Parents
Understand
Bibliography
Barbarin,
O. A. (1993). Coping and resilience: Exploring the lives of African
American children. Journal of Black Psychology, 19(4): 478-492
|
Abstract: A focus on the
negative factors affecting African-American children living in
poverty draws attention away from characteristics of
African-American children who are resilient in the face of adverse
circumstances. Although living in poverty places children at greater
risk for problems such as poor academic performance and unstable
personal relationships, personal resilience and environmental
protective factors are believed to play mediating roles in the
relationship between risk factors such as poverty and psychosocial
development. Personal style of coping, the basic components of which
are emotional regulation and self-control, is discussed as an
important mediator of risk. A model of socio-emotional development
for African-American children is proposed integrating the key
relationships found in the literature reviewed in the article. The
model suggests a set of relationships among socio-cultural, family,
neighborhood, and personal coping factors that influence
developmental outcomes. Suggestions for future research that would
contribute to the understanding of the relationship between
emotional development and coping and resilience are made. |
Casas,
C.C., Stinnett, N., Williams, R.C., Defrain, J., and Lee, P.A. (1984).
Identifying family strengths in Latin American families. Family
Perspective, 18, 11-17.
|
Abstract: Respondents
from nine Latin American countries who considered their families to
be strong answered the Family Strengths Inventory, an instrument
designed to measure factors contributing to healthy family
functioning. The six most frequently mentioned factors were 1) love
and affection, 2) family togetherness, 3) understanding and
acceptance, 4) mutual respect and appreciation, 5)
communication/relationship skills, and 6) religion. A majority of
the respondents also indicated high marital satisfaction, high
parent-child relationship satisfaction, high self-esteem within the
family, and frequent contact with extended family. |
Deveaux,
F. (1995). Intergenerational transmission of cultural family patterns.
Family Therapy, 22(1): 17-23.
|
Abstract: The author
stresses the importance of the transmission of cultural patterns in
understanding family dynamics. A strategy called "story
gathering" is described in which a client discusses recent
familial issues interwoven with historical material. Through story
gathering, the clinician learns about the cultural patterns of the
client's family and helps the client to become aware of these
patterns and how they contribute to the context in which familial
relationships develop. Once the cultural context is recognized, it
can be redefined and reorganized to foster more adaptive
functioning. The author presents a case illustration and discusses
the importance of cultural neutrality on the part of the clinician. |
Littlejohn-Blake,
S.M. and Darling, C.A. (1993). Understanding the strengths of
African-American families. Journal of Black Studies, 23(4): 460-471.
|
Abstract: The authors
define family strengths as "those relationship pat terns,
interpersonal competencies, and social and psychological
characteristics that create a sense of positive family identity."
Four strengths of African-American families are identified: 1)
religion and spirituality, 2) household elasticity (the taking in of
family members and friends who need financial and/or emotional
support), 3) resiliency in the face of adversity, and 4) family
members' strong sense of self and heritage. These strengths are
considered functionally adaptive and have developed in response to
adverse external conditions. The authors apply various conceptual
and theoretical perspectives such as exchange theory and the
structural functional model in their analysis of the resiliency of
African-American family patterns in an effort to explain the
adaptive nature of these patterns. Methodological issues are also
addressed. The authors argue that flawed sampling procedures can
result in a distorted image of African-Americans and stress the
importance of including African-American families of all class
levels. Interviewer characteristics should also be a concern.
