Psychology Chapter 15 Unhappy Experiences May Reinforce Negative Experiences Romantic

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Chapter 15

ii. Partners affect each other’s development (e.g., depressed wife may lead to

depressed symptoms in husband)

2. Sibling relationships

a. Typically the longest-lasting relationship in one’s life

b. Sibling relationships tend to change with time

i. In adulthood, less contact and conflict and more warm feelings than during

childhood

3. Parent-child relationships

a. Parent-child relationships take many forms (some strained and some close)

i. Quality of relationship stays much the same as in adolescence

ii. Parents become stressed when their children have problems, children can

become irritated if parents meddle in their lives or are demanding

late adulthood, but it is a rare occurrence and tends to occur only when

parent reaches an advanced age and develops serious physical or mental

problems

b. Caring for aging parents

i. Middle generation squeeze (or sandwich generation) – middle-aged adults

experiencing heavy demands from young and older generation

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iv. China’s former one-child policy has led to elders having no one to care for

them (especially those living in rural areas)

v. In our individualistic society, most aging parents resist having to live with

or be dependent on children; today’s families continue to meet their

responsibility to meet needs of oldest individuals

Checking Mastery

1. Compare how new parenthood and the empty nest affect marital satisfaction.

➢ Answer: Marital satisfaction shows an inverted-U pattern over the family life

2. What are three factors that can make new parenthood a stressful transition?

➢ Answer: New parenthood can be difficult if the baby is difficult, the parent lacks

attachment, and the parent lacks social support from a partner or other people.

3. Which of the three main grandparental roles do grandparents prefer, and what does it

involve?

➢ Answer: The companionate grandparent role is preferred because it involves

responsibilities.

4. What are two factors that might increase the caregiver burden on a middle-aged

woman caring for her ailing mother?

➢ Answer: Caregiver burden is heaviest when caregivers must care for parents or

VI Diverse Family Experiences

A. Singles

1. “Typical” single adult impossible to describe due to delay in marriage; number of

young singles is on the rise

a. Majority of adults between ages 18 to 29 are unmarried

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(versus never-married individuals)

B. Childless Married Couples

1. Growing number of childless couples especially among highly educated adults

with high status (childless by choice)

C. Dual-Career Families

1. Spillover effects – when workplace events impact home life and vice versa

2. Positive effects of working

a. No indication that a mother’s working itself damages child development, and

3. Negative effects of working

a. Can be negative if parents cannot share “quality time” with children

4. Impact of working parents on child development could result in less negative

D. Gay and Lesbian Families

1. Very diverse group

2. Gay and lesbian couples face special challenges

a. National controversy over ability to marry

3. Gay and lesbian couples similar to heterosexual couples

a. Tend to be in happy and sustained relationships

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c. Pattern of marital satisfaction similar to that of heterosexual couples

4. Implications of being raised by a gay or lesbian parent

a. While very similar to heterosexual moms, lesbians less likely to hit children

E. Divorcing Families

1. Before the divorce

a. Only 70% of marriages make it to 10-year mark; divorce more likely in

marriages when teens, short courtship, baby before marriage, low

socioeconomic status (contribute to high levels of financial and psychological

2. After the divorce

a. Most families experience a genuine crisis (period of considerable disruption

lasting at least one to two years)

b. Wife, who usually has custody of child, can sometimes become angry,

depressed, and distressed

c. Husband upset if he did not want the divorce or is cut off from the children

d. Both husband and wife may feel isolated from friends

g. Most problems disappear a couple years post-divorce (by six years post-

divorce), but negative effects can continue

i. About 20-25% of children of divorce carry emotional and psychological

scars into adulthood

ii. Increased risk of divorce when child in divorced family marries

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i. Influences on adjustment (factors that facilitate a positive adjustment to

divorce and prevent lasting damage)

i. Adequate financial support by noncustodial parent (usually the father)

ii. Good parenting by the custodial parent (remain warm, authoritative, and

consistent)

iii. Good parenting by the noncustodial parent (must provide a quantity of

F. Reconstituted Families

1. 75% of divorced people remarry within three to five years following a divorce

2. 60% of remarried couples divorce

Checking Mastery

1. What are two main reasons that cohabitation before marriage is associated with later

marital problems?

