Family Systems

Families can be described in many ways.  One such description confines the family to objective characteristics such as biological, marital status, and the living arrangements of a mother and father, children, or caregivers.  Definitions that include these traits are normally considered in legal or political domains (Cook, 2014).  Families can also be thought of as satisfying social functions and roles that describe them as foundations of society.  Families can be single parent, or dual parents, dependent on self or each other, and they are affected by class, race, cultural background, and socioeconomic factors (Cook, 2014). 

            Healthy and unhealthy family systems involve risk factors and protective factors.  Risk factors compromise healthy development in the individual and include genes, disabilities, academic failure, conflict in the family or among peers, and unregulated emotions (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  Protective factors promote a healthy family development and include positive characteristics, parental support and observation, good communities, and positive relationships with adults and peers.  Healthy families promote regulated development in the home and provide support and encouragement to children (Feldman, 2014).  Other influences on healthy families involve homes where both parents are present and involved, giving clear direction to the child, and parenting styles.  Parenting styles, in particular, can provide insight on the characteristics a child will develop (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

            The authoritative parent is responsive and demanding, and they create a positive emotional environment for their child that promotes assertiveness and uniqueness.  They are affectionate and listen to their children while also setting boundaries and expectations with their child (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  The authoritarian parent does not create a positive environment for the child and they are demanding and unresponsive.  They exert control and require children to strictly follow the rules they set.  They are less affectionate and tend to stifle the child’s emotional or assertive behaviors (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  The permissive parent exercises little control over the child’s behavior and they accept less responsibility for it.  They provide very little feedback to the child, but they are more nurturing and affectionate than the authoritarian parent (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  The uninvolved or neglecting parents are more concerned with themselves than they are their children.  They avoid their parental responsibility and are less likely to respond to the child’s needs.  They tend to use power as a means of control, and demonstrate aggression toward the child (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). 

            Children raised by authoritarian parents are normally withdrawn and lack social skills.  They are not friendly to others and they are uncomfortable around their peers.  Children who have permissive parents are more dependent on others and they have little social skills and self-control.  Children of parents who are not involved, or neglectful, have had their emotional development disrupted and they feel as if they are not loved or capable of loving.  Their physical and cognitive development may be affected.  The children of authoritative parents are most independent and assertive.  They are motivated to be successful and they fit in well with others.  They are able to regulate their own behaviors and have a better understanding of consequences of behavior later in life (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

            It is impossible to predict the outcome of child development based on any one area.  Generally, children who are exposed to more risk factors and less protective factors, are more likely to have unhealthy development.  Other factors involved in development within the family system include mediating and moderating variables.  Mediating variables are considered to be the cause of a behavioral outcome.  For instance, a child being raised in poverty would be at a higher risk of developing health problems than the child who is not raised in poverty.  A moderating variable affects the strength of the association between the other variables.  They interact with the factors and may change the expected outcome of development.  The child raised in poverty with warm and supportive mothers may not experience any health problems (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

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References

Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Cook, K. (2014). The family: What is it, how do we study it and why? Journal of Family Studies, 20(1), 2.

Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.