Interviewers of the same racial back ground as the respondents are
more likely to collect valid data and approach topics in a racially
sensitive manner. The authors also suggest greater collection of
qualitative data rather than quantitative data arguing that
qualitative approaches provide more richly detailed data. Their
recommendations for future research include cross-cultural
comparisons of family strengths, theory development through
interrelating the concepts presented in the family strengths
literature, and a greater focus on African-American family stability
and cultural identity. |
Mace,
D. R. (1983). Training families to deal creatively with conflict. In D.
R. Mace (Ed.). Prevention in family services: Approaches to family
wellness. Sage: Beverly Hills, CA
|
Abstract: This chapter
presents the view that conflict is not necessarily damaging to
familial relationships, but may contribute to the well-being of
family members and the growth of love and intimacy in their
relationships. The author confines his discussion to marital
conflict because its resolution is important to healthy family
functioning. Disagreement in marriage often involves anger, which,
like conflict, has negative connotations. The author has a different
perspective of anger, describing it as a protective mechanism that
keeps individuals from becoming too close or too dependent on one
another. In other words, anger helps maintain the balance between
separateness and togetherness. Anger can be handled effectively
through the development of a coping system. A coping system consists
of 3 elements: commitment by both partners to the continuous growth
of the relationship, open and effective communication, and the
ability to use conflict creatively. An important part of the
conflict resolution is the process of negotiation. The author
suggests that couples make three contracts. The first is the
agreement of both partners to discuss their anger with each other
before they take action. Second, the partners should pledge that
they will not attack each other when they are angry. Third, both
partners should agree to discuss the problem as soon as possible so
that they can understand what caused the anger. The process of
negotiation involves three options. Capitulation involves either
partner giving up his or her original stance and moving to the side
of the other. Compromise entails finding a meeting point that can
accommodate both partners. The partners may instead opt for
co-existence or an agreement to differ for the time being until the
situation can be changed. The author believes that these procedures
can be learned by any couple with a desire to deal with conflict
effectively. The use of these procedures is not limited to marital
relationships. They can also be applied to other relationships in
the family as well. |
Razza,
Carol. (1995). Improving, through participation in workshops, parents
demonstration of play-skills within the family. Ed. D. Practicum, Nova
Southeastern University. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED387728.
|
Abstract: This practicum
was designed to increase parent awareness of the importance of
family play interaction and to foster parents' ability to
demonstrate these play skills as a couple and within the family.
Questionnaires and personal interviews confirmed the need for more
information on the importance of play and of age-appropriate play
skills. A workshop was developed to enable parents to accomplish
four goals: (1) to recognize their misunderstandings about play; (2)
to teach the importance of both couple and family play; (3) to help
participants understand the reasons for their lack of playful
behavior; and (4) to inform parents about age appropriate play.
Small and large group sharing, personal family interviews, and
literature dissemination were also used to assure a complete
knowledge base. Analysis of the data gathered and observation of the
families indicated that the parents increased in both knowledge and
demonstration. There was an increase of two or more points on all
playfulness questions, indicating an overall better understanding of
the benefits of playful behavior in the family. Communication with
families proved to be a positive factor in increasing family
cohesiveness. Four appendices contain survey instruments and an
observational checklist. |
Sawin,
M. M. (1983). Whole family enrichment. In D. R. Mace (Ed.), Prevention
in family services: Approaches to family wellness. Sage: Beverly Hills,
CA.
