Family Development Theory

Family Development Theory (including family life cycle)
(Pg. 73 – 80 in the textbook)

Definitions of key terms

 Family of orientation: The family that you are born into; the family of origin.
 Family of procreation: The family they may help to found, i.e. the after marriage family.
 Developmental tasks: Adjustments that people need to make in order to cope with the changes in the family life cycle as well with changes in their own life cycle.
 Dysfunctional: The ineffective families that is unable to deal with its problems and require outside help.
 Stressor: An event that creates stress within the family.

Summary Notes

 Just as a human being grows and goes through the sequence of stages, families also follow a series of developmental stages.
 The six stages of family life cycle are; 1. Between families (the young single adult). 2. The newly married couple. 3. The family with young children. 4. The family with adolescents. 5. Launching. 6. The family in later life.
 Moving from one stage to the other, family experiences a degree of stress and a period to adjust into the new stage.
 Changes in behavior by the family members occur to accommodate the change that has taken place.
 Unexpected changes such as divorce, an accident, a death, or the loss of a job can create great stress on family members and can cause severe alterations in their behavior.
 The ability to cope with hardships depends on the family structure and its personality. The elasticity of the family and the manner in which problems are usually solved in the family will help to determine how well the family deals with these hardships.
 Healthy and effective families are those who have strong and open communication with each other. They tend to share their burdens with the family. They are able to deal with family problems and continue to function.
 Family problem solving is the ability to deal with its problems so that the family continues to function and