LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

1. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

2. Families, Lifestyles, and Parenting Analyzing Family Life The Diversity of Adult Life Styles Parenting Other Family Relationships

3. The Family Life Cycle

4. Family Processes Recalling Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory Microsystem level — reciprocal socialization Bidirectional: children socialize parents just as parents socialize children Family as a social system Sociocultural and historical changes Effects on family processes

5. Direct and Indirect Interactions Between Parents and Children

6. Single Adults Being single Dramatic increase in percentage in 2000 Myths and stereotypes Advantages and disadvantages Common problems Forming intimate relationships with other adults Loneliness Finding niche in marriage oriented society

7. Percentage of Single Adults 30 to 34 Years of Age

8. Cohabiting Adults Dramatic rise in cohabiting before marriage Higher in countries other than the U.S. Cohabiting tends to be short-lived in U.S. Comparing cohabitation to marriage Advantages and disadvantages of cohabiting

9. Increase in Cohabitation in the U.S.

10. Married Adults Marital trends Changing male-female equality in marriage has created more fragile, intense marital relationships More adults remain single longer Average U.S. marriage lasts just over 9 years U.S. still a marrying society; divorce rates slowing Religion influences marriage in some cultures International comparisons in marriage

11. Increase in Age at 1st Marriage in U.S.

12. What Makes Marriages Work Establishing love maps Nurturing fondness and admiration Turning toward each other instead of away Letting your partner influence you Solving solvable conflicts Overcoming gridlock Creating shared meaning

13. What Makes Marriages Work Typical areas of marital conflict even in happy marriages Work Stress In-laws Money Benefits of a good marriage

14. Marriage in Middle and Late Adulthood Middle Adulthood Most marrieds express considerable satisfaction Late Adulthood Widowhood and adjustment Adjustments needed at retirement Happiness affected by each partner’s coping with aging Divorced adults

15. Timing of Divorce and Age of Divorced Adults If divorce occurs, it usually happens early in marriage Stress of separation and divorce pose risks for psychological and physical difficulties Psychiatric disorders and hospital admission Clinical depression and alcoholism Psychosomatic disorders Concerns of custodial and non-custodial parents

16. Divorce Rate in Relation to Number of Years Married

17. Diversity of Pathways Out of Divorce Enhancers Good enoughs Seekers Libertines Competent loners Defeated

18. Strategies for Divorced Adults See divorce as opportunity for personal growth Think carefully about your decisions Focus more on the future than the past Capitalize on your strengths Don’t expect success & happiness in all you do Believe there is more than one pathway

19. Divorced in Middle and Older Adults Main reason for staying married: children Main causes of divorce

20. Remarried Adults Complex histories and multiple relationships make adjustment difficult Only one-third stepfamily couples stay remarried Strategies that help: Realistic expectations New positive relations in the family Remarriage and Aging

21. Gay and Lesbian Adults Similar in satisfactions and need to find balance as heterosexual couples Satisfactions: loves, joys, conflicts Needs: romantic love, affection, autonomy, equality More flexible in gender roles than heterosexuals Prefer long term, committed relationships Lesbians usually do not have open relationships Increasingly creating families with children

22. Amount of Same Sex Couples with Children

23. Parental Roles Many plan to be parents; others are startled Needs and expectations stimulate myths Timing of parenthood Advantages of having children early and later Transition to parenting requires adapting Choices of how to become parents Career and role decisions

24. Baumrind’s Parenting Styles

25. Classification of Parenting Styles

26. Authoritative Parenting Most likely to be most effective style Parents establish appropriate balance More likely to engage in verbal give-and-take Warmth and parental involvement have influence Transcends boundaries of ethnicity and SES Asian American families and training Neutral or positive outcomes in other groups

27. Punishment and Discipline Historically, corporal punishment considered necessity and desirable for disciplining child Legal in all states; used by majority of parents Favored most in U.S. and Canada Few research studies on physical punishment Strong emotional support by parents reduced link between spanking and children’s problems

28. Punishment and Discipline Corporal punishment by parents associated with Higher levels of immediate compliance Increased aggression among children Lower levels of moral internalization and mental health Most child psychologists recommend reasoning with the child

29. Types of Child Maltreatment

30. Factors Linked to Child Abuse Cultural Context Excessive violence in U.S. culture Family Influences Interactions of all family members Abuse history of parents Co-parenting

31. Autonomy and Attachment between Adolescents and Parents Good parenting takes time and effort Conflict when adolescents push for autonomy; gradual release of control is best Gender and culture affect seeking and granting autonomy Parent-child attachment remains important

32. Parent-Adolescent Conflict Conflict with parents escalates in early adolescence Biological changes Cognitive changes Social changes Maturational changes Violated expectations Some cultures marked by less conflict

33. Competent Parenting of Adolescents Adolescent development enhanced when their parents… Show them warmth and mutual respect Demonstrate sustained interest in their lives Recognize and adapt to their cognitive and socio-emotional development Communication high standards and expectations Deal constructively with conflict and problems

34. Working Parents Work has positive and negative effects on parenting When child’s mother works in first year, it can have negative effect on child’s later development Parents over-investing in children can have negative effects Division of time for more chores and children Latchkey children

35. Effects of Divorce on Children Children More likely to show poorer adjustment Who are socially mature and responsible show few behavioral problems With difficult temperament often have problems coping with divorce Adjustment improves if conflicts reduced by divorce parents harmonious and authoritative

36. Single-Parent Families in Different Countries

37. Communicating with Children About Divorce Explain separation Separation not child’s fault May take time to feel better Keep door open for further discussion Provide as much continuity as possible Provide support for children and yourself

38. Divorce and Children’s Emotional Problems

39. Types of Stepfamilies Divorce and widowhood creates stepfamilies Stepfather Stepmother Blended or complex In stepfamilies, children Show more adjustment problems In simple families adjust better Show fewer depressive symptoms over time

40. Sibling Relationships and Birth Order Sibling relationships Difficult to generalize as relationships vary Persist over entire lifespan; closer in adulthood Birth order Higher expectations for first-born children First born more adult-oriented, helpful, conforming, anxious, and self-controlled Only child often achievement-oriented and displays desirable personality

41. Grandparenting Highly satisfying for most Easier than parenting; enjoy frequent contact Functions of role varies in families, ethnic groups, and cultures; support, advice, child care Rewards of Grandparenting Biological continuity and reward Emotional fulfillment, companionship

42. Three Styles of Grandparents Formal — Proper and prescribed role Strong interest in child, gives no advice Fun-seeking — Informal and playful Child is source of leisure, mutual satisfaction Distant — Benevolent, infrequent interaction

43. Grandmothers and Grandfathers Grandmother Maintained family ties across generations Have more contact with grandchildren than grandfather Grandfathers Few expectations for role, more voluntary Changing profiles of grandparents Little research done on great-grandparenting

44. Intergenerational Relationships As children age, think more positively of their parents Mother-daughter conflicts lessen over life course Family members maintain considerable contact Parents and young adult children describe their relationship differently; relationship related to nature of earlier relationship

45. The End