|
Abstract: This chapter
describes the Family Cluster Model developed by the author to tap
families' potential strengths so that they may more effectively
handle crises. A family cluster is described as a group of four or
five families that agree to meet regularly to discuss their
experiences centered familial relationships. It is based on the
concept of families helping families in that a cluster provides
mutual support and understanding and facilitates the development of
family strengths. The philosophical foundations of the Family
Cluster Model are based on five areas of knowledge: 1) Family
systems. The family cluster provides a supportive environment in
which a family can grow interpersonally. 2) Group dynamics. The
individual family members influence the family system, the family
system influences individual members, and the cluster influences
each family. 3) Growth/change potential. Families are encouraged by
the cluster to grow and change and to build on their strengths,
dreams, and hopes. 4) Experiential learning. Each family member is
given the opportunity to share their experiences and comment on the
experiences of others in the cluster. 5) Process theology. Life
experiences are interpreted in terms of a higher power or higher
purpose. The Family Cluster model has eight goals: 1) To provide an
intergenerational group where adults and children can relate easily
to one another; 2) To provide a group which grows in support and
mutuality; 3) To provide a place where parents and children gain
perspective about one another by interacting with other parents and
children; 4) To provide members with a wider outlook seeing their
experiences as affecting themselves as individuals, as family
members, and as group members; 5) To provide an opportunity for
families to act as models for other families in their areas of
strength; 6) To facilitate communication between generations about
the meaning of life's experiences; 7) To help families discover and
develop their strengths in a supportive environment; 8) To train
family cluster leaders in positive intervention into family systems
in an effort to facilitate productive growth and change within those
families. The Family Cluster Model has been adapted for use in many
types of settings including racially and culturally mixed public
schools, the military, and drug prevention bureaus. |
Stinnett,
N. and Defrain, J. (1989). The healthy family: Is it possible? In M.J.
Fine (Ed.), The Second Handbook on Parent Education. Academic Press: San
Diego, CA
|
Abstract: The authors,
who have been studying healthy families since the 1970s, discuss the
six qualities of strong families consistently found in their
studies: commitment, appreciation, communication, time together,
spiritual wellness, and the ability to cope with stress and crisis.
The authors argue that commitment binds the members of a family
together and may act as the foundation for the other five family
strengths. Committed family members consider the family their first
priority and invest a great deal of time and energy in family
activities. Appreciation is the expression of gratitude between
family members. The authors suggest following the 10 to 1 rule:
expressing appreciation for something positive a family member does
at least 10 times for each negative thing you say. Communication in
healthy families entails discussing major as well as trivial issues.
Discussions are often task oriented and members are intent on
getting problems solved. The communication patterns in strong
families are characterized by factors like understanding the other
person's view and breaking down problems into logical components.
Members of strong families enjoy time with one another engaging in
activities such as eating together, house hold chores, outdoor
recreation, and church. Religion or spiritual wellness is important
in many strong families. The authors describe it as a unifying force
that promotes sharing, love, and compassion. Strong families
successfully cope with stress and crisis and are creative and
adaptable in the face of adversity. Their coping resources include
pulling together, seeking help for their problems, and openly
expressing emotion. The authors list and suggest reading the work of
researchers like Otto and Olson whose findings are similar. They
also recommend using family strengths concepts in parent education
and programming. |
Stinnett,
N., Sanders, G., Defrain, J., and Parkhurst, A. (1982). A nationwide
study of families who perceive themselves as strong. Family Perspective,
16(1): 15-22.
|
Abstract: Husbands and
wives from families in all regions of the country were obtained
through a news release announcing a National Study on Family
Strengths. Four hundred thirty eight respondents from 283 families
completed and returned the Family Strengths Inventory, an instrument
designed to measure the components the contribute to family
strengths. Five factors emerged as the most important family
strengths: love (14.2%), religion (10.9%), respect (9.8%),
communication (9.1%), and individuality (9.0%). When asked what
activities served to make their families strong, the most frequently
mentioned were enjoying the outdoors together (12.5%), vacations
(10.3%), attending church (9.6%), sports (8.6%), and eating together
(8.6%). A majority of the respondents reported that they enjoyed a
very high or high degree of happiness in their relationships with
their spouses and children. Husband wife and parent-child
relationships were also shown to involve a very high degree of
commitment (84% for husband wife relationships and 77.4% for
parent-child relationships). Understanding (61.3%), commitment
(15.4%), communication (12.0%), and love (11.9%) were the most
important factors contributing to marital satisfaction. The factors
that were found to contribute to parent-child relationship
satisfaction were love (16.9%), communication (14.7%), and
understanding wants and needs (8.9%). Most of the respondents
reported that they contributed to their spouse's good feelings about
self (81.8%) and that their spouses did the same for them (71.8%).
Knowledge of the components of family strengths can be applied by
counselors, educators, and ministers in the development of programs
to strengthen family life. Further research should be conducted in
these areas: strengths of families of different cultures,
cross-cultural comparisons of family strengths, family strength
scale development, and the use of the Family Strengths Inventory to
study the differences between strong and weak families. |
|
