Leccture notes
EXAM 2
Lecture 7 – Family relationships and adolescent autonomy
Family System Theory
What a family is may be time and culture-dependent. In all societies, the family fulfills similar functions:
- Socialization
- Enduring source of support (practical/economical/emotional/social)
- Social embedding = continuity of relationships across the life course
Family Systems Theory → an organized whole, consisting of interrelated parts that influence each other
- Systems = sets of elements standing in interrelation among themselves and
within the environment. Bidirectional, reciprocal or transactional effects
- Changing, self-organizing, and adapting to changes in its members and the
outside environment. The systems is flexible, but strives for stability
- Family = cohesive emotional unit (emotional bond)
Key principles of the family system theory
Holism - to understand a family, it is not enough to look at members separately
- Each family member has a certain role. Parents should have a caretaker role in the family. When
there is a disruption in the system, the system adjusts and individuals can get an other role in the
system
Hierarchy and structure
- Organized into subsystems (individual level, dyadic level, triadic level, family level)
o Individual level – one person
o Dyadic level – relation between two individuals (siblings, parents, parent-child)
o Triadic level – Parents with a child
- By gender or generation. Older generations take care of the younger generation. Based on gender,
there is a difference between mother-daughter relationships and father-son relationships
Boundaries
- At every level (subsystems, inside/outside)
- Permeability varies across families/time
- Spillover vs compensation effect – When there are ‘loose’ boundaries between subsystems, what
happens in one system strongly correlates with what happens in another system.
o Presence of interparental conflict increases the odds of parent-adolescent conflict at a
later moment in time, and vice versa (spillover)
o Spillover is not always bad – higher marital quality resulted in great parent-adolescent
relation quality
o Compensation – if in one system the individual does have a lower quality relation, they
compensate in another system they are a part of
Adolescence
Adolescence disrupts of homeostasis. A new balance/equilibrium needs to be found in the family system.
Adolescence often meets parental midlife crisis. This provides a need for a process of family adaptation.
Adaptation is not only need during adolescence, but it is also needed when there is a sick family member.
If this sick family member, adaption is necessary to adapt to the now healthy family member,
, During adolescence, there are three types of influence: genotype, shared environment and unshared
environment. In the case of family and parents, there is a overlap in genotypes and shared environment.
This is important to keep in mind while conducting research.
The family system is a part of a much bigger system: bio-ecological systems theory
Parenting styles I
Parenting styles are focused on two dimensions: warmth/support and responsiveness vs. control and
demandingness. The parenting styles develop before adolescent, but specific behaviors change as a
reaction to the behavior of the adolescent.
Parenting style Characteristics parenting style Developmental outcome
Authoritative parenting - Engage adolescents in decision - Independent & autonomous
style making (open to discussing the - Responsible
rules with the adolescent) - Self-confident
High levels of warmth and
control - Encourage autonomy and - Good self- & emotion regulation
independence - Socially skilled
- Involved & monitoring - Problem solving
- Open communication and trust
Authoritarian parenting - Strict rules and expectations - Dependent & obedient
style - Discourage autonomy and - Low self-confidence
independence - Low social competence
High levels of control and
low levels of warmth - Punishment-heavy - Passivity & lack of school
- Low open communication and interest
trust - Rebellious adolescents
Indulgent parenting style - Very responsive to needs - Less mature & responsible
- Little parental guidance - Confomring to peers
High levels of warmth and
low levels of control - No behavioral expectations – no - Self-confident, but misbehavior
control/punishment - Impulsive
- Require little self-regulation - But: could be emotionally
from adolescents secure & independent
Indifferent parenting - Not responsive to needs - Impulsive
style - No parental guidance - Delinquent
- Provide basic needs no more - Early experimentation with sex,
Low levels of warmth and
control - Uninvoled, detached & drugs, alcohol
disengaged - Mature earlier
- No communication & trust - Academic underachievement
Important considerations
Positive control versus negative control.
