Chapter 3

Family Development Theory

KEY TERMS

family change

family development developmental tasks

stages norms

transitions timing

TRUE-FALSE QUESTIONS

1. Family development theory was one of the first family-focused theories.

2. Process norms regulate behavior and expectations within a particular stage.

3. “The family as a system moving through time” is an accurate and concise way to conceive of the family life cycle.

4. During the contraction phase of family development, children leave the family home.

5. During the expansion phase of family development, children leave the home and expand

into their own families.

6. Families change over time.

7. Transitions from one stage to the next are usually related to changes in individual

development.

8. Failure to complete a task in one stage will limit optimal functioning at the next

stage.

9. According to family development theory, it does not matter when something happens, only that families are able to move along to the next stage.

10. The stages of family development theory are defined by periods of equilibrium during

which everyone agrees on how roles and rules should be carried out by the family.

11. Tasks focus only on what the family must accomplish during each stage of development.

12. Each stage of development requires the family to change and accommodate to the needs

of the children as they age.

13. Families undergo stages of development just like individuals do.

14. Family development theory was originated as a reaction to the need to develop an

identity separate from psychology and sociology.

15. According to Davies and Gentile’s study of children’s media use in families in three

stages, parents of teens monitor media use less and fail to consistently enforce media rules.

MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. Who outlined specific testable propositions and variables for family development theory in Dynamics of Family Development: A Theoretical Perspective?

a. Evelyn Duvall

b. Roy Rodgers

c. Joan Aldous

d. James White

2. According to family development theory, which is NOT true of stages?

a. They are periods of disorder

b. They are the result of major changes in family size

c. Are thought to be qualitatively distinct from each other

d. They are often precipitated by normative events that happen with the passage of time

3. Which of the following is true of transitions?

a. They are the shifts in roles and identities encountered with changes in developmental stages.

b. Ease of transition is not dependent on the resolution of the stages beforehand.

c. Family stress is usually greatest at transition points between developmental stages.

d. Both A and C are correct.

4. This theory emerged in the late 1940s and was one the first family-focused theories with a separate identity from psychology or sociology. Evelyn Duvall was a major contributor.

a. Family Developmental Theory

b. Symbolic Interaction Theory

c. Family Stress Theory

d. Social Exchange Theory

e. Structural Functional Theory

5. This family developmental theorist suggested that family development should be considered in only four stages—establishment of marital relationship, the parental role, return to couple relationship, and aging couple—and preferred the term “family careers” to “family life cycle.”

a. Wesley Burr

b. Roy Rodgers

c. Joan Aldous

d. Evelyn Duvall

e. none of the above

6. Which of the following is an assumption of family development theory?

a. There are tasks associated with each stage of development and tasks are based on normative expectations.

b. Families undergo stages of development, just like individuals.

c. The individual development of each family member influences other family members, as well as the overall development of the family.

d. Families should be viewed over time.

e. All of the above are assumptions.

7. According to Smith and Hamon, which of the following is TRUE about family development theory?

a. Stages are the result of major changes in family size, changes in the developmental age of the oldest child, or changes in the work status of the breadwinner.

b. Tasks focus on what the family, as a unit, must accomplish, while taking into account the individual needs of the parents and children.

c. Change in family relationships is precipitated by either internal (such as biological growth) or external (through interaction with the environment) factors.

d. Transitions are the process(es) that form a bridge between the different states when something changes.

e. All of the above are true.

8. According to Duvall and Miller (in Smith and Hamon) which of the following is a stage-sensitive developmental task for the “newly married couple”?

a. maintaining a supportive home base

b. establishing post-parental interests and careers as growing parents

c. coping with bereavement and living alone

d. fitting into the kin network

e. all of the above are tasks for the married couple stage

9. The children’s ditty which says “Bill and Susie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Susie pushing the baby carriage” is illustrative of

a. transitions.

b. event and stage sequences in normative timing.

c. developmental task.

d. variation in family careers.

e. all of the above.

10. __________ is the family stage when the couple is concerned about accepting the shifting of generational roles. Dealing with loss of friends and/or spouse, life review, and integration are important second order changes.

a. Launching children and moving on

b. Families with young children

c. Families in later life

d. Forming families through marriage

11. According to family development theory, __________ regulate the timing and sequencing of expectations and behaviors.

a. process norms

b. static norms

c. developmental tasks

d. age timing

e. none of the above

12. Tracey Laszloffy’s Systemic Family Development Model

a. addressed the assumption of universality and single generational focus in family development theory.

b. describes the family as a layer cake, each layer representing a generational within the family.

c. recognizes that while there is a great deal of variability in timing and type of stressors they encounter, all families encounter them and need to change and adapt.

d. does all of the above.

e. does not in any way contribute to our understanding of family development theory.

13. What is the primary criticism of family development theory?

a. The theory is not descriptive enough; it only has heuristic (research generating) power.

b. It best describes the trajectory of intact, two-parent, heterosexual nuclear families.

c. Early renderings of the theory were hypersensitive to factors such as race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and family structure.

d. All of the above are criticisms of the theory.

14. Family development theory focuses on:

a. crises in families

b. normative events in families

c. times when families are in transition

d. those families that differ from the norm

15. Which of the following statements are TRUE considering transitions?

a. Transition stages are easy for families to recognize

b. Ease of transition is dependent upon the resolution of the stages before hand

c. Roles within the family do not change just because they shift from one stage to the next

d. Families move easily from one stage to the next

16. According to this theory, the family:

a. is interacting persons related by ties of marriage, birth or adoption

b. has a certain purpose of creating and maintaining a common culture

c. shares a common culture which promotes the physical, mental, emotional, and social development of its members.

d. all of the above

e. only answers b and c

17. Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning family development theory?

a. Development is reciprocal

b. Families are static

c. Families can be viewed independent of their environments

d. Families can be viewed independent of their historical time period

18. The Great Depression is an example of:

a. Ontogenetic time

b. Generational time

c. Historical time

d. Personal time

19. Stages are:

a. the result of major changes in family size

b. based on the age of the youngest child in the family

c. based on the caregiving role of the mother

d. based on the behaviors that fall outside of the social norm

20. At which stage of the family life cycle do families begin to contract?

a. families with young adults- the launching phase

b. middle aged parents

c. aging parents

d. families with adolescents

21. Which of the following is TRUE related to work-family conflict over the family life cycle?

a. Among a large sample of IBM employees, work-family and family-work conflicts were highest among employees with pre-school and school-age children.

b. Role demands and work-family conflict are greatest during the transition to the middle-aged parent stage.

c. Family stage does not appear to impact work-family or family-work conflict.

d. All of the above are true.

MATCHING QUESTIONS

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.

1. Normative timing a. how time is experienced within one’s social cohort

2. Age timing b. how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period

3. Ontogenetic time

c. chronological demarcation of a new event 4. Generational time

d. when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions

5. Historical time

e. One’s personal awareness of time

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION/ESSAY QUESTIONS

Share variations of family development theory such as The Stepfamily Life Cycle as can be found at:

Papernow, P.L. (1984).The Stepfamily Cycle: An Experiential Model of Stepfamily Development. Family Relations, 33(3), 355-363.

1. View the opening sequence from the movie Up and talk about how this family fits and doesn’t fit this theoretical model.
2. Talk about the current demographics of families today and what type of family this theory best describes. Is the original delineation of this theory problematic for the various family forms prevalent today? If so, how could the theory be adapted to be more inclusive of many family types and structures?
3. Watch the beginning of the the show Home Improvement season 7 episode 23. Talk about where this family is in the Family Life Cycle, what tasks need to be accomplished, what assumptions are shown in the clip, and the challenges facing this family.
4. Consider White’s research (in Common Areas of Research and Application section) on how computers are used differently at various stages of the family life cycle. For instance, you might consider the following questions: Are boys more likely to use computers than girls? Does differential computer use/competency create a hierarchical status in the family? What are the effects of spending long hours on the computer? How is family life affected? And—more to the point of development theory—does it matter to the family when those hours are spent? Is there a different consequence if a young adult, early in his or her married career, spends hours on the computer, compared to an older, retired adult? How do other technologies impact family functioning at each stage?
5. Consider the work of White; Erickson, Martinengo, and Hill; and Allen and Finkelstein on work-family conflict over the family life cycle. Outline major challenges to families and how you envision your own experience of and coping with such challenges in the future.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES OR HOMEWORK ASSIGMENTS

See: Fitzpatrick, J. (2016). Exploring sculptures to teach family development theory: The walking tour activity. Family Science Review, 21, 71-89. http://www.familyscienceassociation.org/sites/default/files/15-82%20Fitzpatrick.final_.2016_0.pdf

Planning Your Family Life Cycle (see Handout 3.1—3 pages)

”Show Me Your Family and I Will Show You Mine” (see Handout 3.2)

Students will draw several pictures of their family structure at various points in their life cycle. The activity will help them to examine how families expand and contract and how certain tasks take priority during various periods.

Failure to Launch (see Handout 3.3)

Students will watch the movie Failure to Launch and then answer a series of questions either on their own or as a class based on this movie.

Exploring Family Theories

Appendix 3

Family Development Theory

Handout 3.1

Planning Your Family Life Cycle

Fill in the age you will probably be in each of the following “turning points” in your family life cycle. If you’ve already hit a life cycle event, put a date in the appropriate box.

