Life Course Perspective
Bengston, V. L., & Allen, K. R.
(1993). The life course perspective
applied to families over time. In P. G.
Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R.
Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.),
Sourcebook of family theories and
methods: A contextual approach (pp.
469-499). New York: Plenum Press.
Introduction:
 To Study Families Over Time we Need to
 Move beyond the individual life span
metaphor.
 Move beyond family level of analysis.
 Examine intimate connections in families and
long-term relationships in terms of
social structure,
and history.
 Explore socially constructed meanings which
result from
transitions
and communication.
 Refine concepts, methods, and theories to
explain change over time within families.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Basic Themes of the Life Course
Perspective




Time
Context
Process
Meaning
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Five Specific Points:
 Time influences relationships in three
ways:
 Life experiences influence relationships.
 Family events and family transitions influence
individuals and interactions.
 Historical time -- events in the broader social
context -- influence roles and values.
 Individuals are influenced by social
context
 Social structures (e.g., racism, sexism,
homophobia) influence individual
development.
 Individuals actively interact with social context
and structure. This produces a reciprocal
influence between families/individuals and
social context via socially constructed
meaning systems.
 Social structures change and this change
influences individuals and relationships.
 There is an interplay of micro- and macrolevels of development.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Five Specific Points (cont.):
 Research is dynamic, focusing on both
process and change: they are a dialectic.
 It is important to consider diversity.
 Research should be multi-disciplinary.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Historical Origins and Research
Traditions
 The Human Development Tradition:
explicitly studied family influence on
individual development
 Life Span Developmental Psychology:
emphasizes individual development and
behavior.
 Family Development Theory: Suggested
Three Levels of Analysis
 Individual-psychological.
 Interactional-associational.
 Social-institutional.
 Sociology of Age Stratification:
macrosocial perspective focusing on the
influence of age.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Historical Origins and Research
Traditions (cont.)
 Social-Historical Studies of the Family:
 Emphasizes changing social nature of
individual time and family time within changing
historical context.
 Transitions are imbedded in history: broad
change influences families which, in turn,
reciprocally influences society.
 The Life Course Perspective -- A New
“Paradigm”?
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Assumptions and Central Concepts
(see Table 19-2).
 The “Multiple Time Clocks” Assumption
 Ontogenetic time and ontogenetic events
 Historical time and historical events
 The Social Ecology Assumption
 Social structural context
 Social meanings
 Cultural contexts
 The interplay of macro-micro levels of analysis
 The Diachronic Assumption
 Homeostasis and adaptation
 Interactions of age, period, and cohort effects
 Feedback Over Time among Structures and
stages of development
 The Heterogeneity Assumption
 Diversity and differences
 Aging diversity
 Structural diversity
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Table 19-2
Assumptions
A. Temporal A-1
context:
multiple
time
clocks
affect
families.
Central
Concepts
Individual
time and
events
General
Propositions
P-1
A-2
Generational P-2
time and
generational
events.
A-3
Historical
time and
historical
events
P-3
The behavior of
individuals is in
part a function of
the individual’s
individual
development level
and of the
individual
development level
of other family
members
The behavior of
individuals in
families is also a
function of
generational
placement
because of roles
and expectations.
The behavior of
individuals in
families, and
families as a unit,
is influenced by
historical period,
particularly
geopolitical and
economic events.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Table 19-2 (cont.)
Assumptions
Central
Concepts
General
Propositions
B. Social
B-1 Social
P-4 Broader social
ecology
structure and
structure
of
location.
influences events
families:
that someone
Socioexperiences with
structural
the passage of
context.
time in interaction
with family
members.
B-2 Social
construction
of meaning.
B-3 Cultural
context.
P-5 Events are given
meaning through
social interaction.
P-6 Shared meanings
both create and
interpret life span,
generational, and
historical events.
B-4 Interplay of
P-7 Micro and macro
micro -levels forces are
macro levels
reciprocal.
of analysis.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Table 19-2 (cont.)
Assumptions
C. Diachronic
Analysis
of
families.
Central
Concepts
General
Propositions
C-1 Homeostasis P-8 Behaviors are
and
influenced by both
adaptability.
change
(adaptability) and
continuity
(homeostasis).
C-2 Interactions
of age,
period, and
cohort
effects.
P-9 Interactions of
age, period, and
cohort
phenomenon
influence
behaviors of
families and
individuals over
time.
C-3 Feedback
among
structures
and states
over time.
P10
Change is not
linear.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Table 19-2 (cont.)
Assumptions
D. Heterogeneity
and
Diversity
Central
Concepts
General
Propositions
D-1 Diversity and Pdifference.
11
Families respond
to events in
diverse ways.
D-2 Aging
diversity.
P12
Over time,
behaviors of
families and
members may
become more
heterogeneous.
D-3 Structural
diversity
P13
There is
considerable
variation in family
structure that is
influenced by
social structure.
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Table 19-3: Changes in American
Family as the Result of Improved
Life Expectancy
1900 1976
A child would experience the
death of a parent by age 15
24%
5%
Marriage would end in
widowhood before the 40th
anniversary
67%
36%
A 15-year-old woman would
have 3 or 4 living
grandparents
17%
55%
A middle-aged couple would
have at least 2 of their
parents still alive
10%
47%
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson
Figure 19-2: Influence of Intraand Intergenerational Processes
Problem
Behavior
A
Problem
Family
Relationships
B
Problem
Behavior
C
Problem
Family
Relationships
A: Intragenerational Hypothesis
A,B: Intergenerational Hypothesis
C: Life Course Development Hypothesis
Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson