Reference no: EM131081550

Reply: Reply to 2 other classmates by offering 1 new piece of information to add to their discussion of family systems.

As you provide feedback to peers, you are not grading their assignment, but you are enlarging the conversation to prod a bit more on what could be added to clarify the paper substantively. Please be very specific and share what you would like to see added or what was not clear as you read the paper of your peers. Additionally, please note that I will be providing corrective information for each student to take the assignment to the "finish line". The feedback is not an act of judgment nor an indication of grade. It is simply feedback that each of you can use moving forward.

Short Essay 1: Feedback of at least 250 words

Family Systems and Development

The family system begins with the self and one's human growth and development. Then once prepared and ready is joined with another individual to begin the foundation of the family system. According to Balswick and Balswick (2014), family-systems theory "views family life not merely as the sum total of the actions of all the individual members but rather as the interactions of all family members operating as a unit of interrelated parts. It considers individuals in the context of their relationships" (Balswick & Balswick, 2014, p. 37). The beginning of the family system is the marriage, which is the foundation, because it is the start of a family when two individuals become one in a marriage. According to Balswick andBalswick (2014), "the most obvious and important transition in the life cycle is marriage. When two people marry, a new family begins in the form of a dyad. The major developmental task involves the husband's and the wife's adjustment to each other in their new roles as married rather than single people" (Balswick & Balswick, 2014, p. 44). The marriage perspective that is formed will create the foundation of how the family will work and function as a unit and whole.

The married couple then decides to expand the family by having an addition, such as a child and/or children. Once becoming parents, both individuals will also become examples and role models to their children. According to Parfitt, Pike, and Ayers (2014), "pregnancy and the first year of an infant's life are critical times for laying the foundations for the child's future development" (Parfitt, Pike, & Ayers, 2014, p. 354). Other research suggests that the first year is critical and it is truly the beginning of how the child develops and learns from both parents. Parfitt, Pike, and Ayers (2014) state, "the aforementioned research shows that the family should be viewed as a system with an awareness of both parents' contributions to their child's outcomes and also acknowledgement of possible spillover effects between the couple's relationship and parent-infant relationship subsystems. For example, the couple's relationship problems may negatively affect the parent-infant interactions and thereby indirectly contribute to the child's outcomes through parenting" (Parfitt, Pike, & Ayers, 2014, p. 356). One of the determining factors that distinguish healthy family systems would be the status and relationship of the parents and their marriage. Since the relationship of the parents will affect the way they parent and teach their children which then will impact their development.

The relationship between family systems and healthy development is very important because the family is the start of the development process and that will determine whether or not the child will have a healthy or unhealthy development. As said before, parenting has an important role in their child's development, but it is how the mother and father choose to be parent and if they are on the same page. Not only are the parents influencing their children, but each member of the family are impacting one another in some way. According to Lester & Flake (2013), "from a family system perspective, interactions between parents and children are bidirectional-that is, family members influence and modify one another" (Lester & Flake, 2013, p. 125). The way that each member interacts and functions indicate whether or not they would be seen as a healthy family system, which will result in a healthy development.

The family system does affect physical, emotional, spiritual, and social development. According to the textbook, "the attachments that develop between infants and their caregivers are embedded in a system of overlapping contexts: the parents' relationship, sibling interactions, extended family processes, parents' work, extra-familial child care, the neighborhood, and the larger community. All of these contexts can affect infants emotional well-being and their attachment security" (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015, p. 155). A child will form an attachment during their development depending on the critical factors that play a role on their development also. The attachment that one develops indicates how they were brought up and the relationships in their family and life. According to Clinton and Sibcy (2006), there are four distinct relationship attachment styles that one may identify themselves with, such as avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized, and secure (Clinton & Sibcy, 2006). The attachment styles are typically developed over the course of an individual's life, but begin at home. The family is the start of developing one's attachment through their relationships with one another. For example, a mother who is aloof and does not show affection toward her daughter will become insecure and question herself, which may bring her to an unhealthy attachment style. The relationships she has experienced at home will affect her greatly in later adulthood and her development as a person. She will be hesitant in creating closer relationships or fear that she may be rejected like she felt by her own mother.

The attachment style affects physical, emotional, spiritual, and social development. Depending on one's attachment style, they may view themselves in a negative way if they have been constantly told terrible comments regarding their appearance, especially if the comments are from a family member. According to Lester and Flake (2013), "research based on attachment theory has established that parent-child relationships are fundamental to social and emotional well-being throughout childhood" (Lester & Flake, 2013, p. 126). The emotional aspect is expected since the attachment style displays the type of person they are and how they perceive life and others, from their experiences as a child with their family. If an individual does not have close relationships due to the lack of trust or the inability to trust another person, then typically their spiritual life and development is unhealthy and weak as well. Each aspect is truly affected by whether or not their family system was healthy, which also impacts their development.

