The Family Analysis Project Paper
The Impact of Sibling Relationships
In Part 1 of the Family Analysis Project, you completed the Multicontextual Life Cycle Framework. From that assignment, select one of the life stages to use for this assignment.
You will use that selected life stage to analyze the overall impact of sibling relations on your selected life stage. You will also analyze the challenges faced by families dealing with early childhood.
Cite two to four scholarly sources to support your answers.
Sibling Relationships
Explain the significance of sibling relationships throughout the selected life stage. (100-150 words)
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Siblings in early childhood are important teachers. They help their young ones learn through their behavior and actions. They have a better experience of what the young ones are going through. Through their previous experiences, they tend to relate to the world better, therefore, understanding what their peers cannot see. They also initiate warmth and support to the developing child. The warmth results reflect even in later stages, for instance, in intimately engaging with others. Other contributions are reflected in academic engagements and peer acceptance. Their interactions foster youth outcomes (Weir, 2022)The Family Analysis Project Paper. If they only experience the negative, they develop negative attitudes towards everything. Contrary to when the siblings teach them to love, care, and other positive aspects early. They end up growing into people of the related experiences.
Discuss sibling relationships throughout that stage of the family life cycle. What effects can age spacing have on sibling relationships? (75-100 words)
Age difference in children’s development is a significant factor in early childhood development. It may foster closer relationships or lead to more distinct relationships (Golsteyn & Magnée, 2017). For instance, children with closer age gaps at the stage affect their children’s personality traits. For example, if the parents bring a gift for one child, the other child reacts by wanting a similar thing. It develops traits of competitiveness among the two. A slightly closer age gap in early childhood fosters bondedness in children. They easily relate, and a sense of friendship is created even while playing.
Explain how gender roles, class, culture, race, and disability influence siblings’ patterns/tasks within a family. (100-150 words)The Family Analysis Project Paper
As early as the early childhood development stage, gender role influences selection patterns within a family system. Children can understand the variation of both female and male objects at an early age. Therefore, they consistently select and receive what is associated with their gender (Peoples, 2017). Social class within a family influences character and disciplinary criteria in child development. The lower class tends to use traditional correction patterns while the middle class and high-class use directive patterns. Culture influences the family to develop normative trends and patterns of behavior. They become addicted and socially committed to the task. In a mixed-up family system, race may trigger patterns of inequality among members. The distinct may receive special treatments from the rest of the family members. Siblings understand more of their sibling’s disabilities as they grow older. Therefore they develop patterns of responsibility. They express their care through owning their brother’s tasks.
Explain how changing family patterns (divorce, remarriage, adoption, death, etc.) impact the family system. (100-150 words)
Divorce triggers emotional losses in families. The children suffer from a lack of affection from both parents, which affects their development and relationships with other members. One party may choose to financially withdraw their initial financial support from a parental perspective due to conciliation consensus. Remarriages in most family systems revive oppressed emotions for the children and parents. For instance, children are forced to give up hope of their parents coming back. Adoption of children may trigger the emotional separation of parents and their biological kids. The parent’s attention is more focused on the new member and he forgets his own. Death creates emotional distress in children and also roles are exchanged to cover up for the loss and ensure family homeostasis.
Look at your own family and review the sibling relationship patterns you see (this can be with your siblings if you are an only child, then your parent’s siblings/cousins/etc.) (150-200 words)The Family Analysis Project Paper
Jane’s family system consists of six siblings. Five are girls, and the other is a boy. Their age gap difference is a one-year duration period. Some of the patterns I have observed are the competitiveness of resources within the family setup. The five sisters compete for rooms, especially now that they are all in their adolescent stages and want privacy. Other patterns observed are the elder sisters assume responsibility for caring for their younger brother when the mother is away. She bathes the boy and feeds him. She also helps her other siblings with school work whenever they are stacked. Now that she is a bit older than the rest. She has continually advised them on how to go about menstrual health issues. Dora and Anita go to school together and they are quite close and often play with each other. Whenever Dora receives gifts from her uncles, she has developed the habit of always sharing with her brother. Their relationship is built on love and care.
Early Childhood
Provide two examples of the developmental tasks of early childhood.
One of the tasks of children under the age category of 0-5 years is learning to distinguish between sexes. They are obliged to know both gender, male and female, and what is associated with them. They should know how females and males should dress and look. The second task is they should master new words. For example, whenever they see a new object and clarify the name, they are expected to remember it. The Family Analysis Project Paper
Explain the impact (expenses, time, relationships, etc.) of these tasks on the family system. (50-75 words each)
Parents: When a parent creates time to spend with her family, she creates a stronger emotional bond with her kids. She can also observe the undesiring behavior of the children, thus intervening to discipline the child. Expenses play a significant role in the stress and discomforts of a parent. Being the appropriate sole provider for an entire family gives credit to other family members for being fully dependent on the parent.
