Deck 3: Family Stress Theory

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Process norms regulate behavior and expectations within a particular stage.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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

Question 5

During the expansion phase of family development, children leave the home and expand into their own families.

Question 6

Families change over time.

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 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.

Question 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.

Question 11

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

Question 12

Each stage of development requires the family to change and accommodate to the needs of the children as they age.

Question 13

Families undergo stages of development just like individuals do.

Question 14

Family development theory was originated as a reaction to the need to develop an identity separate from psychology and sociology.

Question 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.

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

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.

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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.

Question 22

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.

Question 23

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

Question 24

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.

Question 25

__________ 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

Question 26

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

Question 27

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.

Question 28

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.

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

The Great Depression is an example of:

A) Ontogenetic time
B) Generational time
C) Historical time
D) Personal time

Question 34

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

Question 35

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

Question 36

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.

Question 37

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.
-Normative timing

A) how time is experienced within one's social cohort
B) how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period
C) chronological demarcation of a new event
D) when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions
E) One's personal awareness of time

Question 38

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.
-Age timing

A) how time is experienced within one's social cohort
B) how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period
C) chronological demarcation of a new event
D) when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions
E) One's personal awareness of time

Question 39

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.
-Ontogenetic time

A) how time is experienced within one's social cohort
B) how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period
C) chronological demarcation of a new event
D) when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions
E) One's personal awareness of time

Question 40

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.
-Generational time

A) how time is experienced within one's social cohort
B) how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period
C) chronological demarcation of a new event
D) when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions
E) One's personal awareness of time

Question 41

Match the term or concept with its appropriate definition.
-Historical time

A) how time is experienced within one's social cohort
B) how time is experienced in the social context or greater historical period
C) chronological demarcation of a new event
D) when an event occurs in line with social prescriptions
E) One's personal awareness of time

Question 42

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.

Question 43

View the opening sequence from the movie Up and talk about how this family fits and doesn't fit this theoretical model.

Question 44

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?

Question 45

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.

Question 46

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?

Question 47

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.