Child, Family, School,
and Community
Socialization and Support 6th ed.
Chapter Three
Ecology of the Family
Family Systems


How many people
do you know who
fit into the classic
definition of a
family?
Today there are
more relationships
that do not
conform to the
classic definition
than do.
The Primary Agent of
Socialization


Family systems’ theory views the family as
a whole.
Classic definition—“a social group
characterized by common residence,
economic cooperation, and reproduction.
It includes adults of both sexes, at least
two of whom maintain a socially approved
sexual relationship, and one or more
children, owned or adopted, of the
sexually cohabitating adults.”
An Ecological Model of
Human Development

The family is a
primary influence
on children’s
development
Family Patterns


The U.S. Bureau of the Census
defines a family as “two or more
persons related by birth, marriage, or
adoption, who reside together.”
The changes in the family structure
affect the functions/roles played by
the family and its members thereby
affecting the socialization of children.
Basic Structures

Nuclear—consists of
a husband, a wife,
and their children.
–
–
Family of orientation:
the family into which
one is born.
Family of procreation:
the family which
develops when one
marries and has
children.
The Nuclear Family
In the nuclear family, the wife and husband
depend on each other for companionship, and
the children depend on their parents for affection
and socialization.
Extended Family
The extended family includes relatives of the
nuclear family who are economically and
emotionally dependent upon each other.
Family Structure
 Matriarchal
 Patriarchal
– Mother’s side
emphasized
– Father’s side
emphasized
 Egalitarian
– In the United States, both sides of the
extended family are generally regarded as
equal
Basic Functions

The family performs certain functions
that enable society to survive
generation after generation.
– These functions may vary widely.
“Healthy”
Functional
“Unhealthy”
Dysfunctional
Family Transitions

Throughout history,
family structure has
altered to
accommodate:
–
–
–
–
economic
influences
social influences
political influences
technological
influences
(chronosystem)
Structural Changes

Structural family changes can include:
– the addition of family members due to:
•
•
•
•
birth
adoption
remarriage
relatives moving in
– the removal of family members due to:
•
•
•
death
divorce
children becoming adults and moving out
Family Ties

Events that affect the socialization of
children include:
– divorce
– single parenting
– step parenting

Changes in family ties are reflected in:
– the increase in divorce
– the proportion of children living with only
one parent
Divorce and the Family

Divorce is blamed for:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
the fragmentation of the family
diminished family functions
unrealistic expectations
role changes
the economic state of society
stress
changes in the law
Divorce and Children

Children’s reactions depend on:
–
–
–
–
–
–
the personalities involved
their own coping skills
their relations with their parents
the child’s age and gender
the level of disharmony prior to divorce
the availability of other people for
emotional support
Single Parent Custody

Single parenthood can occur through:
–
–
–
–
–
–
death
divorce
desertion
births outside marriage
adoption without marriage
artificial insemination
Father’s Absence

The affect on boys and girls depends on:
– the age of the child at the time of separation
from the father
– the length of the father’s absence
– the quality of the mother/father relationship
prior to the separation
– the availability of appropriate substitute
male models
– the emotional state of the mother during
and after the separation
Recommendations for Community
Support of Single Parents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Extend availability of daycare facilities.
Form babysitting cooperatives.
Make transportation available.
Provide classes on single parenthood.
Provide “Big Sister” / “Big Brother”
programs.
Joint Custody

A modern-day solution to the quandary
facing many judges:
– Which adult claimant should be given
custody of the children?

Some nuclear families split by divorce
are evolving into a new form, called the
binuclear family, in which the children
are part of two homes and two family
groups.
Kin Custody
An increasing number
of children are being
raised by relatives
(kin) other than
parents, the most
common being
grandparents raising
grandchildren.
Stepfamilies

One out of three Americans is now a:
–
–
–
–

stepparent
stepchild
stepsibling
cohabitating member of a stepfamily
Because of the increase in the number
of stepfamilies, the concept of family
needs reexamining.
Families of Unmarried Parents



Marriage is a legal contract with certain
rights and obligations.
It is society’s institution for founding and
maintaining families.
Unconventional families:
– heterosexual adults who choose to live
together without legal sanction
– homosexual adults who cannot legally be
married
Families of Adopted Children

There are many reasons families adopt
children, such as:
– the inability to conceive
– the desire to care for a child without the
sanction of marriage
– the desire to care for a child with special
needs
– the wish to make a foster care
arrangement permanent
Functional Changes

Throughout history, families have
changed the ways they execute their
various functions:
–
–
–
–
–
Reproduction
Socialization/ Education
Assignment of Social Roles
Economic Support
Nurturance/ Emotional Support
Such changes in family function are adaptations
to microsystem influences such as economics,
political ideology, and technology.
Reproduction


Technological changes have impacted family
size.
Family size has decreased over the past
century.
Socialization/Education
 The socialization/education domain of the
family has decreased over the past century.
 Children were educated at home until public
schools emerged in the middle of the 19th
century.
Assignment of Social Roles

