Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
102 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Describe the distinguishing characteristics of blended families, and indicate how these
families can be formed. |
?
|
|
|
Distinguish between the stepmother and
stepfather roles by referring to similarities and differences. |
?
|
|
|
Describe the developmental changes observed in blended family system, and how the changes relate to the development of the individuals within that system.
|
?
|
|
|
Describe the strength of blended families, as
revealed when major adjustment challenges have to be resolved. |
?
|
|
|
Blended families
|
Reconstituted family
When different groups of people form alliances Formed when a single parent remarries Can be expanded by fostering or adopting children Typically brings together children who may have had different families of origin Typically brings together adults who have been married previously Typically brings together adults who have children from previous relationships This is also a blending of resources |
|
|
Stepparenting
|
Each one of the parents and a blended family can be the biological parent of some of the children while caring for the new spouse's children
Neither parent has a biological link to the child because of adoption and fostering |
|
|
What does the remarriage of adults do?
|
Restores the adult family role that was taken in a single-parent family
The vast majority of single-parent families in the US are headed by women, a person usually filling the vacant role as a man who may or may not have been previously married 2 single parents and their families are merged by the remarriage of the adults Bring together families who adopt and foster children |
|
|
What types of struggles do blended families face? What are these struggles complicated by?
|
The adult face the usual task of establishing an intimate relationship as a newly married
couple Complicated by children who are not gradually introduced to the family structure, but he joined the new family system with many memories of a former family system |
|
|
How are blended family system's time, attention, and resources used?
|
In surviving and coping with these challenges
especially in the early years following remarriage |
|
|
How have the characteristics of blended family systems changed over time?
|
Where there are marriages, there are also
remarriages In the past, many married adults became widowed and remarried after the death of a spouse. In recent decades, divorces has become the leading cause for single status after a first marriage |
|
|
When is remarriage most likely?
|
If an adult has been divorced rather than if they were widowed
Among Caucasian divorced women Women who were under age 25 at the time of divorce If divorced women live in communities with lower rates of male unemployment, poverty, and welfare dependence Women living in urban areas Among younger individuals |
|
|
When is remarriage least likely?
|
Among African-American divorced women
Women older than 25 Women living in cities People who are widowed are usually in the late adulthood Among older individuals |
|
|
How can these patterns be explained?
|
Age of the individuals when they become single
|
|
|
Compare the widowed and the divorced
likelihood of remarriage. |
People who are widowed are usually in later adulthood and are less likely to remarry
because their advanced age. Divorced individuals tend to be much younger so they are much more likely to remarry. |
|
|
What do couples who have stable, functional
remarriages report? |
Having a higher satisfaction
Greater pride in their new relationship than first marriage couples |
|
|
What percent of the people who divorce each year in the US eventually remarry?
|
2/3
|
|
|
How old is the man in a typical divorcing couple?
|
37 years old
|
|
|
How old is the woman and a typical divorcing couple?
|
33 years old
|
|
|
How many children does the typically divorcing couple have?
|
At least one child
|
|
|
What do the ages of the spouses and number of children suggest?
|
Many men and women remarried when they are about 10 years older than when they were were first married
|
|
|
What is the median interval between divorce and remarriage for women?
|
About 3 years for women, with about half
remarrying within 5 years of their divorce |
|
|
What influences remarriage rates?
|
Ethnic group identity
|
|
|
He tends to remarry more?
|
Caucasian tend to agree remarry more often than African-Americans or Hispanics
|
|
|
What occurs more commonly postdivorce and at a greater rate than before first marriages? What does this reflect?
|
Cohabitation
The desire to test a relationship before making a marital commitment |
|
|
What is the result of cohabitation prior to
remarriages? |
It appears to have little effect
|
|
|
What is another distinction of courtship prior to remarriage?
|
The influence of the children's presence
|
|
|
Who has the most difficult time in locating prospective partners?
|
Single-parents
Single parents that whole custody of children |
|
|
What is the problem that single-parents have been trying to meet prospective partners?
|
They must be considerate of the developmental stages of their own children and the values they model when becoming involved in a serious relationship They must also worry about how they can explain to the children that the relationship is involved, especially if the children have developed an attachment to this potential partner |
|
|
What are remarriages characterized by? Why?
