Family Structures
What is the general definition of Family?
A safe community you can always turn to.
May include parents and friends who show unconditional love, or even just a place you feel safe and welcomed.
What are the 4 main parenting types?
Authoritative: Support, guidelines, resilient
Authoritarian: Strict discipline, rejection, consequences
Permissive: Little rules, irresponsible, immature
Uninvolved: Child takes care of themselves
Biological theories vs behaviorism (nature vs nurture)
Biological theories focus on genetic factors, physiological structures, and functions of the body, and the psychological process that helps the child adapt and survive in their environment. Behaviorism and social learning theories focus on environment stimuli and learning processes that lead to behavioral change, environment responds with rewards or punishment. Nature is biological theories and nurture is social learning theories.
How can parents teach their children the difference between things they NEED to buy and things they WANT?
Parents can teach this by clearly defining needs as daily survival essentials like food and shelter, and wants as non-essential extras like toys and treats. Involving kids during grocery shopping by having them identify items as needs or wants helps build real-life understanding. Enforcing a waiting period for non-essential purchases and using savings jars also teaches patience and the value of budgeting for wants.
What is the general meaning of culture and how is it passed from one generation to the other?
The arts, beliefs, habits, institutions, and other human endeavours that together are considered characteristic of a particular community, people, or nation.
Transmitted from one generation to the next through language, traditions, food, religion, clothing, and discipline.
What are the 9 types of Family Structures?
Nuclear family - parents and children
Extended family -any family outside of nuclear
Blended family - Two single-parents get married
Single-parent family - Only 1 parent
Skipped-generation family - Typically raised by grandparents
Adoptive family - Not biological relationship
Foster family - Temporarily living with a family
2LGBTQIA+ family - Parents who are part of this community
Traditional Indigenous family - Indigenous cultured families
How does each parenting style use rules and discipline?
Authoritative: Clear, reasonable rules, supportive discipline with explanations.
Authoritarian: Rigid rules, strict punishment, little explanation, immediate obedience.
Permissive: Few rules/limits, rarely disciplined
Uninvolved: No rules/expectations, no guidance or supervision
What is sociocultural theory?
With an emphasis on nurture, theorists believe all children will naturally learn to use communication, intellectual abilities, and social-emotional skills… but families and community/culture influence how they carry out these tasks.
How should parents handle their child breaking a rule/boundary?
stating the rule clearly without yelling. They should use a quick, relevant consequence, like taking away a toy if it wasn't put away. Afterwards, a brief chat about making a better choice next time helps the child learn. Staying consistent every time keeps the boundaries clear.
Why should we respect diverse parenting practices while considering children's safety and well-being?
honors the rich traditions, values, and cultural identities that families bring to our communities. Most cultural practices produce happy, healthy children, even if they seem unusual at first. However, a child's safety and well-being must always come first, meaning respect ends when a practice is physically harmful or unsafe. Balancing cultural respect with child safety ensures children are protected while still honoring their family's heritage.
How can families and relationships differ in different structures?
Differs based on how responsibilities, emotional support, and decision-making are shared among each family member.
Ex. single parent families build bonds around a single caregiver while other structures may build bonds around more than one.
Why might parents have to adjust their approach to meet their child's developmental needs?
Child's cognitive, physical, and emotional capabilities evolve as they grow. Matches expectations to the child's development stage.
Ivan pavlov, john watson,b.f skinner, and what are their theories?
Classical conditioning:
Ivan Pavlov showed that dogs can learn to associate a neutral stimulus like a bell, with food to trigger automatic responses. John Watson applied this to humans, showing how emotional responses like fear can be conditioned and generalized to similar objects. B.F. Skinner demonstrated that voluntary behaviors are shaped by their consequences
What are the six functions of a family?
1. Adding new members (adoption/procreation)
2. Providing physical care and meeting basic needs
3. Producing, consuming, and sharing economic resources
4. Maintaining social order and controlling behaviour
5. Providing love, emotional support, and nurturing
6. Socializing children (teaching values, behaviors, expectations)
How does cultural values, beliefs, traditions, and expectations influence parenting?
bring their home traditions and beliefs, which shape how they raise happy, healthy children. Mixed-union relationships blend different cultural celebrations and practices together within the home. These cultural values directly guide everyday parenting choices, from public routines to how families celebrate traditions.
