Category: Family

Introduction

Enrique (Rick) and Miriam are second-generation immigrants as Enrique’s parents moved from Mexico and Miriam’s family are Jews who moved from Russia. Today they have successful careers and are part of the American society because they have entirely assimilated into the United States. Rick and Miriam were raised in low-income families, which showed them the cost of labor. Simultaneously, their children are American despite their roots and have grown up wealthy as their family has a middle-class income. In addition, the parents’ peculiarity is that they grew up in large families with siblings, although their relationship is now significantly different, since Rick is close to his family, and Miriam only communicates with one sister. Religion also does not matter much in the Martinez family, although Miriam nominally considers herself and her children Jews. The family does not experience a lack of money as Rick develops a successful business, and Miriam works as a freelancer in well-known magazines. Consequently, the family does not face the economic and social problems that led them to therapy. However, parents often don’t have enough family time, especially Rick.

However, the family agreed to therapy because their eldest son, Ricky, has a problem with his behavior and performance in class and was generally more aggressive than earlier. Although Miriam believed her son needed additional hours of studying, she agreed to a couple of therapy sessions for the whole family. However, during therapy, it was also revealed that the Martinez family has significant communication problems with each other. The first level of misunderstanding is visible between the spouses since Miriam believes that if the husband were busy with less work, then his children would be more obedient, and the woman would be able to devote more time to her career. In addition, communication gaps exist between Rick and Ricky because they spend very little time together. At the same time, the youngest son has problems with Miriam as he challenges her authority as the mother. Thus, while the main reasons for attending therapy are Ricky’s lousy behavior and attitude, other problems demonstrate that therapy is essential for the whole family.

Genogram, Culturgram and Ecomap

The genogram and culturagram are convenient and essential tools for assessing family members’ interactions and choosing an intervention method. Although some general information about parent-child relationships has been provided during the first session, the genogram would help to see the specifics of extended family interactions. For example, Rick’s genogram can demonstrate the influence of other family members on the man’s decision and show whether Rick experiences “emotional fusion” with his parents and siblings (McGoldrick et al., 2008). Miriam can understand the reasons and characteristics of a fight with her parents to make peace with them or pay less attention to the conflict.

At the same time, the cultural genogram also identified pride and shame issues related to the origins of Rick and Miriam as second-generation migrants (Hardy & Laszloffy, 1995). In other words, the genogram helps define the vertical axis of stressors that Rick and Miriam inherited from their parents and passed on to their children, such as racial stereotypes, attitudes towards bullying, or weakness and strength (McGoldrick et al., 2008). Perhaps understanding these stressors will allow the therapist to explain Ricky’s behavior. In this way, the genogram and culturagram would enable the therapist to find a more detailed understanding of the interaction between adults and children of the Martinez family, since parents’ cultural features and beliefs significantly affect their parenting style and communication.

Ecomaps are also a handy tool for assessing the Martinez family. This ecomap is especially necessary for Ricky because he was recently transferred to Junior High, where he feels his peers’ pressure, and he made friends with a boy, whom his parents negatively perceive. Ecomap is also useful for Rick because he continually interacts with people, and the map will more readily show what is in first place in his preferences, particularly, job or family. Ecomaps of other family members will also help assess how the external environment affects them. Thus, all these psychological and social assessment tools will allow the therapist to become more familiar with the characteristics of the family and their communication in a short time.

The Martinez Family Assessment

A complete assessment of the family requires more facts and information, but the limited data from the first session gives an overview of the Martinez family. First, the father is of Hispanic origin, which affects the family structure. Typically Hispanic families are hierarchical and central to family traditions, extended family ties, and parents’ respect, which is reflected in the Martinez family structure. (Van Hook, 2019) However, Miriam’s origins partly diminish such traditions, as she does not communicate with her Jewish parents, although she prioritizes relationships with children. This feature is reflected in the fact that both parents have a close relationship with their daughter, and although they now have problems in communication with their sons, they also express parental love for them. Thus, although Martinez retains the traditional hierarchical parentage of parents and children, their adaptation to American culture and mix of parents’ origin values has made members more independent, influencing their values ​​of joint family leisure and close family relations activities.

It is also worth noting that the family has some protective factors that strengthen its relations. Social connections are the first factor, since Martinez has an extended family from the father’s side, although data on friends is limited (Van Hook, 2019). In addition, the family has a sufficiently high level of income to provide children with education, food, clothing, medical care, and entertainment for joint leisure (Van Hook, 2019). Another strength is that children receive love and respect from their parents every day despite some communication problems. The eldest son likely feels that he is not getting enough attention from his father, whose support he requires during his high school transition. In addition, a possible risk factor is that Bobby and Ricky do not have high enough social and emotional competence, which is manifested in Ricky’s attitude towards teachers and Bobby’s behavior with his mother. However, Ricky’s behavior may be a response to the external influence of new friends, bullying at school, or resentment for the lack of attention from their father.

