The Family Development Theory focuses on the changes that take place at different stages which completes the family life cycle. However, the development Theory divides the family life cycle into eight stages, with each stage involving specific developmental tasks. The theory looks at the different changes families experience overtime. The first stage speaks about the beginning family where couples get to know each other and make plans and adjustments. This takes them to stage two which deals with the childbearing years where couples begin to have children. This is of course linked to stage three where couples have preschool children and continues to make adjustments to meet the needs of the family. By the time the family reaches stage four with school aged children, the children would have already been socialize to fit into society. At this stage parents now have the additional task of providing support to help meet the child’s or children’s educational needs. Children, upon becoming teenagers at stage five of the family life cycle, are now taught how to be responsible as they prepare to enter the world of adulthood. This si the stage where alot of us learnt to cook, wash our clothes, iron and also run errands for the family.Followed by stage six, here the children begin to leave home to be independent individuals. While the family is at the sixth stage the parents are now planning to refocus on their marriage, or set out to achieve the goals they have waited to achieve. In my family my mother went to work when I left home for college. This is linked to the development theory which states that, the development of the family does affect the individual development. I disagree with this view to an extent, as many persons like myself are developing themselves or are achieving their personal goals wile developing a family.We are now able to enjoy the opportunity of hiring helpers and sending our children to day care centres while we set out to achieve our desired goals. When the family reaches the seventh stage where they may have an empty nest and are planning for retirement which takes place at the eighth and last stage of the family life cycle where aging, retirement, chronic illness and death takes place and the surviving spouse is left to cope with bereavement and living alone. This is the stage where my family is at as my mother died two years ago and my father now lives alone. Even though these are the eight stages of the family life cycle from the developmental perspective, failure to accomplish a task does not prevent the family from making the transition to the next stage.
Elicia I agree and I disagree. I agree with the point that or generation has found innovative ways to manage a family and also find means of developing themselves. However family development occasionally cause us to put our personal desires aside if it will be better for the family. We are also given a greater push when our personal development will become beneficial to our family. Us being at UTECH is a means of personal development, however, most importantly, it is a means of family development. Our family will benefit from the increase in income that we will receive in the end.
Family Development Theory All families experiences different stages of the family life cycle at some point in time of their life span as the developmental theorist rightly puts it. At the various stages of life there are different developmental processes taking place. However, I do not believe that all families make the transition to the different stages in the order that the theorist puts it. Yes all families start at the beginning stage but some families may never get a chance to move on to the child bearing stage because the woman may not be able to conceive or may be the problem is with the male. This is where I think the family development theorist fell short when they fail to account for situations like these. On the other hand the family development perspective states that the family life cycle starts at the beginning stage and ends at the death of a spouse. Then if this is so, a lot of families do not experiences the stages between the first and the last stage because sometimes at the point of establishing the family one of the spouses may die. The aspect of this theory that interests me most is the fact that each stage of the life cycle has an average length of the period which I think will vary from family to family. For example at the beginning stage couples may spend a longer time getting to know each other and having fun. Also at the childbearing stage a lot of families leave this stage to the next then return after several years. Therefore, basically families may reach stage five in cycle and return to stage two in the future. For example my mother had two children. I am the older and it was not until I was a teenager before my mother got pregnant with my brother. Therefore, I don’t think the stages of the family life cycle progress in the same order for every family as the development perspective puts it.
The child bearing stage does not necessarily mean that the woman must conceive naturally to reach this stage.Isn't this stage says the addition of a child to the family,it did not say the means by which the addition would be made.What about adoption isn't this an addition to the family?