1. Are there any events or turning points not mentioned above, that you would find important to consider when planning your life? If so, what are they? Why are they important?
2. a blank piece of paper, place the above life events, along with any others that you added, on a timeline from left to right. Reflect on age timing, event and stage sequencing, and static and process norms present in this plan.
3. What non-normative (or normative) life events or turning points could disrupt your family life cycle?
4. How similar to or different from will your family life cycle be from a couple of your closest friends or your parents, for instance?

______________________________________________________________________________

Now compute how many years you will probably spend in each of the following stages of your “family life cycle.” (From: Duvall, E. & Miller, B. Marriage and Family Development, 6^th ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1985.)

1. Describe the biggest surprise you had in trying to estimate your family life cycle.
2. Describe what you are going to do differently now to prepare yourself for your entire life cycle. What might you do to better prepare for these stages? Which transitions and developmental tasks do you envision as being the smoothest or most challenging?

Visualizing Your Family Life Cycle

Using the years in each stage calculated on the previous page, divide the pie chart below into the amount of time that you will spend in each of the 8 stages.

1. Married CoupleYears 5. Teenage Years
2. Child BearingYears 6. Launching Years
3. Pre-School Years 7. Middle-Aged Parent Years
4. School Age Children Years 8. Aging Family Years

Assuming you will live for the next 60 years, plan your life stages in yearly segments and then place them on the pie chart on below. For example, if you married at age 25, and waited until you were 30 to have your first child, then stage 1 above would be 5 years duration. If you had your last child at age 33, then you would have been in stage 2 for 3 years. Use similar reasoning for the remaining stages. Estimate these for each stage above and graph them in the pie chart (keep in mind that the entire pie equals 60 years). There will probably be some overlap. Shade life cycle stages in those areas lightly. Once the pie chart is completed, it will provide a visual representation of your family life cycle stages and how many years you plan to spend in each one.

(Adapted from: Hammond, R. J. & Bearnson, R. (2003). The Marriages and Families Activities Workbook. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishers, a division of Thomson Higher Education.)

Handout 3.2

“Show Me Your Family and I Will Show You Mine” Activity

PURPOSE

GOALS

Upon completion of this exercise:

1. Students will become aware of the changes that occur in family structure over the life cycle.

2. Students will determine how they define family.

3. Students will gain a deeper understanding of family development theory and its basic concepts and tenants.

OBJECTIVES

1. Students will draw depictions of their family during three different times. [#1, 2, 3]

2. Students will present depictions to class and explain how their family changed. [# 1, 2, 3]

3. Students will evaluate, through discussion, how students chose to depict their families and which theoretical concepts are depicted via the drawings. [#2]

MATERIALS

8.8” x 11” plain white paper (one per student)

Colored pencils, colored markers, and/or crayons (enough for each student to have several)

Overhead Projector (suggested)

PREPARATION

1. Read chapter 3, Family Development Theory, in Smith & Hamon.

2. Acquire needed materials.

INSTRUCTION TO STUDENTS

1. Fold a blank piece of 8.5 x 11 piece of paper into three sections. At the top, in the first section, draw a picture of your family at the time you entered it.
2. In the middle section, draw a picture of your family when you graduated from high school.
3. In the third section, draw a picture of your family as you expect it to be five years from now.

Have a few student volunteers present their family depictions to the class using an overhead projector.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How did you define family? Who was included in each drawing?

2.. How did your family change over time?

3.. Using your text, what stage of the family life cycle was your family in during each time period? Which developmental tasks were most salient?

4. Reflect on your family’s “timing.” Was your family “on-time” or “off-time”? Were there any ramifications for your family if things did not happen according to prescribed timing or sequencing?

5. On what did you base your expectations of your family in the future?

6. Compare and contrast your drawings and reflections with others in class. How helpful is family development theory in understanding the family dynamics of the families in these different drawings?

______________________________________________________________________________

Created by Raeann R. Hamon and Katherine Bull

Handout 3.3

Failure to Launch Movie Application Assignment

Either show in class or have students watch the movie Failure to Launch on their own and then answer the following questions. Point suggestions for a 50 point assignment are given.

1. Identify the life cycle stage represented by the family in the movie and support your answer. (10 points)
2. What are the tasks that should be accomplished during this stage? Have they been accomplished? Why or why not? (10 points)
3. Apply two of the assumptions of this theory to the situation in the movie. Be sure you give examples of each assumption and provide support for how your examples demonstrate the assumption. (10 points)
4. How does this movie portray the beliefs of society about the ability to successfully complete this stage in a normative way? In other words, why should people accomplish this stage “on time”, and what is the social consequence of not doing so according to this movie? How are the men themselves affected by not following the social norm? (10 points)
5. According to family development theory, how should this movie end? (10 points)