The family is now at the parenting stage of the life cycle since the children are still not old enough for an independent life. However, Ricky is in a transitional phase of adolescence now and requires more independence and emotional support at the same time, which parents must consider. This transition enchases the existing risk factors that manifest themselves in family conflicts increase (McGoldrick et al., 2008). However, Rick and Miriam likely lack knowledge about parenting adolescents, since Miriam believes that Ricky’s behavior is only a phase and he needs educational but not psychological help. Simultaneously, Rick probably lacks the flexibility and resilience to pay more attention to his family and express his feelings, especially to his eldest son (Van Hook, 2019). For this reason, both parents need to learn more about the reasons for their children’s behavior and build trust and communication with them.

The Family Therapy Model

The most suitable for Martinez is the structural family therapy model since the analysis demonstrates communication problems for almost all family members. One can make such a conclusion by considering the subsystems, since, despite their formal presentation, the family has difficulties in their maintenance. First, Rick and Miriam have problems in their spouse subsystem because Miriam believes that Rick devotes too much time to his parents, business, and himself but not his wife. This fact, as well as Rick’s behavior during the session, suggests that he has practically no child-parent subsystem (Van Hook, 2019). For example, he hardly participates in the discussion of Ricky’s problems, rarely spends time with children, and, therefore, cannot influence their behavior. At the same time, Rick has a strong bond with his parents and siblings. At the same time, children’s interaction in the sibling subsystem is typical as Rachel, and her brothers often spend time together.

Moreover, there are some border problems in the Martinez family. Rick’s extended family affects his relationship with the nuclear family, although no facts demonstrate its direct intervention. Bobby is disrespectful in his interactions with his mother, which also violates the boundaries of communication between parent and child (Van Hook, 2019). However, there is insufficient information about the interactions of children, parents, and interference with privacy to conclude the violation of other personal and subsystem boundaries.

At the same time, according to the facts, there are no apparent coalitions in the family, since, despite the closeness or remoteness of some family members, no one takes the side of the other without an obvious reason. However, the lack of coalition between parents complicates decision-making and setting boundaries and rules, which aversively affects children’s behavior (Van Hook, 2019). Thus, this analysis demonstrates that Ricky’s problems at school, which were the reason for family counseling, cannot be resolved by influencing specifically his behavior. Communication problems in the Martinez family are not yet critical for their relationship; however, they already negatively impact, which manifested itself due to Ricky’s transition to junior high school. Therefore, structural family therapy is the most appropriate model to assist Martinez.

Experience of the Practitioner

This assignment has shown me that I have significant gaps in experience and knowledge that I can only fill with practice. Even though I have already worked as a therapist for individuals, the family experience was new and significantly different for me. However, being new to family therapy has also given me the advantage of being a more attentive listener and the absence of countertransference.

The main disadvantage of my therapy with family was the lack of experience as I have never worked with such clients. For this reason, I often had to study the literature to confirm my assumptions. In addition, I also noticed that I lacked the cultural competence and sensitivity to reveal the particulars of Rick and Miriam’s parenting fully. This knowledge was not enough for me to understand how the parents’ behavior correlates with the eldest son’s problems and the stubbornness of the younger son. For the same reason, it was quite difficult for me to choose the appropriate therapy model for the family. However, it is also worth noting that the situation was aggravated because the Martinez family’s description lacks the information to judge all the details of family members’ interactions.

However, my lack of family therapy experience helped me become a more attentive listener and choose the method most suitable for this family. In other words, I didn’t have a countertransference issue, since I have no experience; therefore, I did not use the most common treatment just because it fits the symptoms, but I devised the most appropriate one. Another of my strengths was that I worked with individuals, and I understand what factors can influence their attitudes and mood. Although family therapy is aimed at all members simultaneously, problems are based on personal characteristics and issues. Consequently, my experience helped me identify each member’s main concerns, transfer them, and analyze them in the family system. Another benefit, but not relevant to this case, is that I have a personal experience of domestic violence that would help me better understand families that have experienced abuse.

The main incentive for my professional development is continuing to work with families. The accumulation of experience, cultural competence, and sensitivity will help me learn about social work and improve my qualifications. In addition, I believe that working with veterans, military personnel, and their families is also an essential aspect of my practice since the direction of therapy with such clients is more specific than general family practice. Moreover, I am a veteran and served in a combat zone; thus, I can relate to the struggles and difficulties that come along with military members and their families. This feature is my strength, which, together with constant training and practice, will help me develop as a professional.

