Family Development Theory

Family Development Theory

Introduction

This assignment paper sets to critically evaluate the various aspects of the family development theory by giving a personal definition of family, discuss how the family kept on changing over time, examine multiple family life cycle stages in each period, and provide a reflection on my family’s timing.

Definition of Family

A family is a social unit that comprises ofparents and children who are living together and who are related to each other by either marriage or birth. As supported by the family development diagram, the family was composed of different family members in various life periods. In the first section or drawing, the family was composed of father, mother, an older brother, and sister by the time I was entering the family. In the second section or drawing which reflects my family composition by the time I was graduating from high school, it comprised of the father, mother, older brother and sister, a younger sister and I. The third drawing or section which reflects my expected family members in the next five years comprises of mother, father, older brother and sister, younger sister, two nieces, one nephew and I.

Analysis of How the Family Changed Over Time

Over time, my family has experienced significant systematic and patterned changes that have altered its composition in its life course. For instance, my family had developed significantly to include new family members who were absent by the time I was entering it. By the time I was joining my family, it was only composed of my father, mother, brother, and sister. However, due to reproduction, my family has grown to include new members. For instance, when I graduated from high school, my family had grown to include a younger sister. In the next five years, there are high expectations of this family growing further to include a nephew and a niece who will be my eldest sister’s children andmy eldest brother’s daughter.

Family Cycle for Different Time Periods and Key Development Tasks

My family was in the third stage of the family cycle, which involves having multiple preschool children by the time I was entering it. Some of the critical developmental tasks at this stage of my family life cycle included my father and mother exercising new roles in bringing up my elder sister and brother, sharing various responsibilities related to parenting, meeting financial demands, and rearranging and expanding household space(Stephens, 2016). However, by the time I was graduating from high school, my family was already in the fourth stage of the family life cycle, which involved having school-aged children. Some of the essential development tasks at this family stage included giving the school the authority to have control over the school-aged children, developing good relationships with religious leaders, school instructors, and meeting different children’s expectations (Stephens, 2016). Lastly, my family will be in the sixth stage of the family life cycle in the next five years. Some of the developmental tasks that will be involved in this family cycle include significant changes in communication patterns, continued decline in the family size, and the family cycle will widen since some siblings will get married and bear children (Stephens, 2016).

Reflection on my Family’s Timing

I highly believe that my family timing was accurate and on ‘on-time. That is because its development followed the standard procedure that is common in most families across the globe. The composition of my family at each period discussed confirms that the family timing was ‘on-time’ and in line with the critical family cycles, whereby it kept on increasing as the family cycle continued to progress to the next stage.