Why is it important to recognize and respect diverse family structures?
Ensures every individual feels valued, supported, and included. Breaks down stereotypes, reduces social stigma, helps institutions provide fair resources that meet every unique need.
Why is consistency between caregivers important, and what is the meaning and importance of a parenting philosophy?
Consistency = predictable environment to feel secure and develop self-discipline without confusion/anxiety. Without consistency: mixed signals, behavioral challenges, emotional distress.
Parenting philosophy is set of core beliefs, values, and principles guiding how a parent raises their child. Clear philosophy aligns shared goals, making decision-making easier and giving child a stable foundation to grow.
Who are Maria Montessori and Erik Erikson, and what are their theories?
Montessori: says that children are naturally self-motivated learners who develop best through hands-on exploration in a structured environment. During critical developmental "sensitive periods," children choose self-correcting activities at their own pace, while teachers act as guides rather than lecturers to foster independence, self-discipline, and lifelong curiosity.
Erikson: 8-stage theory of identity and psychosocial development. Considers the impact of external factors, parents and society on personality development from childhood to adulthood. According to Erikson’s theory, every person must pass through a series of eight interrelated stages over the entire life cycle. At each stage the individual must face a crises of adjusting to the social and cultural environment. (know each stage)
Why is each function important for children's development?
Adding new members: It gives children a sense of belonging and family identity. It also teaches them how to share and build early relationships.
Providing physical care: Meeting basic needs like food and shelter supports healthy physical growth. It helps children feel safe so they can focus on learning.
Managing economic resources: It teaches children the value of money and resource sharing. This builds an early understanding of financial responsibility and fairness.
Maintaining social order: Setting clear rules teaches self-control and respect. It provides a safe structure for learning right from wrong.
Providing love and emotional support: Unconditional love builds self-esteem and emotional security. It gives children the confidence to handle stress and build healthy relationships.
Socializing children: Teaching core values and behaviors helps children fit into society. It prepares them to interact respectfully at school and in the community.
What challenges might immigrant families face?
adapting their cultural practices to local child welfare laws and community norms. Language barriers and navigating unfamiliar social systems can also create misunderstandings. Balancing home country traditions with new societal expectations can sometimes cause stress or confusion for the family.
What is the difference between Family definitions on Statistics Canada and Vanier Institute?
Statistics Canada talks defines it as those who live together and share the same blood while Vanier Institute defines it as where you feel safe and welcomed.
What are possible effects of parenting styles of children's emotional, social, and behavioral development?
Authoritative: High self-esteem, emotional regulation, social skills, empathy, responsibility, strong academics.
Authoritarian: Low self-esteem, anxiety, low impulse control, rejection, rebellion, resentment/aggression.
Permissive: Emotional insecurity, irresponsible, immature, behavioral and academic challenges.
Uninvolved: Rejected, social withdrawal, insecurity, low self-worth, behavioral and academic challenges.
Who are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, and what are their theories?
Lev Vygotsky: Said that cognitive development is driven by social interaction and cultural context. Focuses on the Zone of Proximal Development, where children accomplish tasks just beyond their independent ability with help from others.
Jean Piaget: Said that children naturally build intelligence through four distinct, age-based stages of cognitive growth. His theory shows how thinking evolves from sensory exploration in infancy to abstract, logical reasoning in adulthood.
Provide real-life examples of families fulfilling each function
1. Adoption or having biological kids
2. Provides food, water, shelter, clothes, etc.
3. Uses work income to pay for household expenses
4. Rules, curfews, boundaries, logical consequences
5. Offers affection and reassurance
6. Teaches social values to aid in social interactions
What are the cultural differences in discipline, independence. family roles, and responsibilities?
Cultural values strongly shape how families raise children. Some cultures expect strict obedience, while others favor open communication. Western traditions tend to encourage early independence, whereas non-Western cultures prioritize family togetherness. Additionally, extended family often plays a major role in caregiving, and child responsibilities can range from household chores to focusing strictly on schoolwork.