Unit 5 Communication roles and rules development

1. Unit 5 Communication roles and rules development SY5; SS18-19; VE6

2. Chapter SY5 Overview:Roles & Rules • Defining communication roles • Communication and children’s roles in families • Birth order • Age-related roles • Gender roles • Children’s roles in response to family dysfunction • Family governance • Family power • Family rules • Rethinking “discipline” • Positive communication and role/rule development

3. SY5: Key terms Role– set of expected behaviors, or a framework of instructions that guide individuals playing a particular part Role play—practicing a set of expected behaviors Gender role—set of expected behaviors organized by masculinity and femininity Parentification—process of children overplaying role of parent Rule—Followable prescription of what behavior are obligated, preferred, or prohibited in social situations (Schimanoff, 1980) Family governance—structures of interaction where leaders and followers set goals, make policies, develop procedures, and direct behaviors

4. SY5: Key terms Power—ability to act to affect something or someone Power bases– resources used in power interactions Power processes—how power is used interaction Power outcomes—result of power processes– decisions, solutions, rules, procedures, as well as affective and relational dimensions “New discipline” as orchestration and direction of behaviors

5. SY5: Considered • Birth-order and age— • What are your experiences with birth order and age? Did they affect your communication growing up? How? • Inclusion/exclusion struggles? • Gender roles— • How did your families manage male-female dialectic as they interacted with you during childhood? • What are your views on gender role socialization? How will you teach your children about their own gender as well as their opposite?

6. SY5: Considered • Children playing “adult” roles— • When is this appropriate? • In what kinds of situations? • Legal issues? • Family governance— • How much say should children have in family governance? • About what? When? • What kinds of family rules did you experience growing up that did not make sense to you? Why? • How might we begin to teach children about “authority”

7. SY5: Considered • Reframing “discipline” as orchestrating and directing potential (Socha, 2006) • What are my goals for my child in this situation? • What does “success” look like in this situation? • What factors will reduce chances of success? Increase chances of success? • What particular behaviors do I want my child to replicate in this situation? • How will I reinforce desired behaviors? • How will I manage obstacles reducing chances of success? • Increasing family “complexity”

8. Chapter SS18 Overview: Roles, Rules, & Step-Families • Stepfamily prevalence • Step-family conceptualization • As incomplete institutions • Role ambiguity (legal, social) • As culturally stigmatized • Step-families & schools • Step-families & health-care • Step-families & legal System • Research directions

9. Chapter SS18 Considered • Step-family as “incomplete” or as “culturally stigmatized”— • How do we learn about step-family life? • What other models might be more useful? Blended family? Other? • Step-families & schools • What might be done to facilitate communication in step-parent/school relationships? • Step-families & health-care • How should step-parents’ roles be defined in terms of communicating about children’s medical issues? • Step-families & legal System • Step-parent as “legal stranger” or “provider of resources”? • Research directions • What ideas do you have to “fix” role definition issues of “Step—”?

10. Chapter SS19 Overview: Same-Sex Foster Families • Same sex parenting/foster parenting • Need for Foster Families • Bias and Challenges • Five Case Studies • Conclusions/Directions • Range of relationships: agency workers, foster children, birth parents, previous foster parents, teachers, daycare workers, judges, • Struggles with birth families

11. Chapter SS19 :Considered • Same sex parenting/foster parenting • 3million gay fathers; 5 million lesbian mothers • 500,000+ children in foster care • Many exhibit emotional and behavioral problems (from mild to severe) • Need for Foster Families • Same sex parents willing to consider caring for children with severe emotional/behavioral problems • Bias and Challenges • Face same challenges as all parents, and: • Licensing biases • Taking about sexuality (with childcare workers, children, birth family, others) • Five Case Studies • Conclusions/Directions • Communication issues in a range of relationships: agency workers, foster children, birth parents, previous foster parents, teachers, daycare workers, judges, etc. • Ongoing struggles with birth families

12. VanEvra6 Overview:Role of Media in Children’s Role Development Media as “Participant” in family life Role portrayals Stereotypes (Gender, Occupational, Racial/Ethnic) Effects on development Developmental and gender differences affecting role development Counter-stereotypic portrayals and media literacy

13. VanEvra6 Considered • Media as “Participant” in family life • How much influence? • Role portrayals • Who is heroic? Villainous? • Stereotypes (Gender, Occupational, Racial/Ethnic) • Where are these NOT happening in TV? • Effects on development • Depends on availability of other models • Developmental and gender differences affecting role development • What shows for whom? • Counter-stereotypic portrayals and media literacy • “Clarissa explains all” • Others?