Siblings: When siblings create time for each other and their parents, they develop stronger relationship bonds. It strengthens the family as a whole. The siblings are known to be great entertainers and sources of joy to their juniors and peers. Creating time to entertain them relieves the parent’s stress. However, their sole dependency on their parents for expenses burdens the role making it hectic for one member.
Grandparents: When grandparents create time for their grandchildren and daughters, they offer they educate them by giving them advice. Additionally, they create stronger bonds through playful situations and sharing interesting stories. They enhance the children’s growth by helping them develop their psychological remembrance. However, they may become a burden due to solely depending on their children for financial support and medical care.
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Friends of the Family: When family friends pay visits and often spend time with them, they develop better communication skills. They also become the emotional support of the family in terms of crisis, thus helping them develop a greater relationship. They become close to the family and intimately relate to the family experiences and traumas. However, they cost the family since they have to be welcomed and given special treatments besides the family budget. The Family Analysis Project Paper
References
Golsteyn, B., & Magnée, C. (2017). Does Birth Spacing Affect Personality?. Docs.iza.org. Retrieved from https://docs.iza.org/dp10563.pdf.
Peoples, C. (2017). Social Class and Childrearing. Encyclopedia Of Family Studies, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119085621.wbefs463
Weir, K. (2022). Improving sibling relationships. https://www.apa.org. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03/feature-sibling-relationships. The Family Analysis Project Paper
In Part 2 of the Family Analysis Project, you selected one of the life stages. For this assignment, you will use that selected life stage to analyze the overall impact of school on the identity formation of children and developmental tasks of Middle Childhood:
For instance, if your selected life stage is newly married, how did the various aspects of school affect a person in this life stage? Could middle childhood school friendships have an influence on a person who is newly married? How could the participation or the nonparticipation in extracurricular activities in school affect a newly married person’s resiliency?
Cite two to four scholarly sources to support your answers.
Analyze the selected life stage by addressing the following prompts:
Impact of School
Using your selected life stage, explain how the school environment can have (or could have had) an impact on identity formation. (100-150 words)
School is one of the most important contributors to the formation of a child’s identity. If a child does not have a well-formed identity, they will have one problem after another later in adulthood. Identity formation is a lifelong development that starts at birth. People who do have a well-formed identity exhibit a comfortableness with themselves and do not seek to be like others, accept their strengths and weaknesses, is able to see which individuals and environments are beneficial to them, and know which defense mechanisms are appropriate (Formative Support Services, 2019). Teachers are large contributors to the growth in identity and positive self-esteem by their interactions, classroom practices, and teaching practices. Children need to feel secure with a sense of trust, safety, and confidence that their needs will be met in a predictable manner from the critical people in their lives (Formative Support Services, 2019). Teachers must take on the “whole child” approach where the school can promote child development. For there to be school success there must be a positive school climate, creative instructional strategies, social emotional development, and individualized support (Flook, 2019).
Explain the influence school friendships can have/or could have had on a person in the selected life stage. (100-150 words)
Through friendships, children are able to create refuge that helps to confirm their worth and give them opportunities to learn about themselves and relationships. These connections help children get through life transitions and help to learn life skills like getting along with others and managing conflict. Furthermore, they help to reduce the risk of mental health issues, pregnancy, substance use, and gang membership which can become a problem in adolescence (McGoldick et al., 2016). Friendships that are created in middle childhood start off as material relationships and there is minimal understanding of each other’s perspective or personality. In the latter part of this stage, trust is established, and they start to understand that other children have feelings. It is important to learn to share and take turns at this phase. In adolescence, friendships progress into more complex connections and they depend on each other to provide emotional support. Close friends help adolescence work out their identity. That is why it is vital for children to progress through each phase appropriately (Schwartz, 2020).
Explain how the participation and nonparticipation in extracurricular sports or activities can have/or could have had an influence on your selected life stage. (100-150 words)
Research has also shown that extracurricular activities positively impact youth academically and personally, and this carries into their adolescent years. These interests help them to build character development, positive social development, and opens the door to more interest in community involvement (Christison, 2013).
Children who start playing sports at a Worksheet 3 1 early age decreases the risk of being obese in adolescence and beyond. It also increases the odds of them playing sports in high school and high school sports create many positive outcomes. Health benefits, education benefits, and psychosocial benefits are all reasons why children should participate in sports and extracurricular activities. A study done in 2020 found that 60% of American children had inadequate physical activity, which puts them at an increased risk for chronic diseases at a younger age (Youth Sports Facts…, n.d.