Social roles within the family are
defined by which members perform
what jobs and how authority is
distributed.
–
–
–
–
Wife/Mother
Husband/Father
Children
Authority Patterns
Economic Support

The scope of responsibility for
economic support for family members
has changed as have their contributions
to the family’s economy.
– Dual-Earner Families
•
•
•
Two thirds of mothers with children younger
than 6 work outside the home.
Mothers’ employment almost always improves
the economic well-being of families.
Liabilities include reduced quality of care for
children, “role overload”, and the sacrifice of
social relationships.
Nurturance/Emotional Support


Support for the young and old has
remained fairly stable, but the range of
caregiving has diminished.
The sick were cared for by their
families, as were the elderly. Today,
however, insurance plans cover long
term costs of residential care facilities
for the sick and elderly.
Macrosystem Influences on
Families, Socialization, and Children

Specific effects of macrosystems
– SES (socioeconomic status)
– Ethnic orientation
– Religious orientation
and the ways in which they influence
socialization provide insight into how
larger contexts can impact family
systems.
Socioeconomic Status

Ascribed Status
– Family lineage
– Gender
– Birth order
 Achieved Status
– education
– occupation
– income
– place of residence
Stratification of members determines an
individual’s class.
Societies
Traditional
Modern
– customs handed
down from past
generations to
guide behavior
– ascribed status for
stratification
– looks to the
present to guide
behavior
– responsive to
change
– achievement
status
Class Descriptions

SES classes can be described in terms
of averages
– income
– occupation
– housing
– education
– social interactions
– values
These defining criteria influence socialization.
Social Class Structures in the US
Some sociologists
believe that, although
differences in rank
exist, true class lines
cannot be drawn. An
open society (US)
permits upward and
downward mobility.

Upper class
–
–
–
–

inherited wealth
family tradition of social prominence
emphasis on the extended family
patriarchal/matriarchal
Middle class
– earn status by achievement (education or
hard work)
– emphasis on the nuclear family
– egalitarian

Lower class
– semiskilled and unskilled workers
– emphasis on extended family
– patriarchal

Under class
– degree of hopelessness
– stuck at the bottom
– perceive themselves as having little
chance
– female-headed families, homeless,
alcoholics, drug users, mentally ill,
destitute elderly, illegal aliens, rural families
etc.
Ethnic Orientation

Ethnicity is an attribute of membership
in a group in which members continue
to identify themselves by:
– national origin
– race
– religion
– physical attributes
– cultural attributes
Ethnic orientation constitutes a macrosystem.
Ethnic Norms/Values

Ethnic orientation involves norms, the
– rules
– patterns
– standards

that express cultural values and reflect
how individuals are supposed to
behave.
There are certain basic questions that
all humans in all places and
circumstances must answer.
Religious Orientation

Religion is a “unified system of beliefs
and practices relative to sacred things,
uniting into a single moral community all
those who adhere to those beliefs and
practices.”
Religion is a Macrosystem

It influences:
–
–
–
–
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–
–
gender roles
sexual behavior
patterns of marriage and divorce
birthrates
morals
attitudes
child-rearing
It also may affect people’s dress, dietary habits
including alcohol consumption, health care, and
social interactions including ethics.
Functions of Religion

Religion provides people with “ a way of
facing the problems of ultimate and
unavoidable frustrations of ‘evil’ and the
generalized problem of meaning in
some nonempirical sense, of finding
some ultimate why.”


Chronosystem Influences on
Families, Socialization and Children


Families are at risk for becoming
unhealthy or dysfunctional.
Chronosystem influences impacting the
health of families include:
– political changes
– economic changes
– technological changes
Sociopolitical Changes

Those influencing family functioning
include :
– foreign policy regarding immigration and
war
– domestic policy regarding security and
privacy issues
– social services

All of us are affected in some way by
the current geopolitical uncertainty.
Economic Changes

The influences on family functioning
may involve:
– job uncertainty due to corporate
maneuvering
– the cost of living increasing
– the erosion of employee benefits

Reduced levels of economic well-being
have been found to increase parental
stress.
Technological Changes

Those influencing family functioning
include:
– designed obsolescence
– things that enable “multitasking” and
“instantaneousness”
– “overscheduling”
– multiple simultaneous activities
Meeting the Challenge of Change:
Family Empowerment


Change can produce stress.
The family is a dynamic system that
has:
–
–
–
–

structure
functions
roles
authority patterns
The way the system operates and
adapts to change affects the
relationships within it.
Family Stress

Stressors other than death, illness, divorce,
and relocation include the following:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Economics
Children’s behavior
Insufficient couple time
Lack of shared responsibility
Communication problems
Insufficient “me” time
Guilt for not accomplishing more
Spousal relationships
Insufficient family play time
Over scheduled family calendars
Functional Families

Studies have shown that functional
families who are resilient to stress
display:
–
–
–
–
–

Love and acceptance
Communicativeness
Cohesiveness
Communication of values and standards
Ability to cope effectively with problems
Empowerment involves enabling
individuals to gain control over
resources affecting them.