In the Family or Developmental theory it examines the stages that families experience over their lifespan. This theory reflects a chain where certain things are expected to happen at different links in the chain. The first link in the chain is the beginning family, and this stage it involves the establishment of relationship to decide whether the relationship will culminate into marriage. The second link in the chain is the child bearing or expanding stage, in this stage it is no longer the man and the woman alone but a new child is added to the family, so therefore the family has to now make preparation for the addition of that child in the family, he/she has special needs to be filled, and they now adjust to new roles and make certain changes. This addition can rob both parents of their time as they now have to reduce the amount of time that they normally spend on each other and start attending to that child needs, as when the child is in their expanding stage they require a great deal of attention especially when the child reaches preschool and school age years parent will now have to carry that child to school and bring he/she back home. In addition to that they will have to budget their money more wisely so that they will be able to provide the child with the basic essentials. On the other hand when the child reaches teenage year the parent do not have to spend as much time with them but offer them space which will enable them to grow and develop their own skills so that they will be able to survive on their own whenever they reach adulthood or circumstances due to deaths of one or both parent. Another stage involves the launching stage where individuals will now go off to college, start choosing married partners and establish an independent life outside of the family, and the final stage is the contracting stage where partners will now start to refocus on their married relationship. Even though parents can find pleasure in this stage they can start to feel empty and alone as a result of not having their children around to look after or talk to.
Every family goes through stages. The Family Development Theory speaks about the different stages in the family life cycle. This theory sectionalizes the family life span into eight (8) stages based on the completion of roles and responsibilities of each member. In this theory the family life cycle starts with stage one (1); the beginning stage. The beginning stage is where the couple meets, starts dating and may decide to get married. When the wife becomes pregnant they move to the second stage of the family life cycle, this is where the husband and wife takes on the role of mother and father. At this stage they adjust their life to accommodate infant/s. The family then moves to stage (3) three, in this stage the infant/s grow and become preschool children which is followed by the fourth stage; family with school-age children. This theory continues when children become teenagers and the matrimonial fulfilment of the parents are at its lowest. The sixth stage of the family life cycle is where the first child leaves home, this stage continues until the last child leaves. Stage seven is known as “the empty nest” stage. This is where parents are left at home while the children leave and start their family of procreation. Nevertheless, adult children might return home to take care of their parents. The last stage in the family life cycle of the Family Development Theory is stage eight (8); the aging family. This is where parents get old, get sick and eventually one parent dies.
It is my belief that the Family Development Theory gives a good over view of the stages that a family goes through from beginning to end. However it can be considered as too rigid to the nuclear family. In reality there are different family types which would not fit into some of the stages given. This theory is limited to the ideal nuclear family.
My family is a blended family; therefore the beginning stage of our life cycle was skipped out. When my parents got together children (infants and teenagers) were already in the picture. It is theorised that families can skip stages but not function as effectively, this is subjected to personality and parenting styles because I believe this was an easy transition. My family has been at stage six (6) for the past three years and they will be at this stage for at least twelve (12) more years.
After learning about this theory I can now appreciate the importance of marital satisfaction (getting to know and experience your partner) before having children and after the children have grown.
I am in agreement with you Jovanae, the developmental theorist totally ignores the other forms of families that exist in our society and focuses only on the nuclear family. Even in some of the traditional nuclear family that they have placed so much emphasis on the family life cycle does not make that smooth transition as they have postulated.
The development theory involves the changes family goes through in their lifetime. This theory is linked to the nuclear family where the family lifecycle begins at marriage and ends at death. My family went through the beginning family stage, the only difference is that they were involved in a common law relationship. The family development theory does not cater for other types of family structure. In the second stage of child bearing family my mother had three children and instead of making adjustment to raise a baby she had to find ways to cope with the loss of two babies. In this case the child bearing stage took longer those two years. In my opinion, I don’t think is realistic for a time limit to be placed on this stage because some families take longer than others. In stage three children get older and start to attend preschool. The family adjusts to the development of the infant. During stage four the families with school age children are faced with more challenges as they have to encourage educational achievement. During this stage my parents monitored my educational progress carefully and I was rewarded with a bicycle for passing my common entrance examination. At stage five of the lifecycle I was a teenager and my mother and father ended their relationship. Even though they were separated they played a big role in guiding me towards my career choice and at the same time was working to take care of the family. During stage six children gradually leave home and establish their families. Stage seven is known as the “empty nest” However in my family my mother raised grand children to replace her children who left home to start their families. My family is at the final stage of the lifecycle where my mother is suffering from hypertension and poor circulation and macular degeneration. In my opinion the typical family in society lifecycle is not structured like the development theory, because some families start having children take a break to pursue their career and return to child bearing stage at a later date.