References

Hardy, K.V., & Laszloffy, T.A. (1995). The cultural genogram: Key to training culturally competent family therapist. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(3), 227-237.

McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. M. V. (2008). Genograms: assessment and intervention (3rd ed.). W.W. Norton.

Van Hook, M. P. (2019). Social work practice with families: a resiliency-based approach. Oxford University Press.

Attackers often perpetrate murders and other violent crimes against their family members. Typically, this is due to unhealthy family relationships that can cause the traumatized psyche of the killers. Most offenders’ families are incomplete or have abnormal family relationships. If parents do not provide a proper upbringing for their children, it may cause a shadow and trauma to the child’s health, which leads to the development of criminal psychology. This paper aims to discuss whether family influences can cause a person’s criminal psychology and criminal behavior.

For this report, research was done to determine facts about criminal psychology and criminal behavior caused by family reasons. The report presents the news about hatred murders, which gives a reason to think about criminal behavior motivations. The first news article written by Harriet Sokmensuer for People magazine features a family killed by a criminal, who may have felt like an outsider to this family.

Tecate Jones, 26, killed his girlfriend, D’Zondria D. Wallace, 30, and two of her children: 11-year-old son Ja Corby and 14-year-old daughter La Porsha. According to Harriet Sokmensuer, the boy and his sister did not live in the mother’s original family, which inspired the conflict between the mother and her boyfriend, which led to the tragedy (Sokmensuer, para. 7). This case shows how the family environment led to criminal behavior.

Another news article written by Anna Sturla for CNN tells the story of 17-year-old Raymond Childs III, an Indianapolis teenager charged with six counts of murder for shooting his family members and a pregnant woman, his brother’s girlfriend. Childs allegedly shot his brother Elijah and then shot his father, Raymond Childs Jr., and stepmother Kezzy Childs. The police also found the criminal’s 13-year-old sister, who was killed; Elijah’s pregnant girlfriend, Kiara Hawkins, died in the hospital; Raymond’s second brother managed to escape.

Sturla emphasizes that the boy showed criminal behavior after a family conflict with his father (Sturla, para. 7). Raymond went for a walk, and upon his return, his father scolded him for leaving the house without permission. The conversation probably caused an outburst and an act of aggression against the teenager’s family. This case shows that the boy’s criminal behavior is closely related to his family conflicts. It can be assumed that Raymond did not feel like a part of the family or that teenager was a victim of psychological abuse.

Another tragedy occurred in Oklahoma, where a relative shot a man and his five children. According to Jessica Schladebeck, a writer for the New York Daily News, the shooting occurred due to a domestic violence incident (Schladebeck, para. 4). The perpetrator also shot at a woman who was later found in the house, and her condition remains unstable. The police have no more details to disclose the reasons for the incident. However, the killing was caused by the conflict between family members. This criminal case shows how terrible the crimes caused by family conflicts are. Although the shooter was not a close relative, his family ties with the victims provoked his violence. This incident emphasizes the importance of healthy communication with family members, as mental instability is often the cause of such killings.

The Toronto Star reports that 72-year-old Jing Zhang has been shot dead in North York, and police blamed 50-year-old Jingfu Luo for his murder. According to Akrit Michael and Cheyenne Bholla, writers for Toronto Star, the police found that this was not an ordinary murder crime but a “family-related” assassination (Michael and Bholla, para. 5). Sadly, it looks like “family-related” cases happen all the time. Society should pay more attention to family psychology and protect those who become victims of family abuse since an aggressive environment may lead to violence in the future.

Finally, Global News published a news article saying that the Canadian government included far-right extremist group Proud Boys to the list of terrorist organizations. As a rule, such groups involve young men who sympathize with the ideology of violence. Stewart Bell, a writer for Global News, mentions that the Proud Boys “allegedly played a key role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol” (Bell, para. 5). Today, there are more and more youth groups determined to commit crimes. In addition to social problems such as unemployment and low living standards, family reasons can indirectly cause aggressive behavior in young men. Noteworthy, young people who participate in such antagonistic formations do not have family support and feel like ‘lone wolves,’ who ‘owe nothing to anyone.’

Thus, it was discussed whether family influences cause criminal psychology and criminal behavior. According to the news articles included in the report, family conflicts lead to criminal behavior. Family ties can be a powerful motivator for difficult emotional experiences that lead to outbursts of aggression and violence. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds can join extremist groups to vent their aggression. In this regard, society should pay more attention to helping victims of family abuse. It is also necessary to take psychological abuse more seriously, defining it as a reason for parental rights deprivation.

Works Cited

Bell, S. “Proud Boys Added to Canada’s List of Terrorist Groups.” Global News. 2021. Web.

