Blended Family Essay

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In attempting to understand the blended family system, one would be remised if we did not first look at, and understand primarily what a family system dynamic is. Unfortunately, this is a theory that once had very clear cut lines; today those lines are a little burred and more subjective than ever before. Given that the family is an ever changing system with fluid boarders, this author will illustrate some finite distinctions that may separate the typical family system from a blended family system. Family systems have been studied since psychologists began studying people and their behaviors. The family is a dynamic system—a self-organizing system that adapts itself to changes in its members and to changes in its environment (as cited …show more content…

The Microsystem is the underpinning of the Chronosystem, the way in which environmental effects develop over time; also the way transitions, such as divorce, affect the individual’s growth and development (nacce.org). The nuclear family, consisting of he father, mother and at least one child (Sigelman & Rider 2009) is not always what we think about when the topic comes to family. In today’s world, with divorce and remarriages, there has been a shift in how we as a society define family. It has become more personal as well as …show more content…

(n.d.). nacce » Ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner. Retrieved January 22, 2014, from http://nacce.org/ecological-theory-of-bronfenbrenner/ Family Decision Making. (n.d.). Family Decision Making. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Family_Decision_Making.html. New Blended Family? Keep Your Child's Personality Intact. (n.d.). Secureteen.com. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.secureteen.com/parenting-style/new-blended-family-keep-your-child%E2%80%99s-personality-intact/ Sollod, R. N., Wilson, J. P., & Monte, C. F. (2009). Defending Against Envy: The Most Deadly of Sins. Beneath the Mask; an introduction to theories of personality (p. 233). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (Original work published 2003). The Family Life Cycle. (n.d.). The Family Life Cycle. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072487747/student_view0/chapter15/ Weiten, W., Lloyd, Margaret A., Dunn, Dana S., Yost-Hammer, Elizabeth. (2009). Psychology Applied to Modern Life; Adjustment in the 21st Century. (9th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Youth Ministry is Holistic |. (n.d.). Tree of Life. Retrieved January 24, 2014, from

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