The Family Development Theory focuses on the changes that take place at different stages which completes the family life cycle. However, the development Theory divides the family life cycle into eight stages, with each stage involving specific developmental tasks. The theory looks at the different changes families experience overtime. The first stage speaks about the beginning family where couples get to know each other and make plans and adjustments. This takes them to stage two which deals with the childbearing years where couples begin to have children. This is of course linked to stage three where couples have preschool children and continues to make adjustments to meet the needs of the family. By the time the family reaches stage four with school aged children, the children would have already been socialize to fit into society. At this stage parents now have the additional task of providing support to help meet the child’s or children’s educational needs. Children, upon becoming teenagers at stage five of the family life cycle, are now taught how to be responsible as they prepare to enter the world of adulthood. This si the stage where alot of us learnt to cook, wash our clothes, iron and also run errands for the family.Followed by stage six, here the children begin to leave home to be independent individuals.
ReplyDeleteWhile the family is at the sixth stage the parents are now planning to refocus on their marriage, or set out to achieve the goals they have waited to achieve. In my family my mother went to work when I left home for college. This is linked to the development theory which states that, the development of the family does affect the individual development. I disagree with this view to an extent, as many persons like myself are developing themselves or are achieving their personal goals wile developing a family.We are now able to enjoy the opportunity of hiring helpers and sending our children to day care centres while we set out to achieve our desired goals.
When the family reaches the seventh stage where they may have an empty nest and are planning for retirement which takes place at the eighth and last stage of the family life cycle where aging, retirement, chronic illness and death takes place and the surviving spouse is left to cope with bereavement and living alone. This is the stage where my family is at as my mother died two years ago and my father now lives alone.
Even though these are the eight stages of the family life cycle from the developmental perspective, failure to accomplish a task does not prevent the family from making the transition to the next stage.
Elicia I agree and I disagree. I agree with the point that or generation has found innovative ways to manage a family and also find means of developing themselves. However family development occasionally cause us to put our personal desires aside if it will be better for the family. We are also given a greater push when our personal development will become beneficial to our family. Us being at UTECH is a means of personal development, however, most importantly, it is a means of family development. Our family will benefit from the increase in income that we will receive in the end.
DeleteFamily Development Theory
ReplyDeleteAll families experiences different stages of the family life cycle at some point in time of their life span as the developmental theorist rightly puts it. At the various stages of life there are different developmental processes taking place. However, I do not believe that all families make the transition to the different stages in the order that the theorist puts it. Yes all families start at the beginning stage but some families may never get a chance to move on to the child bearing stage because the woman may not be able to conceive or may be the problem is with the male. This is where I think the family development theorist fell short when they fail to account for situations like these.
On the other hand the family development perspective states that the family life cycle starts at the beginning stage and ends at the death of a spouse. Then if this is so, a lot of families do not experiences the stages between the first and the last stage because sometimes at the point of establishing the family one of the spouses may die.
The aspect of this theory that interests me most is the fact that each stage of the life cycle has an average length of the period which I think will vary from family to family. For example at the beginning stage couples may spend a longer time getting to know each other and having fun. Also at the childbearing stage a lot of families leave this stage to the next then return after several years. Therefore, basically families may reach stage five in cycle and return to stage two in the future. For example my mother had two children. I am the older and it was not until I was a teenager before my mother got pregnant with my brother. Therefore, I don’t think the stages of the family life cycle progress in the same order for every family as the development perspective puts it.
The child bearing stage does not necessarily mean that the woman must conceive naturally to reach this stage.Isn't this stage says the addition of a child to the family,it did not say the means by which the addition would be made.What about adoption isn't this an addition to the family?