Michael, A., and Bholla, C. “Police Make Arrest in ‘Family-Related’ North York Triple Stabbing that Killed 72-Year-Old Man.” Toronto Star. 2020. Web.

Schladebeck, J. “One Man, Five Children Allegedly Killed by Relative in Oklahoma Shooting.” New York Daily News. 2021. Web.

Sokmensuer, H. “Boy, 11, Who Was Shot with Mom and Sister, Named Mom’s Boyfriend as Suspect Before He Died.” People Magazine. 2021. Web.

Sturla, A. “Indianapolis Teen Charged with Six Counts of Murder for Allegedly Shooting Pregnant Woman and His Family Members.” CNN. 2021. Web.

Dickerson’s NY Times article focuses on the story of a Guatemalan family who tried to find a better life in the United States but faced President Trump’s anti-immigration policies that divided mother and son. Even when politics itself has come to an end, the story of Ms. Peren and her son is not over. Many families have been in a similar situation, and not all are as lucky as Peren, who was able to find refuge in a wealthy family’s home in Brooklyn (Dickerson). Now the situation is even more difficult, as many such volunteer groups lack the resources to help all those in need.

This family’s history began in their native Guatemala, where living conditions were systematically deteriorating for several years. By 2015, a significant increase in crime and the influence of gangsters trying to knock money out of ordinary people added to the severity of everyday life (Dickerson). Not wanting to become a victim of such criminal elements, the woman, together with her son, tried to escape from the terrible fate to the north, to the border with the United States. Unfortunately, they did not yet know about the news regarding the separation of families at the border, so they fell victim to Trump’s new policy. The border patrol agents who captured them placed the family in separate cells. Waking up in the morning, Ms. Peren discovered her son was missing, and after escaping one nightmare, she found herself in another.

Yovany, her son, was transferred to a refuge in Arizona, where he spent nine months. According to the boy, it was the saddest place he had ever been (Dickerson). Luckily for him, however, he was released and adopted into a foster home in Texas who treated him surprisingly well. Simultaneously, the mother herself, seven months after the separation, agreed to deportation, believing that it would be easier for her to fight for her rights in freedom. Fortunately for her, in 2019, she ran into a family of Indian-born human rights activists who helped her move to New York and then move her son there.

Despite being reunited 26 months later, rebuilding the mother-son relationship was not an easy task. Each of them has changed during this time, falling under the public’s influence and suffering from Trump’s policies. However, despite the difficulties with adaptation and finding a job, their lives gradually improve, although the relationship cannot be called the same.

Work Cited

Dickerson, Caitlin. “Three Years After Family Separation, Her Son Is Back. But Her Life Is Not.”New York Times, 2020.

Overview

• Demographic of parents involved;
• Results of the questionnaire;
• Discussion;
• References.

Demographic of Parents

• Four individual parents were interviewed.
• Two mothers and two fathers:
  • Richard Simon: single parent father, divorced and full time employed.
  • John Patrick: married father of two with full time employment.
  • Julia Kyla: a part time graduate school student attending weekend classes.
  • Nancy Patrickhedge: a stay-at-home mother.

Results

Discussion

• The ages of the parents interviewed was a reflective of the national average of the parent age where most a majority of parents with young children fall in the 26 – 35 age bracket (ABS,1998).
• The results also showed a national trend where most young parents who mostly fall in the 18 – 25 years age bracket generally had one child. On the other hand, there were little or no parents under the age of 18 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 & 2007; Bowes, 2011; Malone 2007; “Population clock”, 2012).
• Though reflective of the national average, time spent with children is mostly determined by the parent(s)’ occupation and/or academics.
• Thus, this will either take the parent’s time or leave him or her with enough time to spend with his/her kids.
• Even though tied by their duties, most parents (50%) still use a combination of outdoor and indoor activities as a way to spend time with their children.
• On average, children spend most of their time with either their parents, babysitters and close family members.
• Moreover, most older children spend most of the time in education facilities unlike their younger counterparts.
• Most parents prefer spending quality time with both their children during the weekends especially those who employed (de Vaus, Gray & Stanton, 2003).
• The parents mostly do a lot of activities with their children.

Personal reflection

Growing up to maturity age is like a great river moving towards the ocean. Before we reach an independent age, like a great river, we will be served by several tributaries and streams. Such streams and tributaries may be either seasonal or permanent such as a baby sitter who will only take care of us up to a certain stage then dries up. However, our close relatives and parents are the permanent tributaries always draining into us important pieces of advices and support till we pass on. These advices and support are like permanent water; so replenishing no matter the age.

The permanence of our parents in our lives are like the waters of permanent rivers to a great river: no matter the situation or challenge, be it dry or rainy, they will always supply us with water. Whether the work is demanding, education too tasking or the pressures and the load of singlehood so heavy, or the burden of household chores so heavy, they will always spare some time to nurture us; time to reconnect with us and shower us with their undying love. This is love conveyed through activities, support and advice, are the waters of the tributaries that make us, the great river, reach our future, the ocean.

