320 family

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FAMILIES

CHAPTER 4


FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AT ADOLESCENCE

The Adolescent’s Parents at MidlifeParents have increased concern about their bodies, physical attractiveness, and their sexual appeal Parents are beginning to feel that the possibilities for change are limitedMost adults reach their occupational plateau



Changes in Family Needs and Functions

Changes in the family as a unit Changes in economic circumstancesChanges in its relationship to other social institutionsChanges in its functions



Transformations in Family RelationsAdolescents begin to play a more forceful role in the family The adolescent’s biological and cognitive maturation play a role in unbalancing the family system during early adolescence


FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND ADOLESCENT

DEVELOPMENT

Parenting Styles and Their EffectsParent-adolescent relationships impact the adolescent, but there is also an interaction with genetic factors in influencing behavior and development Parental responsiveness=how the parent responds to the child’s needs in an accepting, supportive manner



DEVELOPMENTParenting Styles and Their Effects

Parental demandingness=how the parent expects and demands mature, responsible behavior from the child

Authoritative parents are warm but firmAuthoritarian parents place a high value on obedience and conformity



DEVELOPMENTParenting Styles and Their Effects

Indulgent parents behave in an accepting, benign, and somewhat more passive wayIndifferent parents try to minimize the time and energy that they must devote to interacting with their child


Adolescents who are temperamentally different are affected in different ways by the same parenting



DEVELOPMENT Ethnic Differences in Parenting Practices

Authoritative parenting is less prevalent among African-American, Asian-American, or Hispanic-American families than among white families Authoritarian parenting is more prevalent among ethnic minority than among white families



DEVELOPMENT Autonomy and Attachment in the Adolescent’s Family

Adolescents who are permitted to assert their own opinions within a family context that is secure and loving, develop higher self-esteem and more mature coping abilities



DEVELOPMENTAutonomy and Attachment in the Adolescent’s Family

Adolescents whose autonomy is squelched, are at risk for developing feelings of depression Adolescents who do not feel connected are more likely than their peers to develop behavior problems



DEVELOPMENT Adolescents’ Relationships with Siblings

More egalitarian, nurturant and socially supportive especially with younger siblings It can become more distant and less emotionally intense and marked by conflict and rivalry



DEVELOPMENT Behavioral Genetics and Adolescent Development

Which traits are inherited or environmentally determined and how do these factors interact?

Genetic factors strongly influence aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency, emotional distress, i.e. risk for suicide and depressed mood



DEVELOPMENTBehavioral Genetics and Adolescent Development

adolescent competence, self-image, intelligence, self-perceptions of scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, social competence, and general self-worth are moderately heritable


THE ADOLESCENT’S FAMILY IN A CHANGING

SOCIETY

Seventy-five percent of all married women with adolescent children are employed; more than forty-five percent work full-time


THE ADOLESCENT’S FAMILY IN A CHANGING

SOCIETY

A sizable percentage of youngsters will spend time in a single-parent household from birthNearly 25 percent of all adolescents grow up in poor families


The proportion of adolescents living at various income levels


ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT AND THE

CHANGING FAMILY Adolescents, Divorce, and Single Parent Families

The number of parents present in the adolescent’s house matters far less than the quality of the relationships the young person has with the important adults in his or her life



CHANGING FAMILY The Specific Impact of Marital Conflict

Marital conflict more adversely affects the adolescent when the conflict disrupts the quality of the parent-child relationship

The Longer-Term Effects of DivorceIndividuals whose parents divorce during preadolescence and adolescence often demonstrate adjustment difficulties later


The divorce rate rose dramatically between 1960 and 1980 but has more or less leveled off since then



CHANGING FAMILYCustody, Contact, and Conflict following Divorce

It is the nature of the relationship between the adolescent’s divorced parents, and not which one he or she lives with, that makes a difference


A long-term study of British individuals and the effects of divorce on the development of emotional problems– see Figure 4.8 in text – Cherlin et al, 1998



CHANGING FAMILYRemarriage

Adolescents growing up in stepfamilies—especially if the remarriage occurred during early adolescence rather than childhood-- often have more problems than their peers



CHANGING FAMILYParental Employment and Adolescent Adjustment

Maternal employment during adolescence has quite positive effects on daughters but more mixed or negligible effects on sons, especially in middle-class and professional families



CHANGING FAMILYEconomic Stress and Poverty

Families fare better when they have adequate sources of social support and strong ties to religious institutions


THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAMILY IN ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

Adolescents who feel that their parents or guardians are “there” for them – caring, involved, and accepting – are healthier, happier, and more competent than their peers

320 family

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