DeleteIn the Family or Developmental theory it examines the stages that families experience over their lifespan. This theory reflects a chain where certain things are expected to happen at different links in the chain. The first link in the chain is the beginning family, and this stage it involves the establishment of relationship to decide whether the relationship will culminate into marriage. The second link in the chain is the child bearing or expanding stage, in this stage it is no longer the man and the woman alone but a new child is added to the family, so therefore the family has to now make preparation for the addition of that child in the family, he/she has special needs to be filled, and they now adjust to new roles and make certain changes. This addition can rob both parents of their time as they now have to reduce the amount of time that they normally spend on each other and start attending to that child needs, as when the child is in their expanding stage they require a great deal of attention especially when the child reaches preschool and school age years parent will now have to carry that child to school and bring he/she back home. In addition to that they will have to budget their money more wisely so that they will be able to provide the child with the basic essentials. On the other hand when the child reaches teenage year the parent do not have to spend as much time with them but offer them space which will enable them to grow and develop their own skills so that they will be able to survive on their own whenever they reach adulthood or circumstances due to deaths of one or both parent. Another stage involves the launching stage where individuals will now go off to college, start choosing married partners and establish an independent life outside of the family, and the final stage is the contracting stage where partners will now start to refocus on their married relationship. Even though parents can find pleasure in this stage they can start to feel empty and alone as a result of not having their children around to look after or talk to.
ReplyDeleteEvery family goes through stages. The Family Development Theory speaks about the different stages in the family life cycle. This theory sectionalizes the family life span into eight (8) stages based on the completion of roles and responsibilities of each member. In this theory the family life cycle starts with stage one (1); the beginning stage. The beginning stage is where the couple meets, starts dating and may decide to get married. When the wife becomes pregnant they move to the second stage of the family life cycle, this is where the husband and wife takes on the role of mother and father. At this stage they adjust their life to accommodate infant/s. The family then moves to stage (3) three, in this stage the infant/s grow and become preschool children which is followed by the fourth stage; family with school-age children. This theory continues when children become teenagers and the matrimonial fulfilment of the parents are at its lowest. The sixth stage of the family life cycle is where the first child leaves home, this stage continues until the last child leaves. Stage seven is known as “the empty nest” stage. This is where parents are left at home while the children leave and start their family of procreation. Nevertheless, adult children might return home to take care of their parents. The last stage in the family life cycle of the Family Development Theory is stage eight (8); the aging family. This is where parents get old, get sick and eventually one parent dies.
ReplyDeleteIt is my belief that the Family Development Theory gives a good over view of the stages that a family goes through from beginning to end. However it can be considered as too rigid to the nuclear family. In reality there are different family types which would not fit into some of the stages given. This theory is limited to the ideal nuclear family.
My family is a blended family; therefore the beginning stage of our life cycle was skipped out. When my parents got together children (infants and teenagers) were already in the picture. It is theorised that families can skip stages but not function as effectively, this is subjected to personality and parenting styles because I believe this was an easy transition. My family has been at stage six (6) for the past three years and they will be at this stage for at least twelve (12) more years.
After learning about this theory I can now appreciate the importance of marital satisfaction (getting to know and experience your partner) before having children and after the children have grown.
I am in agreement with you Jovanae, the developmental theorist totally ignores the other forms of families that exist in our society and focuses only on the nuclear family. Even in some of the traditional nuclear family that they have placed so much emphasis on the family life cycle does not make that smooth transition as they have postulated.
DeleteTHE FAMILY DEVLOPMENT THEORY
ReplyDeleteThe development theory involves the changes family goes through in their lifetime. This theory is linked to the nuclear family where the family lifecycle begins at marriage and ends at death. My family went through the beginning family stage, the only difference is that they were involved in a common law relationship. The family development theory does not cater for other types of family structure. In the second stage of child bearing family my mother had three children and instead of making adjustment to raise a baby she had to find ways to cope with the loss of two babies. In this case the child bearing stage took longer those two years. In my opinion, I don’t think is realistic for a time limit to be placed on this stage because some families take longer than others.
In stage three children get older and start to attend preschool. The family adjusts to the development of the infant. During stage four the families with school age children are faced with more challenges as they have to encourage educational achievement. During this stage my parents monitored my educational progress carefully and I was rewarded with a bicycle for passing my common entrance examination.
At stage five of the lifecycle I was a teenager and my mother and father ended their relationship. Even though they were separated they played a big role in guiding me towards my career choice and at the same time was working to take care of the family.
During stage six children gradually leave home and establish their families.
Stage seven is known as the “empty nest” However in my family my mother raised grand children to replace her children who left home to start their families. My family is at the final stage of the lifecycle where my mother is suffering from hypertension and poor circulation and macular degeneration.
In my opinion the typical family in society lifecycle is not structured like the development theory, because some families start having children take a break to pursue their career and return to child bearing stage at a later date.