References

ABS. (1998). How Australians Use their Time. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Family characteristics, Australia. Web.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Mean age of parents. Web.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). “Australia”. 2006 Census QuickStats. Web.

Bowes, J. W. (2011). Children, Families and Communities: Contexts and Consequences (3rd ed.) Melbourne: Oxford University Press Australia.

de Vaus, D., Gray, M. & Stanton, D. (2003). “Measuring the value of unpaid household, caring and voluntary work of older Australians”, Research Paper 34, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.

Malone, K. (2007). The bubble-wrap generation: children growing up in walled gardens. Environmental Education Research, 13 (4), 513-527.

“Population clock”. (2012). Australian Bureau of Statistics website. Commonwealth of Australia. Web.

Introduction

Families teach their children to control their behavior, how to act in public, what is right and what is wrong. Lack of attention towards children often leads to problems. Following factors are often found in the probation reports: no father in the household, living with grandmother, father in jail, subject of neglect and abuse, living in foster care homes (Corriero, 2006). Juveniles often learn about criminal activities while not being supervised by adults.

Main body

The family cannot be left out from the whole process of treatment. Because of lack of communication, sometimes parents believe that their child is a victim of prejudice and has been wrongfully accused (Garfinkel & Nelson, 2004). Parents are afraid of possible damage to their careers because treatment takes a lot of time. Parents of juvenile offenders are often illegal immigrants or offenders themselves. There are huge differences between motherless and fatherless children, and they may end up on different tracks (Tanenhaus, 2004). It means that there always must be a father or mother figure for the successful development of a child. Sometimes the language barrier is a problem because a translation of documents is not provided. Parents should be present at the adjudication hearing to better understand the feelings of victims and harm done to them (Lim, 2014). It is not an easy task because some parents can’t deal with their child’s behavior and need some psychological help themselves. Parents are not properly guided on how they can help their children most of the time, even if they wish to do so. It is not surprising that “among many identified factors for delinquency the most catalogued ones include biological taint, broken or otherwise defective homes, faulty family interactions and bad companions” (Humera & Rafique, 2011, p. 33). That means that development of an adolescent criminal can be stopped in early stages if families pay enough attention towards their offspring.

Parents must be involved in every step of the treatment to achieve the best result. They should visit therapy sessions and conferences together. Families must request regular meetings with their children. Even a quick call is enough for juveniles to feel the presence of their relatives. One of the most effective methods of juvenile offender treatment is the multi-systematic therapy, which was developed by Family Services Research Center (FSRC); it is an approach that centers on interactions between the people and their surroundings. This method is highly individualized and allows parents and community to help with the treatment of the juvenile offender. Rowland (2009) claims that “after each meeting with a family, the parole counselor completes detailed progress notes about the goals of the session and the progress made towards those goals” (p. 62). Family therapy should be encouraged; it is used to train juvenile offenders and their parents to change their behavior. Families must offer full support to their children when they return from a facility.

Conclusion

In conclusion, children and parents must be informed of their rights and should understand them. During the process of treatment, offenders and their families must accept their family roles, develop a trust in each other and build an alliance (Rowland, 2009). Feeling the presence of close people is one of the main aspects of successful recovery. Therefore, treatment of a juvenile offender is a collective effort that is why every member of the family must be fully committed to achieving best results.

References

Corriero, M. (2006). Judging Children As Children : A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Garfinkel, L. F., & Nelson, R. (2004). Promoting better interaction between juvenile court, schools, and parents. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(1), 26-28.

Humera, A. S., & Rafique, R. (2011). Remembered relationship with parents, aggression and self esteem of juvenile prisoners. Pakistan Journal of Clinical Psychology, 10(2), 31-53.

Lim, H. (2014). Juvenile justice. Singapore: Academy Publishing.

Rowland, M. K. (2009). Family-Based Reintegration : Effective Interventions for Juveniles on Parole. El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.

Tanenhaus, D. S. (2004). Juvenile Justice in the Making. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press.

Summary

Since the 1960s, dual-earner families, implying both spouses are employed in paid work while raising children, exhibit a confident increase in popularity in the US society. This phenomenon is stipulated by different socio-economic and demographic factors, including women’s involvement in higher education, a need to sustain a middle-class living standard, and egalitarian distribution of sex-role responsibilities. This paper aims at examining issues occurring in dual-earner families and offers respective strategies, considering societal effects, cultural contexts, and related concepts.