|
By the difference in developmental levels of the adults at the time of remarriage in comparison with those during their first marriage
Because of what they had experienced during the first night marriage Because of of developmental changes, divorce people tend to have different expectations of remarriage and of themselves |
|
|
What are the characteristics of women with
children who remarry? |
They may have stronger and more definite career goals and during their first marriage
Many know that they can survive a divorce They are more committed to making another marriage work successfully Their ideas of what a marriage requires are clear in comparison to during the first marriage |
|
|
Do remarriages differ significantly from first marriages in terms of marital happiness or in the degree of the partners' well-being?
|
No
|
|
|
Describe the number of children involved in these diverse family arrangements.
|
They are high
An average of 2.5 stepchildren in American family systems |
|
|
Describe the roles of these children.
|
They have dual roles and that they can be a step child to one parent and a biological child to the other parent
|
|
|
About how many adopted children have joined families in the US?
|
1.6 million
|
|
|
Distinguish between a blended family and a first marriage biological family.
|
?
|
|
|
How are blended families like contemporary family structures?
|
They are characterized by their diversity
|
|
|
What do some blended families involve?
|
Only one adult who had been previously
married Both adults may have been previously married ones are more than once Remarriage when children were infants |
|
|
What happens when remarriage occurs when the children were infants? Why?
|
These children perceive the family as an
will ordinary family of origin |
|
|
Why is it likely the children of one adult or both will be included as part of the new family
system? |
Remarriage most frequently involves individuals who have been previously divorced
|
|
|
What are the 7 characteristics of women family that distinguish them from first marriage
families? |
When children are involved, and the family
system is created instantaneously without the benefit of gradually adding new members. The remarriage of adults may occur at the time when the necessity and tasks of the lifespan of the blended family aren't compatible with the developmental needs and tasks of the adults. Ex–spouses and ex–grandparents can continue to have input into and influence on the new blended family system. The desires and expectations of adult marriage partners may not be fulfilled by the new marriage relationship in the blended family system. Both children and adults may have mixed feelings of allegiance and guilt that interfere with effective blended family some formation. Children may be willing participants in the new blended family system. All blended family members experience role confusion. |
|
|
What can adults gradually develop in the
developmental lifespan of the first marriages? |
New patterns for their family system that
affect functioning |
|
|
What are some examples of the new patterns
that adults gradually develop in the developmental lifespan of the first marriages? |
Rules
Boundaries Roles |
|
|
What are blended families challenged by?
|
By the immediacy of developing patterns
without gradually adding children to the system The patterns formed for one adult's single-parent family system after divorce is a template for those initially used in the new step family system |
|
|
What is the conflict like in some situations when couples remarry?
|
There is a conflict between what is required for healthy, individual adult development and what is required to establish a new marital
relationship and new blended system patterns |
|
|
How are family systems based on first marriages and is based on remarriages different?
|
Family functioning is complicated and seriously challenged by the influence of past relationships and former family systems
|
|
|
Give an example of how family functioning is complicated in blended families and seriously challenged by the influence of past relationships and former family systems.
|
The adults they continue to be influenced by their former spouses because they still share
the biological parenthood of children who are part of the new blended family system |
|
|
When adults remarry, what do they tend to do? What is the problem?
|
Anticipate that the new relationship will
overcome or compensate for deficiencies in the previous marriage The expectation place is an unrealistic burden on the new marriage |
|
|
Why can children and blended families become confused concerning their loyalties?
|
There members of 2 separate and distinct family systems
|
|
|
What is common for stepchildren to feel?
|
Is it there being pulled in several directions at once, which tested strength of their personal boundaries
|
|
|
How do adults feel in the blended family system?
|
They also have with mixed feelings about their past and its influence on their present
functioning in the new family system |
|
|
What is common for remarried men to feel in the blended family system?
|
To feel torn between the need to provide for their biological children from their previous
marriage and to meet the needs of the new family system to which they now belong |
|
|
How do some men feel in the blended family system?
|
They are relieved that their former relationship is ended, others continue to present the
continuing degree of involvement with that separate relationship through children and financial responsibilities |
|
|
Do parents consult children about a potential partner?
