TEXTBOOK/READINGS FOR COURSE

I. REQUIRED RESOURCE PURCHASES
American Psychological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (Current ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Broderick, P. C., &Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4thed.). ISBN13: 978-0-13-294288-1 (CHAPTERS 5 & 6)
* Liberty University (2016). Human Growth and Development[e-book](custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing. ISBN: 9781483379654.

DICUSSION BOARD 1 THAT NEEDS 300 WORD REPLY WITH 1 NEW ADDITIONAL PIECE OF INFORMATION

In order to understand the context of a child’s behavior and fully assess their development, it is crucial to consider the health of their family system. In this essay, I will discuss family systems theory. I will outline factors of a healthy family system as well as describe the impact of healthy and unhealthy family systems on neural, emotional, spiritual, and social development.
Discussion
Family systems theory defines families as systems that are characterized by patterns of communication, interactions, boundaries, and roles (Sutphin, McDonough, &Schrenkel, 2013, p. 502). Members of a family system function within the framework of these patterns and interact with one another accordingly. Family systems theory proposes that the quality of both the behavioral patterns and the interactions within a family system influences the development of its members. Healthy family systems with healthy patterns of behaviors and interactions are believed to maintain a level of stability and promote healthy development. When these patterns are disrupted, the family system becomes unhealthy, and it members often respond with maladaptive behaviors and dysfunctional development. Therapists who model their practice after this theory believe that disturbances in development and aberrant behaviors in children should be assessed in the context of family dynamics and generally apply treatment interventions to the entire family. This approach emphasizes the impact of the family system on human development (Sutphin, McDonough, &Schrenkel, 2013).
Newland (2013) reviews the current research related to the impact of the family system on the development of the child. The author maintains that the health of the family system along with the quality of parenting can predict the ultimate well-being of the child (Newland, 2013, p. 3). She clarifies this connection by suggesting that the parent-child interaction is key to child well-being, and that the family system either supports or undermines this interaction (Newland, 2013, p. 4). Her model of family systems includes parental and family well-being factors related to mental and physical health, as well as parenting practices that affect the development of the child (Newland, 2013, p. 4).
Literature suggests that parents who endorse life satisfaction, positive mood, and effective parenting techniques encourage healthy family systems. These parents tend to show better parenting, decision-making, and social skills that positively influence the emotional and social development of the child (Newland, 2013, p. 5). On the contrary, parents with poor mental health have been shown to impact the mental health of the entire family. Due to the variety of comorbidities associated with poor mental health (poor mood, stress, substance abuse, poor emotion regulation, and dysfunctional social attachment skills), parents with poor mental health negatively affect the emotional stability and interactions within the family system (Newland, 2013, 5).
The physical health of the parent has been shown to affect the child-parent interactions as well as the overall well-being of the child (Newland, 2013, p. 5). Since parent have total control over the health of the child, the health behaviors of the parent, the health decisions they make for the child, and the environment that they create within the family system directly effects the physical health and development of the child (Newland, 2013, p. 6). Parents of low income families or with limited resources are more likely to make poor health choices, and their children are therefore more likely to develop health problems and show dysfunctional physical development (Newland, 2013, p. 6).
Newland (2013) also identifies four parenting practices that affect the health of the family system (a) affection; (b) responsiveness; (c) encouragement; (d) teaching (p. 6). Newland claims that these practices are crucial to “developmental parenting” (p. 6) and should not only respond to the developmental needs of the child but also impact the child’s development of emotional and cognitive skills. Positive parental affection and responsiveness behaviors have been shown to support social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of the child. Positive parental encouragement and teaching behaviors have been shown to encourage curiosity and learning. Parent-child interactions that motivate and stimulate the child foster the development of age-appropriate skills development and support continued cognitive, language, and emotional well-being (Newland, 2013, p. 7).
Granqvist, Hagekull, Ivarson, and Broberg (2007) believe that attachment theory and the way that children form relationships with care-givers can help us understand the social and emotional aspects of spiritual development in ways that a purely cognitive definition of spiritual development has not. The authors review the concept of initial attachment behaviors, including “signal behaviors” of infants and response behaviors in care-givers, which are innately designed to establish a connection between infant and care-giver and provide the infant with “internal working models (IWMs)” of how they view themselves and others (p. 590-591).
Granqvist, Hagekull, Ivarson, and Broberg (2007) propose that the “God-child” attachment follows the same pattern as the “parent-child” attachment and that children become more attached to God as they become less dependent on their parents (p. 590). They found that healthy parent-child interactions and attachments corresponded with the child’s positive perception of a loving God and to a life-long importance of religious-based social relationships (p. 597). Evidence differs on the impact of maternal-child interactions versus paternal-child interactions, with some studies showing dominant impact from maternal bonds and others showing equal impact from both (p. 597-598).
There are differing viewpoints on the components of a family system and what external factors also impact the health of the system and the development of the child. Newland (2013) incorporates ideas from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. Bronfenbrenner theorized that the child’s microsystem (family, school, friends) played a direct role in the course of their development. However, he also identified external factors within a larger macrosystem (economics, social support systems, etc.) that indirectly influence the health of the family system by affecting the health of the parent and their parenting ability (p. 4). Sutphin, McDonough, &Schrenkel (2013) suggest that cultural considerations should also be taken into account when assessing the impact of certain factors on the health of family systems. When considering the impact of parent-child interactions, for example, they suggest that it is important to consider that some cultures emphasize closeness and emotional involvement, while others prefer emotional distance and independence (p. 512).
Overall, current research makes it clear that the health of the family system directly impacts the overall development progress and well-being of the child. Research also highlights the complexity of family systems theory and to the multifaceted nature of that impact.
References

Granqvist, P., Hagekull, B., Ivarson, T., &Broberg, A. G. (2007). Examining relations among

attachment, religiosity, and new-age spirituality using the adult attachment interview.