Problem Analysis

Dual-earner families still remain a predominant trend in contemporary US society, with a prospect for further growth. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over 48 percent of families have both husbands and wives employed, as of 2017 (Hu and Nash, 2019). Especially this rate concerns families where children above six-year-old, comprising almost 65 percent. This way of family life has become popular due to several apparent benefits, such as an opportunity for both partners to be independent, expand social contacts, and increase self-esteem. Moreover, dual-earner families gain two incomes accounting for around $84.000 overall (Hu and Nash, 2019). As a result, such an approach allows for ensuring a much better material position.

Despite these undeniable advantages, dual-earner couples typically face various problems primarily connected with household chores and caring for children. Since household labor is time- and energy-consuming, it requires the involvement of both partners. However, females are usually more engaged in performing chores than males, which frequently results in conflicting situations in families trying to distribute home duties.

The study by Cerrato and Cifre (2018) concluded that traditional gender roles in the household are often the source of work-family conflict (WFC), affecting equally husbands and wives. Another concern stems from the necessity to raise children, which is challenging in dual-earners families. In this regard, parents have to either hire childcare workers, turn to kindergartens, or left children on self-care during their absence. The last case can cause children’s mental problems, especially lower self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and others.

It is worth noting that societal and familial structures and patterns also contribute to the uneven allocation of chores. Hu and Nash (2019) indicate that females who earn over 50 percent of family income perform less housework than those who gain under 50 percent. Besides, the current increase of multigenerational families due to the surging diversification of US society creates favorable opportunities for dual-earner families. Overall, spouses can delegate responsibilities in multigenerational households, including childcare, eldercare, and chores, among grandparents and siblings. Such living can also enhance financial resources, tackle loneliness, and alleviate the emotional load.

Before offering effective strategies, it is worth discussing the problem of juggling various roles from the view of role theory. This socio-psychological hypothesis assumes that in everyday life, all people occupy specific roles that are defined by a set of duties, norms, expectations, and social contexts (Kossek and Lee, 2017). The theory also contains a concept named roles strain, occurring when a particular statuses make individuals feel physically or mentally overloaded. Moreover, people can encounter role conflicts implying that they have to be torn between several roles, primarily work, family, and school. For instance, women can try to correspond to family, work, or college expectations, which usually leads to psychological problems and frustrations.

Considering the issues related to dual-earner families and people’s increasing involvement in employment, there is an acute need to develop practical strategies. According to Livingston and Parker (2019), both fathers (52 percent) and mothers (60 percent) find it challenging to balance work and family. In this regard, workforce boars, local policymakers, and educational establishments should strengthen cooperation to satisfy parents’ learning needs.

For example, they can provide childcare assistance and additional time off for parenting. Additionally, low-income families can receive financial aid or low-cost childcare from specific governmental funds (Hu and Nash, 2019). Furthermore, at the individual level, couples can develop strategies that effectively and fairly share their domestic responsibilities. Husbands should help their wives in childrearing and chores to avoid the overburden of the latter and that they have sufficient time for educational or work purposes.

References

Cerrato, J., & Cifre, E. (2018). Gender inequality in household chores and work-family conflict. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(1330), 1-11. Web.

Hu, J. X., & Nash, S. T. (2019). Marriage and the family: Mirror of a diverse global society. Routledge.

Kossek, E. E., & Lee, K. H. (2017). Work-family conflict and work-life conflict. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Web.

Livingston, G., & Parker, K. (2019). 8 facts about American dads. Pew Research Center. Web.

Working with families can be a stressful endeavor because of the inherent complexity within each family subsystem. There is an intricate shared history that is interpreted in different ways by different members, and the boundaries, psychological distances, and roles within and between family subsystems are constantly shifting (McGoldrick, Petro & Carter, 2016). It would be difficult and stressful for a third party such as me to untangle and successfully navigate this web of connections, especially if some family members are unwilling participants in psychotherapy. The person who instigated the therapy could have expectations that do not align with my own. Furthermore, interacting with families can evoke unpleasant memories or associations from my personal experiences. The best coping strategy for these sources of stress is maintaining a clear division between home and work, talking to supportive colleagues, and pursuing personal therapy.

The difficulty of working with families is further compounded if they come from a different cultural background. The definition of “family” is extremely variable, and diverse social support networks could have evolved depending on the environment each culture is exposed to (McGoldrick, Petro & Carter, 2016). I imagine it would be challenging to differentiate between behavioral patterns that are either dysfunctional or simply the result of unique cultural differences. I need to help families develop healthy rituals that correspond to their culture and values without imposing my own standards. Furthermore, there is the danger of operating according to the middle-class paradigm and ignoring societal issues of discrimination or poverty. One strategy to avoid this stressor is to cultivate intercultural sensitivity by critically analyzing my assumptions, practicing cultural humility, and interacting with representatives of different cultures in my daily life to develop a well-rounded perspective.

