The family development theory

The family development theory gives me an in site on the changes in the family and how these changes occur in the family life cycle. The theories state that as people progress through various stages and event of the family life cycle they accomplish specific development task. This gives me an understanding that at different stages over the life span each member must accomplish the specific developmental tasks which are role expectations and responsibilities. For example showing affection, as the oldest girl in my family I help to care for the younger ones showing them love when needed. The theories believe that for one to be a successful family member you need to adapt to changing needs and demands and to attend to task that are necessary to ensure family survival. In my family of origin we have accomplish up to the six stages according to Duvall’s model of the family life cycle and we have accomplish our developmental tasks. We all learn to socialize, we development peer relationship and now we have all enter adult world of employment and there has been the formation of one family.

What I like about this theory is that if a member fails to accomplish a task this does not stop the family from moving to the next stage, the family still function but the failure may limit the ability to function as the next stage. I know of a family that after the first and only child was born the family start to fail because the mother place all her attention to the child alone and pay little or no attention to her husband  of which the family end up in a divorces. This family stage seven when on but have its limitations. This theory helps me to understand that there are challenges that a family will face and even though one critical evaluation state that ‘the processes of life are not always so neatly cleanly segmented. I think the theories show clearly some of the stop signs that will bring limitation to the family.