Homework

Posted: October 17th, 2013

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Homework

Identify the universal function of the family in all culture. In your opinion, which of these functions is most difficult for today’s families to fulfill/ explain.
The family is a vital institution in the society as it influences the formation of people’s ideals, morals and behavior who make the entire society. The main functions of the family are affective functions whereby the family is responsible for the formation of stable personalities through the fulfillment of psychosocial needs such as emotional dependency. The family also plays the social and socialization function. This is whereby the family enables the younger ones to take on their roles as either men or women in society. It influences how such children respond to issues in the society as adults in the future. In addition, the family also has the reproduction function whereby the family is responsible by providing offspring to the society and continuation of the family line (Henslin, 15).

The affective functions of the family have become a difficult task for the family to fulfill due to the influential role played by social settings. Affection as used in the affective function illustrates the need for fulfillment of emotional needs of the family members. A healthy family should be consistent in each other’s lives. Involvement in the lives of one another is almost impossible in the absence of some individuals due to demanding careers and abandonment in some instances. Fulfillment of emotional needs is important as it determines how the individuals will develop their present and future relations with their friends, future families and society a whole.

Identify and describe the major trends in us families and explain what has occurred in the larger society to produce such changes. Be sure to discuss what is meant by the & quot; sandwich generation " and elder care.
Divorce has become a common scene in the American society. Separation of parents in any family setting has negative results in the family as well as the society. The ongoing trend of divorce might be attributed to women who achieved the newfound independence mainly emanating from career achievements. Women also consider themselves as equal to men hence they go their own way after separation (Henslin, 19).
Families are also marred by the presence of emotional and physical abuse resulting in the separations and divorces. However, for some families people come together and are prompted circumstances to live under one roof; they are described as the sandwich generation. The sandwich generations are people are caught between taking care of aging relatives or parents and their children or individual families these kinds of families are advantageous in that the elder people provide the younger people with appropriate advice based on experiences. In addition, such families are intact which gives the children a clear view of closeness and how to maintain relations within the entire family. However, such extended families living under the same roof are bound to encounter financial constraints, as well as personal issues(Henslin, 37).

Elder care is a difficult task especially for those with obligations to their own families. It demands attention as well as financial resources to undertake such responsibilities. Extended families provide and try to fulfill emotional needs of the members. This is possible because of the presence of numerous numbers of individuals in the family. Some develop bonds with each other; the presence of the elderly also ensures preservation of morals, as well as ideals, which were present in the average American family decades ago.

Describe some of the major problems faced by children of divorce. both during childhood and in their adult lives. Using relevant literature, identify the factors, which can help children adjust to divorce as children and as adult children?

Divorce has severe effects on children than it does on the two parents seeking separation. The children experience reduced self-esteem due to their perception that the separation is due to their inadequacies. Self-esteem reduction has detrimental psychological effects on children in their child lives as well as in their adulthood. It determines how they will base their future relationships. Unstable personalities are formed because of the presence of unstable relations between the tow parents; this is further fueled by the divorce between the two parents. The unstable relationship is what the child finds as normal hence this influences his future relations, which have a high possibility of instability.

Communication is vital in the development of any healthy relationship in a family setting. The parents seeking separation or already separated should enhance their relations with the child by communicating that the relationship with them is still intact and what necessitated the need for the separation between the two parents; this should be done in a calm and simple manner. Children often view the separation as a form of abandonment by one of the parents because he or she eventually becomes unavailable and if he or she is available, it is so for short periods. The separated parents should enhance their presence in the life of the child by ensuring they are available in the child’s life. Presence of the apparent develops and grows the relations, which was present since birth of the child. This influences future decisions of the child as to their presence in their children’s lives in the vent of any divorce (Henslin, 45).

Financial constraints are usually present after separation of two parents. After separation, the child is bound to experience drastic changes in the environment due to the absence of financial privileges, which were present in the family. The parents should ensure the child is able to continue enjoying the financial privileges, which were present before separation. Financial constraints can result into lowered self-esteem and depression. It influences the type of behavior to be exhibited by the individual. Some drop out of school due to the constrained financial resources to support their families and might even turn to the use of violence to get money for sustaining their previous lifestyles.

Work cited

Henslin, James M. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2007. Print.