|
Yes
|
|
|
Do adults usually seek approval for children
before they remarry? |
No
|
|
|
How do children typically respond to a new
partner for their parents? |
They are usually not supported for accepting of the new marriage, but they often expect to cope with the situation they would rather avoid or
ignore |
|
|
What do children often do when their parents
divorce? What is the problem? |
They often fantasize that their biological
parents will somehow be reunited and that their family life will return to its former state Others continue to reset the divorce This makes life unpleasant in the new blended family system as children are that the efforts of the remarried adults to forge new family patterns |
|
|
What is the major task of the blended family
system? |
To establish new family patterns
|
|
|
What do these new family patterns and blended family systems do?
|
Regulate the functioning and behavior of all members
|
|
|
How are blended families similar to the other family systems?
|
They establish new patterns that regulate
functioning and behavior of all the members |
|
|
How are the blended families different from the other family systems? Why?
|
They still establish the new patterns that regulate functioning and behavior of all the members of the family system but blended families find it more difficult
The role of a stepmother or stepfather is not clear The system must develop patterns to define this role |
|
|
How does the system usually develop patterns to define the roles of stepmother or step father in blended family systems?
|
By trial and error
|
|
|
What needs to be established so that helping family functioning is supported?
|
Rules
|
|
|
What are special challenges to effective set
family functioning? What 3 things may they relate to? |
Boundaries
To personal property To psychological intimacy To family routines or traditions |
|
|
What steps are necessary to establish new
patterns in blended families? |
Clear communication
A commitment to the new family system A willingness to discuss issues |
|
|
How are blended families created?
|
By the remarriage of at least 1 adults
|
|
|
When do many people who divorce remarry?
|
Within 3 – 5 years
|
|
|
Who are frequently a part of this new family
system? |
Children
|
|
|
What does it remarriages of adults restore?
|
The adult family role that was vacant in a single parent family
|
|
|
What are the 4 problems and blended family
formation linked to? |
Merging different family cultures and identities at the new system establishes roles and
patterns Developing new goal of distributing time, energy, material goods, finances, and affection Establishing new bonds of loyalty to the blended family system while learning to manage loyalty bonds to the former family systems Dealing with marital conflict in children's misbehavior |
|
|
What does the blended family system formation involve?
|
Different structures than in first marriage
systems |
|
|
How effectively our first marriage families
different from the blended family system? |
They had time to allow the adults to develop an intimate relationship and areas of shared
interests and values, and habitual patterns that guide interactions and conflict resolution |
|
|
What 3 things does the gradual addition of children to the biological family allow?
|
The adults to develop to parenting role
The adults to adapt to parenting role Learn to resolve differences Create a shared value system |
|
|
What 2 things happens when a first marriage couple divorces? What is a consequence?
|
They create 2 single-parent family systems that most prominently affect the children, they
become members of 2 distinct binuclear systems Adults often look toward children for the support and nurture The dismantling of the usual generational boundaries between adults and children |
|
|
How does this step father at the beginning of a blended family's life?
|
To be an outsider to the existing alliance
between the biological parents and their children |
|
|
What is this alliance based upon? What did this alliance come with?
|
The pattern established in the former single-parent family system
It had own history, rules, boundaries, patterns, and operational styles firmly in place |
|
|
What is the greatest challenge to the survival and effective, healthy functioning of a blended family system?
|
Maybe overcoming the obstacles and resistance encountered in adapting previously established patterns and styles
|
|
|
What did Patricia Papernow (1993) develop?
|
A model that describes blended family
formation which depicts 3 major stages that each involve substages taking a relatively long period for a blended family to find itself and its identity |
|
|
What does this model show?
|
Many difficulties can challenge effective family formation and functioning
|
|
|
Why is the presence of adolescent children a particular challenge to effective blended family formation?
|
Because of their developmental focus on individualization from their families, struggles can be expected when the adults demand the teenager's participation in activities that are aimed to develop a family identity
|
|
|
How is the structure blended families different from that of biological families?
|
Single-parent families are created when adults divorce from their first marriage, changing the relationship between the biological parents and their children when a biological parent's
marriage to a new partner forms the blended family, other changes in the PC subsystems emerge |
|
|
Give an example of the new PC subsystems that emerge.
|
The alliance between the biological parent and the biological children
|
|
|
How does the development of a blended family progress?
|
Distinct stages that may occur over a long period of time
|
|
|
What are the 3 stages included in the earliest stages in blended family formation: getting started and avoiding pitfalls?
|
Fantasy
Assimilating the new adult Awareness |
|
|
What are the 2 stages included in the middle stages and blended family formation: remodeling the family?
