Students

Prayer (St. Dominic)

Lord,
True source of light and wisdom,
Give me a sharp sense of understanding,
A retentive memory,
And the ability to grasp things correctly.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations
And the ability to express myself,
With thoroughness and charm.
Point out the beginnings,
Direct the progress,
And help in the completion.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Family Life Cycle

MICHAEL J. DIZON, RMT, IMT(ASCPi), MD

Specic Learning Objectives

At the end of this lecture, you must be able to

understand the dierent denitions of FAMILY;

dierentiate the types of family structures;

discuss the basic functions of a family;
enumerate the stages of the family life cycle;

and, understand the characteristics of the family life cycle stages.

Family Denitions
Systems in which the members interact with one another
Members inuence each other and, in turn, are inuenced by

each other

Because of this mutual interaction, a family is greater than

the sum of its parts

Family structures vary across cultures and are constantly

evolving

Universal and unique, each family having its own set of rules,

hierarchy and organization.

Classications of Families
Nuclear Family
Parents and dependent children
Separate dwelling
Economically independent

Extended Family
Parents, children and relatives
Aggregate of families or part of families from 2 or more

generations occupying a single or adjacent dwellings

Classications of Families
Single-Parent Family
Children below 17 years old living with a single parent, another

relative or non-relative
Possible causes: loss of spouse by death, separation,
imprisonment, desertion; out of wedlock birth of a child;
adoption; one parent working abroad
Blended Family
Includes step-parents and step-children
Due to divorce / annulment with remarriage

Classications of Families
Communal or Corporate Family
Dierent families formed for specic ideological or societal

purposes
Frequently considered as alternative lifestyle for people who
feel alienated from a predominantly economically oriented
society
Examples: Amish Communities

Basic Functions
FIVE Basic Areas
Biologic
Economic
Educational
Psychological/Aection
Socio-Cultural

Basic Functions
Biological
Reproduction; care and rearing of children
Nutrition; maintenance of health
Recreation

Economical
Provisions of adequate resources
Determine allocation of resources
Ensure nancial security of members

Basic Functions
Educational
Teach skills, attitudes, knowledge and values in preparation for

their interaction on society

Psychological/Aection
Development of personalities
Ability to form relationships with people within the family circle
Serves an integrating function between the family and the

community

Family Life Cycle

Life Cycle is used to describe the continuous development

of people over time

Individuals and families experience predictable events and

development crisis which are often sequential

Life cycle stages require some level of success at each stage

before proceeding to the next stage

Dierent Personalities
Erik Erikson
A pioneer in the area of human growth and development,

described human life in terms of stages or sequential

developmental occurrences.
Inuential eight stage model of individual development
First ve stages focus on individual skill and identity
development, the last three are more interpersonally based

Dierent Personalities
Evelyn Duvall
First proposed a family life cycle model based on the intact,

middle class nuclear family in 1956.

This model has lost inuence due to the decrease in number and
percentage of nuclear families in the United States

Dierent Personalities
Carter & McGoldrick
Proposed a six-stage life cycle model of the intact middle class

nuclear family (1999)

Begins with the unattached adult and continues through
retirement
Each stage in this model requires key adjustments, tasks, and
changes for the individuals to survive and thrive

Stages of the Family Life Cycle

Stage 1: Single Young Adult: Leaving Home
Stage 2: The New Couple: Joining of Families Through Marriage
Stage 3: Families with Young Children
Stage 4: Family with Adolescents
Stage 5: Launching Children and Moving On
Stage 6: Families in Later Life

Stage 1: Single Young Adult:

Leaving Home
Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Accepting parent-ospring separation

Numbers of single young adults is increasing

Traditional family oriented activities are being reshaped to

accommodate singles cohabitation (living together without being

married) is increasing

Singles are the second happiest group (married couples being the

happiest)

Society continues to promote marriage, creating internal and

external pressures on singles to marry

 singles typically seek family therapy due to

a weak sense of self

inability to separate from their family of origin

a lack of social skills to establish signicant relationships with

others

Stage 2: The New Couple: Joining of

Families Through Marriage
Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Commitment to the new system

Individuals test their compatibility and tend to idealize the

relationship

Individuals tend to be most comfortable with others at the same or

similar developmental level

(e.g., secure men tend to be involved with secure women; anxious women

may be attracted to less committed and more disengaged men)

A period of adjustment and accommodation and requires

time, energy, good will, and the ability to compromise

Make or Break

 New couples typically seek family therapy due to

the inability to adjust to living as a couple instead of

individually

diculty with relatives (in laws and/or family of origin)

inability to develop eective communication and problem

solving skills

dierences over whether and when to have children

Stage 3: Families with Young Children

Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Accepting marital system to make space for children

Dramatic changes in lifestyle which stress a couple's

lifestyle, marital relationship, create new parenting/

maternal demands and unbalances the patterns and
interactions previously developed

Although marital satisfaction tends to decrease in this

stage, strong marital bonds can mediate the stresses

associated with children and work issues

 Families with young children typically seek family therapy due to

inability to reorganize and restructure following the arrival of children

dierences over how to raise and discipline children

Stage 4: Family with Adolescents

Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Increasing exibilities to include children independence

Most active and exciting stages that can be very stressful and

demanding for many families

Stressors may include

diculty in limit setting
redening relationships
caring and supporting one another
decreasing parental inuence and increasing peer inuence
generational and gender dierences
maintaining open communication

 Planful competence' assists adolescents to develop a realistic

understanding of their intellectual, social, and personal responses

in their relationships with others

Couples may be caring for aging parents in addition to adolescent

family members

Sometimes referred as the 'sandwich generation

Stage 5:
Launching Children and Moving On
Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Accepting a multitude of entries and exits into the family system

Empty nest
Positive time for couples
some rediscovering the couple relationship and enjoying new

freedoms from responsibility

Negative time for couples

Heavily focused on their children

Children who leave and then return ('boomerang children') can

create tension among family members

 Families in the launching and moving on stage typically seek

family therapy due to..

a sense of loss of self, the marriage or the child who has left

conict with the child who is not independent enough

frustration/anger over the marriage and/or career ambitions

Stage 6: Families in Later Life

Emotional Process of Transition: Key Principle
Accepting the shifting of generational goals
within this stage are three groups
Young old (65-74)
Old old (75-84)
Oldest old (85 and after)
Decline in nances, health, loss of spouse, chronic illness, depression,

and helplessness

Positive aspects
Interacting with grandchildren
Doing what one wants and setting one's own pace
Reecting on important life activities

 Families in later life typically seek family therapy due to

a lack of meaning or enjoyment in life

concern over the aging process

the lack of quality relationships with family members

In Summary
By now, you should be able to accomplish the following:

Discuss the Concepts of FAMILY.

Describe the types of family structures;

Enumerate the basic functions of a family;
Enumerate the stages of the family life cycle;

And, discuss the characteristics of the family life cycle stages.

Thank you
and Have A Nice Day!!!