choices in relationships introduction to marriage and family

Choices in Relationships

Introduction to Marriage and Family

Chapter 1

An Introduction

Chapter Outline

• Choices in Relationships—The View of This Text• Marriage• Family• Differences between Marriage and Family• Changes in Marriage and the Family• Theoretical Frameworks for Viewing Marriage and the

Family• Evaluating Research in Marriage and the Family

True or False?

• Based on the new trend toward single hood, it is estimated that less than 60% of adults will eventually marry.

Answer: False

• Over 95% of U.S. adult women and men aged 65 and older have married at least once.


• Not To Decide Is To Decide – Not making a decision is a decision by

default. • Some Choices Require Corrections

– Once a choice is having consistent negative consequences, it is important to make new choices, and move forward.


• Choices Involve Trade-offs– Every relationship choice you make will

have a downside and an upside.• Choices Include Selecting a Positive or

Negative View – In spite of an unfortunate event in your life,

you can choose to see the bright side.


• Choices Produce Ambivalence– Choosing among options and trade-offs

often creates conflicting feelings as to what course of action to take.

• Most Choices Are Revocable; Some Are Not– Most choices can be changed.


• Choices are Influenced by the Family Life Cycle – Before marriage, individualism characterizes most

thinking and decisions. • Choices Are Facilitated with Decision-Making Skills

– Steps in decision making include evaluating the issues involved, identifying courses of action, weighing the consequences and being attentive to your motivations.

Institutions

• The largest elements of society are social institutions.

• These include: – Family– Economy– Education– Religion

Social Groups

• Two or more people who have a common identity, interact, and form a social relationship.

• Social groups may be categorized as primary or secondary. – Primary groups are characterized by

interaction that is intimate and informal. – Secondary groups are characterized by

interaction that is impersonal and formal.

Statuses

• The status we occupy largely define our social identity.

• The statuses in a family may consist of mother, father, child, sibling, stepparent, and so on.

Roles

• Every status is associated with many roles, or sets of rights, obligations, and expectations associated with a status.

• Social statuses identify who we are; roles identify what we are expected to do.

• Roles guide our behavior and allow us to predict the behavior of others.

Question

• The social structure of a society consists of institutions, social groups, statuses and

A. choices.

B. roles.

C. social skills.

D. beliefs.

Answer: B

• The social structure of a society consists of institutions, social groups, statuses and roles.

Culture

• Two central elements of culture are beliefs and values.– Beliefs refer to definitions and

explanations about what is true.– Values are standards regarding what is

good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable.

Elements of Marriage

• Legal Contract• Emotional Relationship• Sexual Monogamy• Legal Responsibility for Children• Announcement /Ceremony

Choosing a Spouse

• Your choice of a spouse is one of the most important choices you will ever make.

• Pg. 2

Benefits of Marriage

Health Spouses have fewer hospital admissions, see a physician more regularly, are sick less often.

Longevity Spouses live longer.

Happiness Spouses report being happier.

Sexual satisfaction

Spouses report being more satisfied with their sex lives.


Money Spouses have more economic resources

Lower expenses Two can live more cheaply together than separately.

Drug use Spouses have lower rates of drug use and abuse.

Connectedness Spouses are connected to more individuals.


Children Rates of high school dropouts, teen pregnancies, and poverty are lower.

History Spouses develop a shared history across time.

Crime Spouses are less likely to be involved in crime.

Loneliness Spouses are less likely to report loneliness.

Types of Marriage

• Polygyny• Polyandry• Polyamory• Pantogamy

Polygyny

• The HBO program Big Love gave visibility to the issues involved with multiple wives/plural marriage among some polygynous Mormon families.

• Pg. 13

Types of Families

• Family of Origin• Family of Procreation• Nuclear Family• Binuclear Family• Extended Family

Family

• This man views the family dog as a member of the family.

• Pg. 16

Question

• The family into which you were born is called the

A. family of procreation.

B. family of origin.

C. binuclear family.

D. birthright family.

Answer: B

• The family into which you were born is called the family of origin.

Differences Between Marriage and Family

Marriage• Involves two people.• Individuals usually choose

each other.• Ends when spouse dies or is

divorced.• Sex between spouses is

expected and approved.• Procreation expected.