Reference

McGoldrick, M., Preto, N. A. G., & Carter, B. A. (2015). The expanding family life cycle: Individual, family, and social perspectives. Pearson.

Intimate Partner Violence

One of the long-standing problems which were not raised until quite recently is family violence. There is no accurate number of violence victims, however, it definitely has a direct effect on millions of people of different ages and gender around the world, including in the United States (Gosselin, Pg. 29, 2019).

Violence within a family is referred to as an act by one family member against another that is done with intent to assault, harm physically, or sexually assault. There are three main categories of family violence being: abuse of older adults, intimate partner violence, and child abuse. In the case of someone experiencing intimate partner violence, it can be in terms of denying access to physical goods such as money or resources and services being employment, educational opportunities, accommodation, or any other. Therefore, such actions are meant to intimidate, hurt, take control or place the victim in a state of fear. Usually, women who experience intimate partner violence have repetitive headaches, poor physical health, chronic pain, and sleeping disorders. In addition, violence can affect relationships with children and the parenting itself. A few examples are being patient, feeding, bringing children to school, and satisfying their needs.

Human right lens

Policies understanding is required for people who are interested in social jobs such as those including human service and working with families. This requirement is due to the fact that policies largely regulate families’ daily life and the ways in which the professionals are supposed to interact with the family members. Moreover, policies determine the services available to address the issues or risks a family faces, as well as identify those who use these services (pg.291). The importance of policies lies in the situations when funding, the positive outcome of the situations, and fostering a fair society are required.

Violence Against Women Act

The Violence Against Women Act followed by the 1996 additions to this Act defines domestic violence as a national crime and suggests that the federal laws can help the local criminal justice system and overburdened state (Justice.gov, 2020). The Violence Against Women Act was developed to support a cost-effective response to dating and domestic violence and sexual assault. This act can be useful for promoting resilience in families by the provision of the proper resources and protection for people in need.

State Domestic Violence Laws

The state domestic violence laws are based on the definition of domestic abuse. Abuse can have different variations such as emotional, physical, financial, or psychological. The ways to stop family violence depend on the state of residency, as most states have different legal policies.

Battered Women’s Movement

Battered Women’s Movement is aimed at empowering women and children, restructuring and redistributing social power. One of the objectives of the movement is the end of physical and sexual abuse against women and children within the broader context of the end of economic and sexist oppression (Gosselin, pg.189, 2019) The movement has a significant impact on intervention strategies through a range of services such as police responses, shelters, information services, and hotlines. In addition, other protective and preventive efforts within the movement include civil and legal actions followed by the successful raise of public awareness.

In conclusion, family violence is an issue that has been ongoing for many years. However, the resources and policies for people who experience the traumatic experience have been proven to be beneficial. It is important that awareness is raised along with helping the victims. Using the human rights perspective for examining family policies allows us to understand how they address issues and risks, promote resilience among families and broaden social justice (Arditti, pg.293, 2015).

References

Arditti, J. A. (2015). Family problems stress, risk, and resilience. Malden, Mass: Wiley Blackwell.

Federal domestic violence laws. (2020). Web.

Gosselin, D. K. (2019). Family and intimate partner violence: Heavy hands. Boston: Pearson.

Analyzing the up-growing tendency of the occupation patterns in my family tree, it is essential to mention the influence of the crucial historical periods on the choice of occupation. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when the capitalistic market structure only started its development, my great-grandparents were primarily devoted to administrative and merchant activities. Farming and accounting are also falling for these categories. Grandparents’ variability in the occupations shows the development of different spheres: medicine and technology. One grandfather was a civil engineer, while the other grandmother worked as a nursing assistant. The capitalistic market structure still affected the choices of my grandparents. One grandmother was executive secretary, while the grandfather was a businessman. Considering my parents’ careers, they are more modern and comply with the need of today’s society. Computer engineering and restaurant management are highly developing specialties today that started to appear at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Today, I work as a telecommunications technician to ensure the quality of the technical aspect of communications. This profession complies with the developing need of modern society in the technical factors of online communications.

The ascending vertical mobility can be seen in both grandmothers’ occupational choices because they changed their social status compared with their parents. The horizontal social mobility is depicted in the choices of my father and his father. There are also particular occupational patterns within the family tree. For example, the father’s line is more concerned with the technological sphere, while the mother’s ancestors worked primarily communicating with people. Within the generations, the occupations comply with the social developmental needs.

Based on my family’s generation tree, it can be emphasized that the occupational variety can be described through an intergenerational transmission pattern. There is a tendency for the children to take similar occupations as their parents based on sex. For example, all the women in my mother’s line mostly work with people. At the same time, her male line includes businessmen. The same pattern can be seen with me, my father, and my grandfather. The mentioned family member changed the occupation but stayed in the same field. The variety in the professions can also be explained through personal relationships between parents and their children.

