Question

Complete the following table that focuses on Family Life Cycle Phases.

Family Life Cycle Phase       Key Principles of Emotional Process of Transition         Second-Order Changes Required to Proceed Developmentally

Emerging Young Adults

Newly Married Couples

Families with Young Children

Families with Adolescents

Middle Aged families dealing with retirement

Families dealing End of Life Issues

Reflection Questions: After completing the tables, explain the possible cultural factors that play a major role in how families transition through the life cycle. (150-200 words) Select two stages from the tables. Explain how society has influenced the changes in the life span/developmental theory of the selected stages. (200-250 words) Select two of the life phases. For the selected phases, include feminist theory, patriarchy/gender expectations, social class, and economically fragile families in explaining the changes in these phases over the decades. (300-400 words)

Answer 1

THE FAMILY LIFE CYCLE:

As individuals grow they undergo various physical, emotional, psychological and behavioral changes because they are proceeding through the developmental stages across their life span. One such aspect is their family life cycle, where individuals usually go through 6 stages along with the respective key principle of emotional transition and second order changes that are required to proceed developmentally. They are:

Stage 1: Emerging young adults - In this stages the young adults move from their home in search of work as they have to become independent. The emotional transition includes accepting the financial responsibility to support themselves. The second order changes are the sense of detachment from the family and identifying oneself to be a separate individual. There are also development in close peer relationships, intimate romantic relationships, and a need to settle in a job to aid themselves financially.

Stage 2: Newly married couples - In this stages the young adults gets in to marriage. The emotional transition includes a sense of commitment to the spouse. The second order changes are forming a marital relationship and to have an extended family relationship with the spouse's family and friends.

Stage 3: Families with young children - In this stage the married couples bear child and become a family. The emotional transition includes accepting the new member in the family. The second order changes are adjusting the relationship with the spouse with respect to the child, adjusting the financial requirements for the needs of the child and changes in the extended relationships as the parents of the couples become grand parents.

Stage 4: Families with adolescents - In this stage the child or the children grow up into the adolescent phase. The emotional transition includes the parent's increase in flexibility to let the child become more independent. The second order changes are to deal with the midlife crisis of the couples who has to deal both with their finance and career and also to deal with the adolescent children in their transition phase towards adulthood.

Stage 5: Middle aged family dealing with retirement - In this stage the emotional transition are to accept that the adults have grown in to adults and they must let the young adults to part from the family so that they become independent. The second order changes includes the parent's acceptance of retirement and to settle down at home. It also includes dealing with their parent's death.

Stage 6: Families dealing end of life issues - In this stage the emotional transition are to accept the younger ones and to deal with generation roles, that is taking care of their grand children. The second order changes includes dealing with the health and financial issues and also to deal with death of the spouse.

The cultural factors play an important roles in the family life cycle because there are certain cultures that give much importance to the development of the family. For example the Indian and Chinese culture values family to be the most important asset and they are also bound towards jointly family. They believe that family is central to all relationships and they emphasize on getting married and having children. Whereas the western cultures like in US, there is not much importance give to family and having children as given in the eastern cultures.

According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial stages of development, the stage 6 deals with 'Intimacy vs Isolation'. In this stage, the adults within the age of 18 to 40 years engages in forming relationships, career development, getting married and having children. Failure in this stage leads to isolation, where the individuals feel lonely. The stage 7 deals with 'Generativity vs Stagnation', where the adults grow up their children, develops the next generation, tries to be productive and engages in other activities. Failure in this stage would lead to stagnation, where the individuals feel unproductive.