|
Mobilization
Action |
|
|
What are the 2 stages in the later stages of blended family formation: putting it all together?
|
Contact Resolution |
|
|
In the fantasy stage, what does everyone
involved commonly hold? |
Unrealistic expectations that they hope will be fulfilled in the new family system
|
|
|
What are examples of these unrealistic
expectations in the fantasy stage? |
Children will be rescued from problems
associated with the divorce of their biological parents Children will be able to get their biological parents reunite by sabotaging the biological parent's new relationship The biological family will be healed by introducing a new adult into the vacant role Stepparents will be adored by stepchildren and enthusiastically welcomed into the blended family The biological parent will finally have previously unmet needs satisfied by the new partner The biological parent will again be able to share parenting responsibilities with another adult |
|
|
In stage II: assimilating the new adult, what do the biological parent attempt to merge? What is the result?
|
The stepparent into the biological family
They usually cannot accomplish this goal successfully at the time |
|
|
What does the stepparent notice at this time the process?
|
They are an outsider and discover feelings of jealousy, resentment, and inadequacy
|
|
|
Give examples in stage 2: assimilating the new adult.
|
Stepparent and stepchildren experience
problems in establishing and working on a relationship Problems are perceived differently by everyone involved. The stepparent expresses frustration in dealing with what is seen as an impenetrable biological family solidarity. The biological parent doesn't understand the frustrations of the stepparent. Stepchildren may begin to experience loyalty conflicts regarding their asset biological parent and the stepparent. Biological parent feels caught in the middle between wanting a good adult relationship and the problems experienced by the children in dealing with a new adults and their family. |
|
|
What occurs during stage 3: awareness? Why?
|
Many blended families stagnate in their
development at this stage Due to the difficulties in communication among all the parties |
|
|
What do all family members need to do to avoid this?
|
Apply labels to the feelings experienced
Understand why the feelings are being experienced Articulate personal needs more clearly Listen to what the stepparent says regarding the role of boundaries in the biological family, and then when stepparent was not included |
|
|
What is the stepparent's role stage 4:
mobilization? What is will the possibile result be? |
In initiating changes intensifies at this point
A showdown is inevitable, and if the changes and compromises cannot be made, there is considerable rest that the blended family will dissolve via the divorce of the adults |
|
|
What else occurs during stage 4: mobilization?
|
Some changes may appear to be trivial, but these represent the need for further weakening of the biological family's alliances to
accommodate the stepparent into a new family structure A biological parent may feel cold in 2 directions: meeting the perceived needs of the children giving more allegiance to the new relationship If the adaptations are successfully implemented the new when family can be truly formed |
|
|
What is an example of the adaptations that are successfully implemented and stage 4:
mobilization? |
Having more private time for the adult people
|
|
|
What occurs in station 5: action?
|
The changes in adaptation may be implemented
on a larger scale to form the new blended family |
|
|
What are the 4 ways in which the changes in adaptation may be implemented on a larger scale to form the new with family in stage 5:
action? |
New family rituals and traditions are helpful for facilitating a sense of family
Boundaries and roles are tested to define the adults' committed relationship and the stepparent – stepchild relationship more clearly The stepparent now plays an even greater role in the family Adult couple works more closely at the team |
|
|
Give an example of how boundaries and rules are tested to define the adults' committed
relationship and a step parent – stepchild relationship more clearly. |
Restricting discipline of the children solely to the biological parent, relieving the stepparent of this responsibility
|
|
|
What does stage 6: contact serve to solidify?
|
The actions taken to forge a new blended family
|
|
|
What are the actions taken to forge a new blended family and stage 6: contact?
|
Children relinquish the role that was created in relation to the biological parent during the
single-parent family experience and during the earlier stages of blended family formation A work relationship have been negotiated for the stepparent and the stepchildren without the involvement of the biological parent Each family member's family role has been validated and is authentic |
|
|
What occurs in stage 7: resolution?
|
The new blended family and she the new
identity |
|
|
What are the 3 ways in which the new blended family achieves a new identity in stage 7:
resolution? |
The stepparent is accepted by the stepchildren at an "intimate outsider. " a true friendship emerges between them. The family gestalt differs completely from earlier. Instead of uncertainty and stress, the feeling is one of competence and comforts in relationships. The family learns to let go of the dependencies that helped in forming the new family structure. |
