Family Life Cycle Analysis

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Summative Assessment: Family Life Cycle Analysis Kayla Venable University of Phoenix CCMH 504: Individual and Family Development Across The Life Span Dr. Sarah Ross February 12, 2024

Summative Assessment: Family Life Cycle Analysis Evelyn Duvall’s family life cycle theory was originally thought to include eight stages but was later revised to six stages. These six stages included, Marriage/Coupling, Childbearing, Preschool-Aged Children, School-Aged Children, Adolescent Children, Launching and Empty Nest and Later Life Families (Coleman and Ganong, 2014). These stages address the intellectual and emotional changes that an individual goes through from childhood to retirement years as a member of a family. This paper will analyze the stages through my own experiences with my family of origin. Marriage/Coupling Stage This stage does not fit my family as my parents became parents to my brother at the ages of 18 and 19. They were both recent graduates from high school and still living with their parents. In some ways, my family went through more of a typical cycle after my parents married and bought their own home. Neither of my parents had time to embrace their independence or create identities separate from their families of origin prior to becoming young parents, which resulted in some conflict between the two families. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were disapproving of my parents having my brother at such a young age. This ultimately hindered my parents from adjusting and maintaining their relationships with extended family which resulted in their temporary separation. They were able to recover from this conflict and they did marry after creating new boundaries with extended family. I attribute their lack of ability to explore themselves as individuals during early adulthood as the reason for their failed marriage. Childbearing Stage During this stage there is an adjustment in the family system to address childrearing expectations and assigning financial and household tasks for the new family (Ballard, 2012). My own family was thrust into this stage without completing the Marriage/Coupling stage first. My mother and father did not have the time to make typical adjustments and had to address the changes that come with being parents from my grandparents’ separate homes.

I believe this stage was difficult for them since they were unable to create a cohesive family unit. This conflict was mainly caused by the differences in childrearing expectations and culture. My father is Africa-American, and my mother is Guatemalan so there were a lot of differences in childrearing expectations. My father’s family seemed to value my father leaving their home and establishing his independence as an individual and a new father. They wanted my father to get his own home and find stable work to provide for his new family. Whereas my mother’s family was more willing to be a support in raising my brother. My mother’s family still has the “it takes a village to raise a child” mentality when it comes to childrearing. This contrast in family expectations created conflict between my parents until they were able to establish boundaries with extended family and move into a home together. Pre-School and School Aged Children Stages In the stages where a family is adjusting to having children who are entering school can be difficult. Essentially during this stage families are accepting new members and getting to know them (Ballard, 2012). These stages did not completely fit my family as my parents spent this time adjusting to changes that typically happen in earlier stages. My parents balanced multiple roles as parents and professionals. Since they became parents before getting married, they were building their own individual identities while simultaneously creating a unique family system. I believe my mother adjusted better than my father during this stage. My mother was able to accomplish multiple goals such as graduating from college, starting a career and being a primary caregiver of me and my brother. However, my father struggled through finding his own identity and maintaining consistent employment. The completion of the Preschool and School Aged Children stage for my family appeared to be blended with elements of a revised family cycle model that included an Independent Adults stage (Ballard, 2012). Adolescent Aged Children Stage This stage of the family cycle did not fit my family. My parents divorced once me and my brother were of adolescent age. My father did engage in an extramarital affair during this stage which resulted in my parents’ divorce. It is not shocking since 23% of men report cheating on their spouse and divorce, which has a 50% chance of occurring in any marriage, is a common outcome for cheating (Stages of

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Family, 2021). I attribute their lack of ability to explore themselves as individuals during early adulthood as the reason for their failed marriage. My brother and I sought supports outside of the home so at the time there was no united family system with either of my parents’ homes. My parents were unable to effectively communicate with each other which resulted in my brother and I making more adult-like decisions. In some ways, I feel that I skipped over my adolescent years into the independent adult stage due to the lack of familial support at home. Launching and Empty Nest Stage My family went into this stage a bit earlier than normal. My brother left for college at 17 and did not return. I followed in my brother’s footsteps by leaving for college early to explore my own independence. My family is currently still in this stage as my parents are still too young for retirement. Neither of my parents are at the retiring age so my own relationship with them feels as if we are equals. My parents, brother and me all still work to redefine our relationships. There is conflict at times because my parents seek to take on a more traditional parental role, but it is sometimes rejected by me and my brother because us establishing independence early. My mother has expressed regret for how she handled the Adolescent Age Children stage and works to reconcile any resentment my brother and I may harbor. Reflection Through the analysis of my family, I did realize that our cycles were not typical of what I observed from peers or learned through Duvall’s model. I always found my peers to have odd family dynamics but through this analysis I can acknowledge that it was my own family that was abnormal. I never questioned if it was normal for my brother and I to act as adults while we were still adolescents. We both began working and making individual decisions without much guidance from either parent. Despite my parents’ different cultures, this was one area they had similarities in. They both encouraged us to be self-sufficient and even hyper independent at times. Ultimately, I believe this is why me and my brother appear to both be having an extended Independent Adult stage. We have both been deterred from settling down and creating families due to our atypical upbringing.

To be a successful counselor I will need to work through the bias that families should launch their children early. I had this bias because it correlates with my own experiences. However, after analyzing my families’ cycles I find that it was atypical and not the best way to start a family. I also noticed the belief that there is no issue with divorced parents having totally different childrearing styles. Through this analysis, I can admit that having a more cohesive family system between the two homes would have been more beneficial to all members. By taking a closer look at my own family dynamics I feel better equipped to work with diverse families. I have a clear understanding of what it is like to be in an “abnormal” family while still seeing the benefits of completing typical family cycles. I do not feel regret, shame or pride when reflecting on my own family. It is just how I was raised but the questions and realizations I had for myself are now tools I can use to better treat families. Counselors must be aware that families have their own unique concepts of family based on experience and that would impact their treatment. Clients will view and work through their issues based on their exposure to traumas and past problematic experiences.

References Ballard, M. (2012). The Family Life Cycle and Critical Transitions: Utilizing Cinematherapy to Facilitate Understanding and Increase Communication. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health , 7(2), 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2012.685004 Coleman, M. J., & Ganong, L. H. (2014). Family development theory. In The social history of the American family: An encyclopedia (Vol. 1, pp. 487-489). SAGE Publications, Inc. Stages of Family Life. . (2021).[Video/DVD] Crash Course Sociology. https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/stages-of-family-life

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