➢ Answer: Cohabitation itself probably does not cause later marital problems, but

2. What kind of parenting should divorcing parents provide if they want to prevent

adjustment problems in their children?

➢ Answer: Divorcing parents help their children most if both maintain an

3. What is the typical effect of a custodial parent’s remarriage after a divorce on

children?

➢ Answer: Typically, remarriage after a divorce creates adjustment difficulties for

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VII The Problem of Family Violence

A. Types of Family Violence

1. Child abuse is the most visible form, with estimates of 11 of every 1,000 children

a victim of substantiated maltreatment—broad term including both abuse and

2. Abuse can come in many forms, impacting all possible family relationships

a. Children and adolescents batter and kill parents

b. Siblings abuse each other

3. Elderly abuse

a. Elderly also at risk for abuse (especially when frail or impaired)

b. Types of elderly abuse include physical or psychological maltreatment,

neglect, financial exploitation, and being stripped of one’s rights (often by

adult children or spouses serving as caretakers)

B. Why Does Child Abuse Occur?

1. The abuser

a. Only one in 10 abusers severely psychologically disturbed

b. Child abusers tend to be former victims of child abuse

i. About 30% abuse their children

ii. Cycle not inevitable and can be broken if individual receives emotional

2. The abused

a. Typically one child per family singled out (but that child is not to blame)

b. Children with medical problems or difficult temperaments are at risk

3. The context

a. Abuse is most likely when parent under stress (e.g., lost job) and has little

support

C. What Are the Impacts of Child Abuse?

1. Impact of physical abuse and maltreatment can involve physical damage to brain

or other parts of the body; cognitive deficits; social, emotional and behavioral

problems; and psychological disorders

a. Intellectual and academic problems common in mistreated children

2. Many maltreated children are resilient and turn out fine

a. Genes may protect some children from negative psychological effects of

3. How do we stop the violence?

a. Preventing child abuse by empowering parents

b. Teaching parenting skills

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d. Teach parents problem solving and coping skills

Checking Mastery

1. Identify one characteristic of the parent, one characteristic of the child, and one

contextual factor that could contribute to child abuse.

➢ Answer: Parents who are at risk for being abusive have been abused as children,

2. What are two explanations of the intergenerational transmission of abusive parenting?

➢ Answer: The intergenerational transmission of abusive parenting can be

SUGGESTIONS FOR CLASS DISCUSSIONS OR PROJECTS: To develop critical thinking skills

and enhance learning with exercises that support the course learning objectives.

1. The Impact of Divorce: The impact of divorce is mediated by many factors. Have students

gain some appreciation for these factors by writing a five-page review paper in which they

answer some or all of the following questions:

• How is the experience of divorce related to the child’s age at the time of the divorce?

• What about the age of the parents?

2. Parenting Styles: Have students consider how parents using different parenting styles (e.g.,

authoritarian, permissive) would respond to various family situations. For example, what if a

child is watching television or playing with friends and the parent says it is time to go to bed and

the child does not want to go? Or, suppose parents have repeatedly told the child not to keep

3. Abuse: Have students write a paper in which they argue for competency testing for parents.

This issue emerges in several contexts, for example, when a child who has been abused on

4. Sandwich Generation: Consider the “sandwich” generation—middle-aged adults caring for

their children and their aging parents. What impact do aging parents have on their children?

What effect is this situation likely to have on grandchildren? Ask students if any of their parents

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5. Societal Changes: Discuss how changes in society such as geographic mobility, daycare, and

divorce have contributed to changes in the quality of grandparent-grandchildren relationships. If

possible, have students interview people of different ages about their experiences with their

grandparents (and grandchildren, if any). Is it possible to identify the different styles of

6. Parental Influence: A common belief is that parenting is mostly a maternal process

(i.e., “woman’s work”). At the same time, we are seeing a movement in which men are being

7. Family Violence: In Chapter 15, students are introduced to the issue of family violence,

including an application section on the use of empowerment as a method of reducing child abuse

by mothers. It is clear that being a victim of violence can negatively impact an individual at any

time of life. It is also clear that reducing violence has great benefits at both the individual and

societal levels. The goal of this assignment is to introduce students to research additional ways