FCHD 2400 C.

Beckert, PhD

CHAPTER 1:
Family Life Now

1. Is it possible, even with patience and STUDY, for a couple to

enter marriage totally PREPARED for whatever they might
encounter?
2. Family transcends RACE, RELIGION, ETHNICITY and
SEXUAL orientation.
3. The better prepared we are for MARRIAGE, the GREATER
the possibility for success in our homes.
4. When it comes to understanding about working with families,
the terms “EDUCATION” and “INTERVENTION” are not
synonymous.
5. Research indicates that “EDUCATION” is generally more
effective than “INTERVENTION” relative to helping families
succeed.
6. The primary suggestion of the poem: “Ambulance in the
Valley” is that PREVENTION is better than a CURE .
7. The definition used to describe Family Life Education has
CHANGED over the past forty years.
8. It is NOT likely that any one individual or group could arrive at
a one-size-fits-all definition of “FAMILY.”
9. There is a significant difference between a “FAMILY” and a
“HOUSEHOLD.”
10. The primary difference between our family of ORIGIN and
our family of PROCREATION is the role we play within it. In
the former we are the CHILD, in the latter we are the
PARENT.
11. Some say it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to overcome the influences
of the family in which we are reared, but they are WRONG.
12. The family is a DYNAMIC rather than a STATIC unit of
society.
13. The “NUCLEAR FAMILY” no longer represents the most
modern configuration of a family unit. (MOM, DAD, KIDS)
14. The concept of an “EXTENDED family” suggests two or more
generations of close family RELATIVES living together.
15. The majority of single-parent homes are headed by
MOTHERS rather than by FATHERS.
16. Couples consider themselves “CHILD-FREE” if they choose to
not bring children into the world, if they are trying but not
succeeding, they are “CHILDLESS.”
17. A “RECONSTITUTIONAL family” is another label for a “STEP
FAMILY .” (BLENDED)
18. COHABITATION refers to unmarried couples who choose to
live together, whether or not they are PLANNING on a future
MARRIAGE to each other.
FCHD 2400 C. Beckert, PhD

19. It remains politically INCORRECT to refrain from calling gay

and lesbian couples living together a family while LEGALLY
they are not.
20. It would be INCORRECT to state that the American Family is
in a state of decline and deterioration. Each opinion is based
upon individual EXPECTATIONS.
21. In reality, there remains a “SOCIAL class” in the American
culture.
22. The terms “RACE” and “ETHNICITY” are NOT synonymous
when referring to families.
23. Race refers to GENETICS and ethnicity refers to CULTURE.
24. In some cultures marriage is a “__________” rather than a
“____________ .”
25. There is a FEDERAL law which confirms that marriage is a
legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife.
Passed in 1996 and is called the Defense of MARRIAGE Act.
26. In America, marriage involves a LEGAL CONTRACT .
27. MONOGAMY is the more widely accepted marriage union in
America.
28. A POLYGAMIST can be either a man or a woman.
29. One man with two or more wives would constitute
POLYGYNY.
30. One woman with two or more husbands would constitute
POLYANDRY.
31. CENOGAMY refers to GROUP marriages.
32. Understanding the DEVELOPMENTAL processes we all
experience will help us keep our EXPECTATONS realistic and
in perspective, thus avoiding serious FRUSTRATION.
33. Most DEVELOPMENTAL tasks we experience as part of a
family are relatively PREDICATABLE points in our lives.
34. There is a FAMILY life cycle as well as a HUMAN life cycle.
35. The family life cycle:
a. Leaving home (personal RESPONSIBILITY)
b. The new couple (COMMITMENT to a relationship)
c. Families w/ children (accepting new MEMBERS )
d. Families w/ teens (permitting and encouraging
INDEPENDENCE)
e. Launching children and moving on (experiencing
SEPARATION)
f. Families in later life (accepting GENERATIONAL roles)
36. The human life cycle:
a. Infancy (0-2 years)
i. SURVIVAL and ADJUSTMENT
b. Early childhood (2-6 years)
i. CURIOSITY and ACQUISITION
c. Middle childhood (7-12 years)
FCHD 2400 C. Beckert, PhD

i. INDEPENDENCE and MASTERY

d. Adolescence (13-19 years)
i. PEER GROUP and SELF CONCEPT
e. Early adulthood (19-34 years)
i. COUPLING and FAMILY
f. Middle adulthood (35-60 years)
i. SANDWICH GENERATION; parents and children
g. Late middle adulthood (61-74 years)
i. WISDOM and COMPLETION
h. Late adulthood (75+ years)
i. RETROSPECTION and legacy
37. Research indicates that if your parents did NOT have children,
it is UNLIKELY you will experience having them.