated but entangled global forces create change and strains for families families must prepare children for outside world families are tied to social services schools and other institutions 3 Unified family experience Assumes all families have common needs interests Gender and age however create different and experiences experiences for women and men and adults and children 3 3 4 There is a monolithic family form SNAF of the nuclear family mother at home father breadwinner and children This myth assumes that all families are nuclear in structure a father mother and children exhibit a sexual division of labor This is only about 7 of families in the US Actuality Multiple forms such as single parent grandparent raising grandchild multigenerational etc 5 Family consensus Assumes families operate on the principles of harmony and love which are present in most families Ignores the contradictions that are intrinsic to family life due to power relations financial concerns different work and leisure patterns and the intense emotional quality of family life 6 Do changes in family patterns equal family decline or Very often the statistics of divorce single the result of adaptation to shifting societal and global changes This myth blames social problems on eroding moral values and families that differ from the idealized but fictional traditional family Ignores social shifts that are changing