Developments of Healthy Family Systems
A Review of What A Healthy System Is and How It Is Developed
Matthew Davis
Liberty University
Developments of Healthy Family Systems There are three key elements that are essential to a healthy family system and those are nutrition, boundaries, and spiritual support. How do these elements create a healthy family system? Without these elements can a family system still function? How are family systems developed here in the United States? I will attempt to answer these questions by using each element as a guide to what a healthy family system is and how it is portrayed here in our westernized society. Nutrition is the very first element to providing a child and family with proper development.
…show more content…
Another key component to a healthy family system are boundaries (Collins, 2013). If there are no boundaries within a family structure then children and parents have no course of action of how to correctly function within the family system. Setting limits for children is a method that parents can use to help create a setting where children learn to personal control, which in turn teaches them to make individual choices (Collins, 2013). For healthy family systems to actually work children and parents need to thrive within their roles. I have seen many cases where there are no boundaries within families, the parent acts like the child, while the child has to then become the adult. This causes a deep residing crisis within the home, where a child’s childhood is stripped from them. In such cases profound mistrust toward adults as being capable care takers or leaders develop into an issue with these children and can carry on throughout their lifespan (Parfitt, Pike, and Ayers, …show more content…
A biblical example of this type of system comes out of the passage where Abraham sent a servant to pick out a daughter for his son Isaac. We find trust and boundaries in this example. Abraham was the head of the household, and in their society the leader, patriarch, or father of the household selected their son’s wife (Meyers, 2014). However, there are many times where we find sons of Israel picking out their own wives (The Holy Bible, 1989). This is where the element of trust comes into play, Isaac trusted his father enough to find the perfect woman for him. I believe this is one of many excellent examples of family development within a healthy family system. I must admit that in today’s society we have a much different cultural design then the Hebrews had. However, for families to function in a healthy fashion there must be an facet of trust in the boundaries that are set within the family
A Child and Caregiver Perspective Rosalie L. Noren Blackburn College This article is about how the transition into foster care can be hard for a child. Many social workers, psychologists, and therapists analyzed how a child's care and environment could affect their internal and external behavior. The social workers, psychologists, and therapists also studied how children in foster care defined their relationships with his or her foster parents. The researchers then asked foster parents how they defined the relationship between themselves and their foster child.
Both “Burn Your Maps” by Robyn Joy Leff and “The Girl Next Door” by David Sedaris detail kids who face contempt at home. Their experience is similar to many children’s, causing a significant problem in today’s society. Because children do not always have a stable home environment, outside help is needed to raise them, often in the form of other people. In a list of factors that increase the risk of mental health problems in children by PhD Kenneth Condrell, a clinical psychologist specializing in children’s depression, children’s anxiety, and parenting problems, six of the ten directly relate to parenting and home environment (10).
“Moving away from a dysfunctional family environment is often necessary in order for individuals to grow and develop into healthy and productive adults.” (Wilson 5). Jeannette was finally able to put her family’s dysfunctional behavior behind her and
As far as ethos goes, Elshtain shares her own experiences and personal involvement in the "family debate". She briefly describes some of the challenges present within the traditional family, and makes sure to highlight that she has been in the front lines of this topic for nearly two decades, which enables her to present as someone with firsthand knowledge and commitment to the topic. She establishes credibility and expertise that sets the tone for the rest of her argument, this personal touch also works to engage the reader and create a sense of authenticity in the argument. Elshtain opened her article by invoking the authority of
A family contains young minds that are at first taught the building of personality or character and controlling the emotions of him or herself, while also being taught how to set goals for life (Ritter) But as new generations came of age, the family became a weakened and fractured unit as husbands and wives gave way to the human nature of adultery in a widespread manor. Here in America, the family has been under constant assault and broken marriages and broken households are now a normal thing to see. Few fathers show the guidance and teaching to their children that is needed often requiring the mother to take on both roles. As children grow up being more spoiled and pampered to, they are never learning to accept and recover from setbacks.