Finally, this is a perfect time for youth to learn how to develop peer relationships and cultivate greater social development for future friendships, when children belong to these communities, they feel more comfortable going into new school settings like high school. When youth do not participate in extracurricular activities, it has been found that there is a higher likelihood of having behavior problems in adolescence. Not being part of a team or other activity can create negative attitudes towards school. These children are missing the positive connection to the school that other kids have. Furthermore, kids who are involved in extracurricular activities throughout their school career are less likely to drop out (Massoni, 2011).
How can participation in extracurricular activities build resiliency throughout a person’s life? (75-100 words)
Resiliency is about being able to recover quickly and effectively after a crisis. Resiliency can be enhanced and learned. Continuous positive connections with those around us is what helps to Worksheet 3 1 build resiliency. Through effective interactions in sports and activities that children engage in they are able to increase connectedness. This can be continued throughout life by staying actively involved in groups and organizations (Gurwitch, n.d.). Character development is another area that blossoms in children when they belong to outside activities. Some of the best educational experiences are not done in the classroom, and by practicing skills, they build strength that they can use for the rest of their lives.
Explain how school can have/or has had an impact on the identity formation of children. (100-150 words)
Identity formation is a lifelong development that starts at birth. School is one of the most important places for identity formation to unfold with children. Having a supportive school environment that includes teachers and other dependable adults that will help to explore their identity is imperative. Just the time that children spend in school is a reason why the school environment is so important to identity formation. They also spend a large amount of time in extracurricular activities that help them to find their interests and abilities (Abassi, 2016). While children experience most of their social interactions in school, this is an ideal time for them to explore different roles, values, and relationships. In school, kids are given the freedom to make decisions and examine other areas like gender orientation, career choices, and life values for the future. The two key components that are responsive to identity formation are that schools support in focusing on individual and social integration needs and offering adolescents the opportunity for developmental exploration (Abassi, 2016).
Middle Childhood
List the developmental tasks of middle childhood.
During middle childhood, children are introduced to new settings and encounter new developmental challenges (U.S. National Library… 1984). Children at this age are entering into school and forming new friendships and bonding with new adults. This is a crucial time for physical, cognitive, and social emotional growth. Strong foundational skills for learning to build healthy social relationships will carry into future so this will be an important skill to learn. This is a developmental period where youth are setting the stage for school success, self-discipline, good decision making, healthy eating habits, and conflict negotiation (Early and Middle…, 2021).
Explain the developmental tasks of middle childhood in relation to each of the following:
Gender: Early in childhood children learn gendered attitudes and expectations. These are learned from parents, family members, caregivers, and teachers. They teach them about how each gender acts, what their role is in society, and their worth. In past studies, it has been found that girls are more school ready in their emotional readiness, independence, maturity, and organizational skills. Girls have also been found to be advanced in emotional expression, emotional development, socioemotional development, and social competence. On the other hand, studies have shown that boys are more advanced in their physical activity level (Kent, 2018).
Social Class: Social class can impact how a child handles challenges in the classroom. These differences can influence a child’s education by mirroring inequalities in the classroom. It has been discovered that children who are from middle class families get more attention from their teachers because they seek it out. They are taught to ask for help when needed as opposed to working class children who feel that they may be a bother (Indiana University, 2014).
Social stratification has set it up so that those with more economic resources have access to more opportunities than those with lesser economic wealth. If we were to look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we would see that children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to have their basic needs met like food, shelter, water, and safety (Herbert, 2018). This makes it much more difficult for them to focus on self-fulfillment. Researchers have discovered that development of some psychosocial characteristics can influence how a child attains developmental tasks. Prosocial behavior has been proven to have a positive impact on a child’s development. Children who come from low-income families experience more unfortunate circumstances which decreases their success. This can also impact the teacher-child relationship which is vital to student’s success (Herbert, 2018).
Culture: From the time that we are born, culture impacts development in ways such as our values, language, belief system, and how we understand ourselves individually and as a part of society. Cultural influences can come from parents, the environment, and the media. These influences can impact a child’s development. An example of this would be how a child is disciplined. If a child is disciplined in a way that clashes with the social environment, developmental issues can arise (Cultural Influences…, 2021). Social-emotional development is influenced by cultural upbringing. Cross-culture differences can be associated with parental socialization expectations, attitudes, and practices. Behaviors among children can vary in terms of reactive behaviors, social engagements, and socio-dramatic activity in children’s play, Children who live with extended families may show more prosocial cooperative behaviors than those who live in economically complex communities. It has been found that children who live in North America showed higher levels of aggression and externalizing behaviors than those from Asian countries such as China and Japan (Chen, 2009). These social-emotional characteristics can impact building healthy social-emotional relationships.