Reference:

Balswick, J., & Balswick J. (2014). The family: A Christian perspective on the contemporary home. (4th ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Clinton, T., & Sibcy, G. (2006). Why you do the things you do: The secret to healthy relationships. Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers.
Lester, P., & Flake, E. (2013). How Wartime Military Service Affects Children and Families. Future Of Children, 23(2), 121-141.
Parfitt, Y., Pike, A., & Ayers, S. (2014). Infant Developmental Outcomes: A Family Systems Perspective. Infant & Child Development, 23(4), 353-373. doi:10.1002/icd.1830

Short Essay 2: Feedback of at least 250 words

Family Systems

In order for healthy human development, it is important that there is a positive family system in place. If there is a healthy family system, where security, love and communication are present then a healthy development can usually occur. According to Patricia C. Broderick's The Life Span, "both parents and infants contribute to the quality of the caregiving relationship (p. 185, 2015) Understandably, if the child is a difficult child, he may potentially cause the parent to become less responsive. However, if the parent is responsive and available, the relationship between caregiver and child becomes more secure, creating a healthy development for the child. This incorporates the first stage of Erickson's Psychosocial Stages of Development: Trust vs. Mistrust resulting in a positive outcome of hope (Broderick, 2015). Essentially, both child and parent are responding to one another and reacting accordingly.

A healthy family system can often be recognized by secure, yet independent children. A child with boundaries often feels more secure than a child without since they don't have to question if they are behaving within the caregiver's expectations. Although discipline techniques can be debatable, proper discipline for a child's age and personality is healthy. Healthy children are adaptable, competent, have good social skills and peer acceptance, and maintain low levels of antisocial or aggressive behavior (Broderick, 2015). A healthy family system would involve communication, love and security.

There are several determining factors that can help to distinguish a healthy family system. Race, ethnicity and socioeconomic class can have influence on parenting practices and may even alter effects (Broderick, 2015). In addition, family structure and the quality of marital relationships can create a positive and healthy family system (Greenberg, 2013). Ultimately, happy and emotionally stable families that communicate well with one another and create allowances for personal growth are healthy family systems. Authoritative parenting is most often the goal for achieving a healthy development in children. If an authoritative style is practiced and the parent is highly responsive and highly demanding then a child can ideally learn assertiveness, autonomy, and individuality (Broderick, 2015).

Unfortunately, not all family systems are positive. Unhealthy family systems do exist. Once more, cultures can effect the parenting values and styles. Family income and structure, and again the quality of marital relationships can be important factors in determining unhealthy family systems. Authoritarian parents have a tendency to be less responsive but high demanding (Broderick, 2015). In this particular environment a child is not usually allowed to seek individualism and assertiveness, but rather told what to do and what to think. If a parent were to be more permissive with their style of parenting, the child might have a tendency to display aggressive behavior. Anti-social behavior and substance abuse can often times be attributed to low-quality parent-child relationships, poor communication of values and expectations, harsh discipline and lack of parent monitoring (Greenberg, 2013). Aggression and delinquency can be associated with homes that have high rates of inter-parental conflict (Greenberg, 2013). Unhealthy family systems can create negative outcomes not only for the parent and child, but for those people that deal with them on a regular basis.

Family systems can affect so many aspects of development. A positive family system will create shelter and basic needs for a child covering physical development. Emotionally a child's tendency to attach to the parent or caregiver provides a bond that allows trust, love and hope. A positive family system parallels the need for connection to the sacred or divine in a spiritual context (Liberty University, 2016). Social development within a positive family system creates communication, social skills and peer acceptance. In an unhealthy family system, physical development and needs may be neglected causing malnutrition, sickness, perhaps lack of education and even physical abuse to the child. Emotionally these children have a tendency to be aggressive and erratic and even depressed at times. Spiritually, a child might compare God to their parent rationalizing that the two are similar, preventing potential spiritual growth. Lastly, an unhealthy family system might potentially lead to a child displaying anti-social tendencies along with lack of self-regulation.

Combined efforts to support families both economically and educationally can be effective means to reducing stress and encouraging positive parenting (Broderick, 2015). Parent Training is considered to be efficacious and allows parents to evaluate their child's behavior and evaluate their parent management style while being encouraged to learn about other techniques that may be more beneficial. Often times benefits have surfaced after only several sessions. Professionals can also be sought after when seeking to help families will take into consideration all viewpoints and consider the best way to treat the situation, however treatment takes an average of 20 hours of professional time (Broderick, 2015).

In conclusion, family styles whether healthy or unhealthy will be a part of human development. Those on the receiving end do not get a choice as to what family style will be provided. The caregiver is a big part of a child's human development as they are the ones that decide how they want to care and parent. Further study might be able to determine if a child raised in a family system that tends to be more negative, might still be able to develop in a healthy manner. Additionally, further study might also ascertain whether a child can still develop physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially healthy if a parent changes their style, and at what age.

References

Block, S. D., Poplin, A. B., Wang, E. S., Widaman, K. F., and Runyan, D. K. (2016) Variation in Acceptable Child Discipline Practices by Child Age: Perceptions of Community Norms by Medical and Legal Professionals. Behav. Sci. Law, 34: 95-112. doi: 10.1002/bsl.2237.

Greenberg, M. T., &Lippold, M. A. (2013). Promoting Healthy Outcomes Among Youth with Multiple Risks: Innovative Approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 253-270. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031811-124619

Liberty University (2016). Human Growth and Development [e-book] (custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing. ISBN: 978148339654.