There’s no typical family as nuclear families as in the past and not everyone lives in a multigenerational household. Same-sex families are also on the rise as sexual ambiguity is undergoing its own wave of acceptance in all political, social, and economic spheres. With the absence of the parents’ presence in the home due to an inability effectively balance work and home life, children could develop an emotional void/absence. Good communicative dialogue between children and their parents where the adults describe their work situation as it relates to the home to create resilient children, could possibly benefit the household.
We live in a complex, unpredictable world, filled with an array of family styles and personalities. Whether or not we recognize it, the family in which one is raised or currently resides plays a pivotal role in their development and opportunities. While we should not blame our circumstance on where we came from, it is crucial that we understand how our childhood influences why we are the way we are. One phenomenon that affects several families, particularly ones with low-income, is parentification. Parentification, also known as the role-reversal of a parent and a child, is not inherently harmful for a child, but it is important to look at the situation objectively and consider the risk-factors.
The children learned basic norms and values from the parents. The parents supply the economic needs for the child such as foods and education (ResviseSociology, 2014). In a family, different person performs different role and function such as a mother should take care of her child. The important is the child can feel the love and support from their parents (Gordon, 1997). Family dysfunction may appear in broken families, violent families and divorced families, etc.
This essay discusses how the family is viewed by two different sociological perspectives- functionalism and conflict theory. Firstly, ‘family’ is defined. Secondly, the main ideas of functionalism will be discussed followed by how this theory perceives the family. The main ideas of Conflict Theory will then be examined and how conflict theorists perceive the family.
From this scenario, I have learned about systems theory as well as other psychological theories such attachment theory. Firstly, based on my research on “Family Systems Theory “(Murray B.) family systems theory suggest that an individual, in this case, Sinead, cannot be understood as an individual alone but instead as part of a family as a family is an emotional unit. Families in every aspect are systems of interdependent and interrelated individuals that cannot be understood if a single person is isolated and examined. Each member in the family, has a specific role to play and a set of rules in which they must follow. Maintaining a certain system in the family may lead to balance in the family but also to huge dysfunction.
Family theories have been used throughout the history of nursing to help guide patient care and provide the best patient outcomes. Certain theories may be more applicable to the specific patient encounter; however, each theory has benefits and drawbacks to their use. The purpose of this paper is to examine two selected theories, comparing their strengths and weaknesses. I will also discuss a theoretical family in relation to one theory, and how that theory can be best integrated into the care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). Description of Theories
American Families Today The American family has undergone many changes since the 1900’s. More so, in the past 40 years, the nuclear family seen dramatic changes and has been described as deteriorating. There has been a dramatic rise in divorce, single parent households and child poverty. Studies have shown that children growing up in poverty-stricken single parent households are more likely to be affected well into adulthood. While this is the case, people are also living longer, and families are accommodating this change by living with relatives allowing for more bonding time then in previous generations.
Maureen Samms-Vaughan’s article “Children Caught in the Crossfire” sends a very sensitive message to the families out there. The title encompasses the whole issue presented in the article. Vaughan creates a forum for families undergoing this issue, as well as for other families out there, to be educated about the severe consequences that the change in family structures have on children. Vaughan introduces her message by beginning with the thesis statement, “The change in family structure that children experience during their lives are not without consequences.” Even though the thesis would have been much more effective at the end of her introduction, it still helped to pave a path for the readers.
Family members may or may not be biologically related, share the same household, or be legally recognized” (Raney, 2015:6). In the series Modern family, it shows the dynamics of a 21st century family and how traditions and culture has evolved over the years. As opposed to “nuclear family” “No longer does the traditional family consist of two parents and two children; instead, more diverse and shifting family structures are becoming the norm.
I believe that every family has their own roots, essence, uniqueness, beliefs and thoughts, some families have both parents, some just the mother, just the father, two mothers or two fathers, they might have an only child or two, or maybe 5 or even 10, therefore, those children start learning all these things from their family and surroundings, they ask questions, they imitate each other’s actions and are constantly learning and trying to catch as much information and experiences as possible. Children are growing fast, their parents are their role models, they learn mostly from them; parents have the tremendous job of forming good citizens that provide to society, healthy and happy beings that keep growing as humans in every stage of their