Next, place the developmental tasks of middle childhood into the following categories: (50-75 words each)
Physical: Middle childhood growth happens until the onset of puberty and is heavily reliant on a child’s environment. This is a time when a child’s stamina, motor skills, and muscle strength increases. Worksheet 3 1 It is important for children to gain the motor skills necessary to participate in a variety of physical activities. During this time boys and girls can participate in sports on an equal basis. When children are active, they feel accomplished, resilient, and secure. This environment creates positive interactions with peers and promotes adaptability, creativity, critical thinking, and effective communication. All of which are contributing to positive social and emotional stability (Mah & Ford-Jones, 2012). Physical development at this stage is less dramatic. Growth is slow but steady until puberty is Physical development at this stage is less dramatic. Growth is slow but steady until puberty is reached. Puberty differs across genders, but it starts earlier for girls.
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Cognitive: This is an age when children take on an active role in their family and community and them decisions are more their own. Academic accomplishments and skill building are the focus as school is central in a child’s life. This is a time when cognitive changes take place almost daily. Language and memory are areas that make significant changes during this time. Children can understand literal concepts but struggle with the deeper meaning behind them (Theories of Middle, .n.d.).
Affective and Social Development: During the middle childhood years, children start to have more of an outward view of the world, than an outward. They start to think of the feelings of others and understand that they have different feelings than they do. They are starting to do this with a sense of empathy and morality. They learn how to decipher between right and wrong. Parental guidance and modeling are important at this stage as it will help to form this behavior. Finally, children can comprehend stereotypes by the end of this stage. Furthermore, how a child comes to interact and view the world is established at this stage (Mah & Ford-Jones, 2012).
References
Abassi, N. (2016). Adolescent Identity Formation and the School Environment. https://minerva
access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/191885/04_NAbbasi.pdf.
Chen, X. (2009, June). Culture: Culture and Early Socio-Emotional Development. Encyclopedia
on Early Childhood Development. https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/culture/according-
experts/culture-and-early-socio-emotional-development.
Christison, C. (2013). The Benefits of Participating in Extracurricular Activities.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1230758.pdf.
Cultural Influences on Child Development. Maryville Online. (2021, April 8).
https://online.maryville.edu/blog/cultural-influences-on-child-development/.
Early and Middle Childhood. Early and Middle Childhood | Healthy People 2020. (2021).
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/early-and-middle-childhood.
Flook, L. L. (2019, April 23). Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child. Greater Good.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_ways_schools_can_support_the_whole_
child.
Formative Support Services. Identity Formation. (2019).
https://parentteachersupport.org/identityformation.html.
Gurwitch, R. (n.d.). Building Resilience in Our Children. University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center. http://www.warrencountyesc.com/docs/Building%20Resiliency
%20in %20Children.pdf.
Hebert, A. (2018). Impact of social stratification on child development and learning. Int J Pregn
& Chi Birth;4(6):232-235. DOI: 10.15406/ipcb.2018.04.00132
Indiana University. (2014, August 27). Social class makes a difference in how children tackle
classroom problems. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 5, 2021 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827163445.htm
Kent, G. (2018). Gender differences in cognitive development and school readiness. Children’s
Research Network (en-IE).
https://www.childrenresearchnetwork.org/knowledge/resources/gender-differences-in
cognitive-development-and-school-readiness.
Massoni, Erin (2011) “Positive Effects of Extra Curricular Activities on Students,” ESSAI: Vol.
9, Article 27. Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol9/iss1/27
Mah, V. K., & Ford-Jones, E. L. (2012). Spotlight on middle childhood: Rejuvenating the
‘forgotten years’. Pediatrics & child health, 17(2), 81–83.
https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/17.2.81
McGoldick, M., Preto, N.G., & Carter, B. (2016). The expanding family life cycle. Boston, MA:
Pearson. ISBN-13: 9780205968060.
Schwartz, P. (2020). Early friendships profoundly affect child’s development. Hudson Valley
Parent. https://hvparent.com/early-friendships-profoundly-affects-childs-development.
Theories of Middle Childhood. Liberty University – Course Apps. (n.d.).
https://www.liberty.edu/courseapps/book/psychology-201/module-4/section-3title/article
title-1/.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (1984, January 1). Introduction. Development During Middle
Childhood: The Years From Six to Twelve.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216770/.
Youth Sports Facts: Benefits. The Aspen Institute Project Play. (n.d.).
https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports-facts/benefits.