The main social force which affected my ancestors’ choices is education. More opportunities allowed them to learn more about society and made them relevant for their interests’ choices. As mentioned earlier, the generation tree reflects the changes in the family and community (Ferris & Stein, 2020). Thus, I believe that social media and the economic system were two other forces affecting the lives of my ancestors. Generally, there is a growing pattern of social status through the generations. The better financial position allowed them to get more educational opportunities and be promoted to another social level. Media often advertise and advance the necessary for particular society occupations as the most profitable ones. Thus, I believe that they planned their future considering the most popular for their period professions.

Society and social institutions often shape human self-perception, which influences the choice of occupation. My family members are no exception in this case. As far as the professions develop structurally and logically based on the previous generations’ ones, it is rational to highlight the family institution. Many ancestors and I, choosing the occupation, followed in the footsteps of one of the parents. Analyzing the generation tree in detail, I can state that the choices of grandparents were affected by the state institutions. It seems that through the automatization of many professions, they were forced to go into new spheres and develop new skills extrinsic for their parents (Ferris & Stein, 2020). For my parents’ generation line, the family institution is one of the most important. Such a conclusion can be made because the children’s professions combine some features of both their parents’ occupations. For me, education and family institutions influenced my choice. Through education and my parents, I realized the role of online and telecommunications in our society.

Analyzing occupational tree according to Weber’s theory of life chances, it is evident that our family has developed based on the particular material status. The family had the positive privileges class from the grandparents’ line: farmers and merchants. Therefore, they provided the future generations with a number of chances for development. Each line offered more opportunities for their children due to improving their social status, which was possible thanks to the individuals’ talents and efforts. The meritocracy theory can be applied in this case. It is pretty challenging to achieve considerable success from a low-income family in a capitalistic society (Ferris & Stein, 2020).). However, some people are able to fight this stereotype and become successful. In my family, the father’s mother is talented, having a hard-working personality type. She managed to become successful, even entirely different from her parents’ sphere.

From my point of view, the intersectionality theory cannot be mainly applied in my family generation tree. Even the most distant known generation reflected no explicit sex or other types of discrimination. Probably, the financial position could have affected the forming of experience of some members. However, judging by my family members’ results in their occupations, it is unlikely they had been humiliated or masterfully overcome all those difficulties. There are no intersectional discrimination tendencies seen in the occupation tree.

Reference

Ferris, K., & Stein, J. (2020). The real world: An introduction to sociology. W.W. Norton & Company.

In the modern world, diverse communities exist that support families in situations of emergency or need. Such support should be granted as sometimes families cannot manage their problems alone. Many communities provide families with support in diverse areas such as foster care, early childhood care, education, and homeless services (Fuss et al., 2021). For example, during the pandemics of COVID-19 many families experienced financial problems due to the ubiquitous job loss. Many such families could not cover their medical costs or even afford to buy normal food. Several organizations help families by caring about their young children or teenagers, providing them with psychological and economic help (Liebenberg et al., 2020). In such situations, to heighten or support the living standard and living conditions, communities can help families by providing them with food, accommodation, financial help, or help them find jobs.

In addition, online communities can be supportive and useful for many families. For example, in situations of grief, people can support each other online or offline; however, grief support will need new approaches due to COVID-19 (Moore et al., 2020). Communities living in one district can help families with fires in their flats by sharing blankets, food, and water or by finding a place to live. Moreover, diverse populations or communities supporting families in their health issues are also valuable.

Although it may seem that such support does not make much difference, it is entirely wrong to look at the situation from such a perspective. Firstly, such communities support individuals or families in cases of emergency or necessity, and in this way, they can provide help to many people. By supporting families, such organizations help not only separate individuals or families, but they maintain an adequate level of life which helps the country on the governmental living by keeping economic showings on an appropriate level.

References

Fuss, A. A., Bloch, H. I., Dean-Assael, K., Kutner, M., Baier, M. E., Ready, T., Vilgorin, B., Hannibal, L., Fortune, J., Cerrato, C., & Nyreen, J. (2021). Supporting families struggling with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: An innovative cross-sector collaboration. Social Work in Health Care, 60(2), 157-265. Web.

Liebenberg, L., VanderPlaat, M., & Dolan, P. (2020). Communities as enablers: Broadening our thinking on core components of youth resilience. Child Care in Practice, 26(4), 331-336. Web.

Moore, K. J., Sampson, E. L., & Davies, N. (2020). Supporting families in end-of-life care and bereavement in the COVID-19 era. International Psychogeriatrics, 32(10), 1245-1248. Web.