Family• Usually involves more than

two people.• Members are born or

adopted into the family.• Continues beyond the life of

the individual.• Sex between near kin is

neither expected nor approved.

• Consequence of procreation.

The Industrial Revolution and Family Change

• Dual-income family• Urbanization• Transportation• The demise of familism and the rise of

individualism

Changes in the Last Half Century

• Divorce as marriage endpoint• Changes in gender roles• Delay in age at marriage• Acceptance of singlehood• Cohabitation• Childfree marriages• Living amid a context of terrorism

Families Amid a Context of Terrorism

• As citizens, we are constantly reminded that we live in a context of terrorism.

• Pg. 21

Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family

• Structural-Functional– Views the family as an institution with

values, norms, and activities meant to provide stability for the larger society.

• Conflict– Recognizes that family members have

different goals and values that result in conflict.


• Family life Course Development– Emphasizes the process of how families

change over time.• Feminist

– Women and men will experience life differently because there are different expectations for the respective genders.


• Symbolic Interaction– The process of interpersonal interaction.

• Systems Framework– The basic premise is that each member of

the family is part of a system and the family as a unit develops norms of interacting, which may be explicit or implied.


• Human ecology– The study of ecosystems, or the interaction

of families with their environment.• Biosocial Framework

– Emphasizes the interaction of one’s biological/genetic inheritance with one’s social environment to explain and predict human behavior.


• Stratification– Refers to the ranking of people into strata

according to their socioeconomic status or social class, usually indexed according to income, occupation, and educational attainment.

Question

• The framework which points out that interactions between spouses, parents and children are understood as each individual seeking the most "benefit" at the least "cost" is the

A. family development framework.B. social exchange framework.C. symbolic interaction framework.D. family systems framework.

Answer: B

• The framework which points out that interactions between spouses, parents and children are understood as each individual seeking the most "benefit" at the least "cost" is the social exchange framework.

Question

• Which framework provides a valuable approach to understanding the family and its members' development of rules of interaction?

A. family systems framework

B. symbolic interactionist framework

C. social exchange framework

D. operative framework

Answer: A

• The family systems framework provides a valuable approach to understanding the family and its members' development of rules of interaction.

Households by Social Class

ClassUpper Upper

ClassLower Upper

Class

% of Population 1% 2%

Income $500K+ $200K+

EducationPrestigious

schoolsPrestigious

schools

Example KennedysBill Gates,

Donald Trump


ClassUpper-middle

ClassLower-middle

Class


Income $75K - $200K $40K-$75K

EducationPost graduate

degreesCollege degrees

Example Your physicianHigh School

English teacher


Class Working Class Working poor


Income $20-40KBelow poverty line of $14,680 for family of 3

EducationHigh school

diplomaSome high

school

ExampleEmployee at fast food restaurant

Janitor


Class Under class

% of Population 10%

Income -

EducationUnemployed/ Unemployable

Example Bag lady

Research on Marriage and Family: Samples

• Some of the research on marriage and the family is based on random samples.

• In a random sample, each individual in the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

Research on Marriage and Family

• Any study that concludes that an abortion (or any independent variable) is associated with negative outcomes (or any dependent variable) must include two groups:

1. Women who have had an abortion

2. Women who have not had an abortion.

Research on Marriage and Family: Age and Cohort Effects

• In some research designs, different cohorts or age groups are tested at one point in time.

• One problem is the difficulty of discerning whether differences between the subjects studied are due to the research variable of interest, cohort differences, or a variable associated with the passage of time.

Potential Inadequacies of Research Studies

Weakness Consequences Example

Sample not random

Cannot generalize findings

Opinions of college students differ from other adults.

No control group

Inaccurate conclusions

Study on effect of divorce needs control group of married people.



Age differences of respondents

Inaccurate conclusions

Effect may be due to passage of time or to cohort differences

Unclear terminology

Can’t measure what is not clearly defined

What is living together, marital happiness, sexual fulfillment, good communication, quality time?



Researcher bias

Slanted conclusions

Male research making assumptions about women based on male responses.

Time lag Outdated conclusions

Often-quoted Kinsey sex research is over fifty years old.

Distortion Invalid conclusions

Research subjects recall facts or events inaccurately.

choices in relationships introduction to marriage and family

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