- Control in the context of high support/involvement vs. low support/involvement
- Psychological control vs. behavioral control
- Parental control in different environments (safe vs. dangerous)
Cultural considerations
- Are non-White parents authoritarian
- Correlation between ethnic background and family environment
- Still: even though authoritative parenting is less common in ethnic minority families, its effects on
adolescent development are beneficial in all ethnic groups
Parenting styles relate to substance use and other outcomes in the same way in different countries
EXAM 2
Lecture 7 – Family relationships and adolescent autonomy
Family System Theory
What a family is may be time and culture-dependent. In all societies, the family fulfills similar functions:
- Socialization
- Enduring source of support (practical/economical/emotional/social)
- Social embedding = continuity of relationships across the life course
Family Systems Theory → an organized whole, consisting of interrelated parts that influence each other
- Systems = sets of elements standing in interrelation among themselves and
within the environment. Bidirectional, reciprocal or transactional effects
- Changing, self-organizing, and adapting to changes in its members and the
outside environment. The systems is flexible, but strives for stability
- Family = cohesive emotional unit (emotional bond)
Key principles of the family system theory
Holism - to understand a family, it is not enough to look at members separately
- Each family member has a certain role. Parents should have a caretaker role in the family. When
there is a disruption in the system, the system adjusts and individuals can get an other role in the
system
Hierarchy and structure
- Organized into subsystems (individual level, dyadic level, triadic level, family level)
o Individual level – one person
o Dyadic level – relation between two individuals (siblings, parents, parent-child)
o Triadic level – Parents with a child
- By gender or generation. Older generations take care of the younger generation. Based on gender,
there is a difference between mother-daughter relationships and father-son relationships
Boundaries
- At every level (subsystems, inside/outside)
- Permeability varies across families/time
- Spillover vs compensation effect – When there are ‘loose’ boundaries between subsystems, what
happens in one system strongly correlates with what happens in another system.
o Presence of interparental conflict increases the odds of parent-adolescent conflict at a
later moment in time, and vice versa (spillover)
o Spillover is not always bad – higher marital quality resulted in great parent-adolescent
relation quality
o Compensation – if in one system the individual does have a lower quality relation, they
compensate in another system they are a part of
Adolescence
Adolescence disrupts of homeostasis. A new balance/equilibrium needs to be found in the family system.
Adolescence often meets parental midlife crisis. This provides a need for a process of family adaptation.
Adaptation is not only need during adolescence, but it is also needed when there is a sick family member.
If this sick family member, adaption is necessary to adapt to the now healthy family member,
, During adolescence, there are three types of influence: genotype, shared environment and unshared
environment. In the case of family and parents, there is a overlap in genotypes and shared environment.
This is important to keep in mind while conducting research.
The family system is a part of a much bigger system: bio-ecological systems theory
Parenting styles I
Parenting styles are focused on two dimensions: warmth/support and responsiveness vs. control and
demandingness. The parenting styles develop before adolescent, but specific behaviors change as a
reaction to the behavior of the adolescent.
Parenting style Characteristics parenting style Developmental outcome
Authoritative parenting - Engage adolescents in decision - Independent & autonomous
style making (open to discussing the - Responsible
rules with the adolescent) - Self-confident
High levels of warmth and
control - Encourage autonomy and - Good self- & emotion regulation
independence - Socially skilled
- Involved & monitoring - Problem solving
- Open communication and trust
Authoritarian parenting - Strict rules and expectations - Dependent & obedient
style - Discourage autonomy and - Low self-confidence
independence - Low social competence
High levels of control and
low levels of warmth - Punishment-heavy - Passivity & lack of school
- Low open communication and interest
trust - Rebellious adolescents
Indulgent parenting style - Very responsive to needs - Less mature & responsible
- Little parental guidance - Confomring to peers
High levels of warmth and
low levels of control - No behavioral expectations – no - Self-confident, but misbehavior
control/punishment - Impulsive
- Require little self-regulation - But: could be emotionally
from adolescents secure & independent
Indifferent parenting - Not responsive to needs - Impulsive
style - No parental guidance - Delinquent
- Provide basic needs no more - Early experimentation with sex,
Low levels of warmth and
control - Uninvoled, detached & drugs, alcohol
disengaged - Mature earlier
- No communication & trust - Academic underachievement
Important considerations
Positive control versus negative control.
- Control in the context of high support/involvement vs. low support/involvement
- Psychological control vs. behavioral control
- Parental control in different environments (safe vs. dangerous)
Cultural considerations
- Are non-White parents authoritarian
- Correlation between ethnic background and family environment
- Still: even though authoritative parenting is less common in ethnic minority families, its effects on
adolescent development are beneficial in all ethnic groups
Parenting styles relate to substance use and other outcomes in the same way in different countries