Developmental Psychology, 43(3), 590-601.

Newland, L. A., (2015). Family well-being, parenting, and child well-being: Pathways to
healthy adjustment. Clinical Psychologist, 19, 3-14.
Sutphin, S. T., McDonough, S., &Schrenkel. (2013). The role of formal theory in social work
Research: Formalizing family systems theory. Advances in Social Work, 14(2), 501-517.

DB QUESTION 2 THAT NEED A 300 WORD REPLY

This essay will define and discuss Dr. Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory. This essay will discuss the connection with family systems on a child’s development. This essay will also address examples of what a healthy family system looks like, and it will address examples of unhealthy family systems.
Discussion
The Family System’s Theory is a theory that was first introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen; in this theory Dr. Bowen suggested that individuals could be understood by looking at the family unit as a whole, he viewed the family as an emotional unit. His theory is a model that views describes human functions by looking at them by functions of the family unit (Regina, 2011).
Early interactions between children and their parents are crucial to a child’s development. Interactions between the parent and child can affect the child’s development in their sense of self, how they view themselves and their self worth, it can affect their development in their relationships later on in life (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015, p. 171). There is a link between healthy attachment between an infant and their parent or caregiver and the child’s sense of self. Children who recognize that their parent or caregiver has left them and may show signs of anxiousness or discomfort are showing signs of ‘separation anxiety’ (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015, p. 173). These infants are demonstrating that they have an attachment to their parents, when there is attachment between the child and parent the child feels safe and secure. When the child feels a sense of safety and security from their parents, this leads him or her to feel safe enough to explore and leads a strong sense of self and self worth. These interactions and experiences the child has with their parent affects and leads to the child’s development.
Another way a parent’s interactions with their child can affect the child’s development is through ‘social referencing’ (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015, p. 173). Social referencing is when an infant is able to interpret the facial expressions of their parent or care giver, this is important because it allows the infant to identify and recognize what importance something holds based on the facial expressions of the parent. Dr. Bowen suggested that the relationship between parent and child represented an “emotional oneness” and he recognized that the family was an emotional system with many generations (Titelman, 2014, p. 9). When an infant is able to trust the emotional responses of their parents, it allows them to develop positive emotional regulation and trust that the parent is guiding them correctly. This is an example of what happens within a healthy family system. In an unhealthy family system, if the parents were unable to communicate their emotions in a safe, healthy way, but responded in anger, shame, or guilt, this could have negative affects on the child. This could affect how they child identifies and their sense of self, they could grow up believing that they are a cause of anger, frustration, or shame for their parents (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015). Bowen believed that the behaviors of a child were reactive and automatic based on the influence of their emotional system. So, when a child is part of a healthy emotional system how he or she behaves and reacts to an emotional stimulus will be representative of reactions, behaviors, and emotions learned from his or her parents. The same can be said of a child who was raised in an unhealthy family system, with an unhealthy emotional system. If a child was raised in an emotion system that focused on anger, aggression, and not taking responsibility for one’s actions, this would be the automatic response of the child when he or she encounters conflict (Regina, 2011).
Research shows that children in healthy family systems through which their parents adopt a parenting style in which encourages children, shows warmth, and is focused on the child will have a positive influence on development. These children have stronger self-esteem; they are more successful in social interactions, and have a higher sense of competence (Broderick &Blewitt, 2015). When disciplining the child, how the parent chooses to communicate the discipline to the child will affect how the child associates the message of the disciplinarian action. For example, if a child hears the angry yell of a parent and emotional response is fear, and then their future behavior may be a result of the fear they have of their parent, not necessarily because they know if the action is right or wrong (Titelman, 2014). The Bible verse in Ephesians 6:4 gives great advice as to how a parent can be affectively walk this out “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (NASB).
Conclusion
There are many different instances and situations that were not addressed that do affect the development of a child, however the family system and how a child is raised is major factor in the development of an infant and child. An important aspect of the family system is how it representative of an emotional unit. How the child learns emotional responses from their parents has an important affect on the development of their sense of self, their self-esteem, and how they will react to conflicts and emotional stimuli.
References
Broderick, P. C., &Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span. Human development for helping professionals. Boston: Pearson.
Regina, W. F. (2011). Applying Family Systems Theory to Mediation. Lanham, US: UPA. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Titelman, P. (2014). Clinical Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory. Florence, KY, USA: Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

Essay 1 – Family Systems.docx (44.467 KB)

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