Psychology of family Development



Pittsburg State University

College of Education

Department of Psychology & Counseling

Fall 2008

Psych 736 Psychology of Family Development Tues 6:30 to 9:20pm

Instructor: Harriet Bachner, Ph.D. hbachner@pittstate.edu

Office: 205F Whitesitt Hall

Catalog description of course: A study of the dynamics of family development with emphasis on its relationship to family therapy

Course purposes & outcomes: After completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe their own level of individual & family development as that relates to the various theories of individual & family development.

2. Analyze & identify the theories & stages of family development.

3. Describe various aspects of these stages as they relate to birth order dynamics & long term sibling relationships, love & mate selection, parenting, relationship success, mid-life changes, life expectancy, & other issues of interest to the class members.

4. Discuss the historical aspects related to concepts about family development as related to gender roles, culture, race, SES, & psychological/sociological theory & research.

5. Identify the dynamics of the family life cycle emphasizing family roles, organization, & functions of various types of family configurations.

6. Describe the basic elements of systems theory as it relates to family dynamics.

7. Develop a personal & professional understanding about the impact of family system in relationships in one’s personal & career life.

8. Apply theory & research about family development to various clinical issues affecting families, such as: substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, chronic illness, & other types of family dysfunction.

9. Use sensitivity in understanding the dynamics of issues affecting families, such as: diversity, divorce & blended families, poverty, & gay & lesbian couples & their families.

Eligibility requirements & prerequisites: Psych 736 may be taken by either graduate students or by upper division undergraduates who wish to gain a basic understanding of the family developmental life cycle. The course may be used by graduate students to complete one of the family studies requirements for Clinical Membership in the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) & for licensure as a family therapist in the state of Kansas.

Required text:

Anderson, S.A. & Sabatelli, R. M. (2007). Family interaction: A multigenerational developmental

perspective, 4th edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0-205-48547-2

Reference text & is optional:

Carter, B. & McGoldrick, M. (Eds.), (2005). The expanded family life cycle: Individual,

family, & social perspectives, 3rd edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Instructional procedures & activities: The instruction involves a combination of lecture, discussion of readings & class lecture material & media, & activities in which students are encouraged to be active participants. Some of these activities use small group format, video, student presentations, & possibly guest speakers.

Since this course is about family development, this is your opportunity to gain insight into yourself & your family dynamics. Class discussion is vital to the enjoyment of the class. Your participation & sharing of anecdotal examples help make this class lively & memorable. Come to class prepared to be active in discussing the readings, your ideas, & experiences that are relevant to the readings & the lecture.

Incomplete policy: The grade of incomplete is not given if students are unable to attend a substantial portion of the class meetings or to complete most of the assignments & tests. An incomplete grade is considered only if some urgent unforeseen event prevents you from completing one of the assignments or the final exam & you notify the instructor before the final exam. See pp. 43 & 62 of the PSU Catalog for additional explanation of the incomplete policy.

Reminder to check the PSU course schedule & catalog for information on withdrawals, incompletes, & academic honesty. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, collusion, & falsifying academic records. See p. 39-41 in the PSU catalog for more information regarding academic honesty.

Regarding citation of sources: A direct quote is the use of 5 or more words in sequence from the source. When quoting or paraphrasing you must give credit (reference) to the source using APA style. Otherwise, it is considered plagiarism.

Use APA style in the assignments, particularly when citing sources.

Attendance policy: You are expected to attend class regularly & participate in class discussions & activities. Please notify the instructor if you will have an extended absence in order to make arrangements to complete any missed work & obtain class notes. So if you are absent, I assume that you have a good reason for not attending class, otherwise you would be in class. Therefore, do not bring me any kind of written excuse. I am not going to evaluate the quality of your absence: an absence is an absence, no matter what the reason. Attendance is considered in the calculation of the final grade. More than three (3) absences result in your grade being lowered by one (1) letter grade. Thus, the calculation of the grade begins at the total points for a B. It is recommended that you drop the course if you miss 4 or more classes. The last day to drop a course for a grade of W is November 7 & the last day to withdraw from the university is December 11.

Although there are some class activities completed in class & these cannot be made-up, it is your responsibility to do the required work for this course in a timely & thoughtful manner.

Students with disabilities/ADA compliance: If you have a specific needs/accommodations or diagnosed disability let the instructor know as soon as possible. If additional arrangements are needed, you may also check with the Learning Center Director.

Evaluation of student performance & achievement:

A pupil from whom nothing is ever demanded which he cannot do, never does all he can.

John Stuart Mill

1. Class participation: You are expected to participate in class activities, including group activities & discussions. Your attendance & participation also are considered in the final calculation of your grade. For example, if you are just a couple of points away from an A & you have excellent attendance (0 or 1 absence) & you have participated in discussion & class activities, you will receive an A.

2. There are 4 quizzes & a final that is not comprehensive. Since there is a great amount of information covered in both the text & notes, you may be better able to prepare for smaller chunks of material through frequent quizzes rather than major exams. You may be asked to submit questions that you think capture the essence of the information discussed in the previous 3 classes for consideration of inclusion on each quiz.

