Leaving Home:
Single Young Adults
- Accepting emotional and financial responsibility
– Differentiation of self in relation to family of origin
(define individual identity)
– Development of Intimate peer relationships
– Establishment of self (work and financial
independence
Joining of Families through Marriage:
The New Couple
- Commitment to new system
– Formation of marital system (putting needs of
another ahead of your own)
– Realignment of relationships with extended families
and friends to include spouse
Families With Young Children
- Accepting new members into the system
– Ajusting marital system to make space for children
– Joining in child rearing, financial and household
tasks
– Realignment of relationships with extended family to
include parenting and grandparenting roles
Families with Adolescents
- Increasing flexibility of family boundaries to permit children’s independence and grandparent’s frailties
– Shifting of parent/child relationship to permit
adolescets to move into/out of system (flexibility,
establish boundaries but allow for exploration
– Refocus on midlife marital and career issues
– Beginning of shift toward caring for older generation
Launching Children to Move On
- Accepting a multitude of exits from and entried into the family systems
– Renegotiation of marital system as dyad
– Development of adult relationships between grown
children and their parents
– Realignment of relationships to include in-law and
grand-children
– Dealing with disabilities and death of
parents/grandparents
Family in Later Life
- Accepting the shifting generational roles
-- Maintaining own and/or couple functioning despite phychological decline (continue/find interests)
– Exploration of new family and social role options
– Support for more central role of middle generation
– Making room in system for the wisdom elderly
– Supporting older generation without over-
functioning
– Dealing with loss of spouse, siblings and other peers
and preparing for death
– Review life and reflect of experiences