3. 1 reflection paper: The reflection paper is simply your reflections, opinions, or personal encounters, not a recounting of mere factual information, regarding the class lectures, discussions, presentations, or guest speakers. You must be present in class in order to respond to the content being discussed. You are to discuss your ideas & personal experiences about the info presented in class, not merely your opinion to material in the text. This is your opportunity to process the information being presented in class or express your reaction if you do not have a chance or feel comfortable to do so in class. This paper is to demonstrate your integration & processing of the information. You may also include any information you encounter through the media that is relevant to the topic discussed in class in your reflection. Th1s paper is to be at least 2 full typed pages in length (not including a title page), font 12, using correct grammar & spelling & APA style in citing sources.

4. Completion of one of the following: genogram, personal diagram, or family map

You are able to do all of these with some time in class, but you only are required to submit one for points. So select the one with which you feel most comfortable to submit.

5. Class group activity & presentation: By the 2nd class you are to select a topic from either the text or the course schedule that you would like to investigate further. You may be placed in a group of 2 to 3 other students who also have selected a similar topic. Together, your group will present information that each of you have gathered about your topic to the class. The entire group presentation should be no longer than 20 min. & each of you will submit a written report of your part in the group presentation.

FORMAT FOR YOUR PROJECT WRITTEN REPORT

The written report for your project is worth 25 points & your oral presentation of your report is worth 20 points. Even though you may have presented with 2 or 3 other people, each one of you is responsible for submitting a report. Your report needs to include the following elements:

1. An introductory paragraph which includes a clear explanation of what your topic is & how you gathered the information. This should be 2 or 3 sentences.

2. The body of the report contains the actual findings that you gathered & any relevant explanations for what you found.

3. Your summary can be a discussion of your opinion & conclusions about your findings. Also include, if applicable, how your findings compare to findings from research reported in your text or from other sources that you have located.

4. Use APA style for internal references & include a reference page. Our textbook is written in APA style, so you can refer to any passage that is referenced within the text & look at the reference list at the end of each chapter for ways to cite various types of sources.

5. Your report should be at least 2 full typed pages, font 12, double spaced & margins no more than 1 inch.

6. See syllabus schedule for due date of this report.

Student evaluation is determined by the accumulation of points from the above described assignments & quizzes with the following point values:

Assignment or quiz Total points possible Points earned

4 quizzes each worth approximately 40 points 160 __________

(Some quizzes may be worth slightly more or less)

Genogram or family diagram 25 __________

Reflection paper 25 __________

Report from group presentation (20 pts. for class 45 __________

presentation)

Final quiz 45 __________

Total 300 __________

A = 300 -270 B = 269 - 240 C = 239 – 210 D = 209 - 180

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning. Maya Angelou

Course schedule: Please note that this course schedule is an optimistic projection of what I would like to cover during the semester. Because we may spend more or less time on a particular topic, this schedule & the assignments may be changed to fit the needs & interests of the class members & time constraints. Small group presentations are scheduled as topics relate to those in the schedule below.

Date Topic Assignment due

Aug. 26 Introductions & overview of the course Enthusiastic attitude

historic family life cycle & stages of family life Chapter 1 & notes on

Class subgroups activity Angel

Sept. 2 Family strategies & structure Chap. 2 & 3, & notes,

Family systems theory Topic for report &

McGoldrick video presentation due

Sept. 9 Systems theory cont. Chap. 4 & 5 & Angel notes

Intergenerational models

Diversity & SES Quiz 1

Sept. 16 Birth order theory & sibling Angel notes

relationships, small group discussion, Genogram or family

family rituals & growth personal diagram (as

shown on handout) due

Sept. 23 Leaving home issues, small group discussion Chap. 6 & Angel notes

Sept. 30 Love & mate selection, gay & lesbian Chap. 7 & Angel notes

relationships, video on chemistry of love

Oct. 7 Early marriage, cohabitation, cultural Chap. 8 & Angel notes

differences, & single life Quiz 2

Oct. 14 Changing gender roles, gender communication Chap. 9 & 10 & Angel notes

Managing conflict, Tannen video

Oct. 21 Becoming parents, pregnancy & birth, Chap. 11 & Angel notes

parenting styles, video clips

Oct. 23-24 Fall Break (Hooray!!!) Relax & catch up

Oct. 28 Families with children & adolescents, Chap. 12 & Angel notes

launching challenges Quiz 3

Nov. 4 Divorce & impact on children, single Chap. 16 & 17 & Angel notes

parenting, video

Nov. 11 Remarried & blended families Chap. 18 & Angel notes

Nov. 18 Mid-life changes & retirement Chap. 13 & 14

Quiz 4

Nov. 25 Families affected by substance abuse Angel notes

& domestic violence & child abuse Individual report from

group presentation due

Nov. 26 Thanksgiving Break Eat plenty of turkey

Dec. 2 Families affected by domestic violence Angel notes

& child abuse Reflection paper due

Dec. 9 Death, loss, & bereavement Chap. 15 & Angel notes

Summary & reflections of the course material

Dec. 16 The final is not comprehensive Final Exam

We will be really moving fast if we actually cover all of these topics. What is most important is that we spend time on those issues that are of interest & most relevant to the class members.

Class notes & announcements are posted on ANGEL & emails about various class activities are sent through ANGEL. So therefore it is necessary to log on to ANGEL & set your email address in personal information. Otherwise, the emails that I send to you will go to your PSU email address.

If you are experiencing some unexpected event that may interfere with you turning in an assignment on time, or you have any questions or concerns regarding the course content or evaluation, PLEASE come to my office in 205F Whitesitt Hall, call me at 620 235-4633, or email me at hbachner@pittstate.edu.

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