FAMILY LIFE CYCLE

CONTENTS
 INTRODUTION
 FAMILY DEFINITION
 FAMILY LIFE CYCLE
 STAGES OF FAMILY LYFE CYCLE

-TYPES OF MARRIAGE
-TYPES OF PARENTING
 CONCLUTION
INTRODUCTION
Families are unique social systems insofar as
membership is based on combinations of
biological, legal, affectional, geographic and
historicalties.
 family members fulfill certain roles, which

entail specific definable tasks such as the

provision of food and shelter, it is the
relationships within families which are
primary and irreplaceable. And every person
faces challenges to each stages of life events.
What is a family?
 ‘Family is a group of persons united by ties of
marriage, blood, or adoption constituting a
single household interacting and inter-
communicating with each other in their
respective social roles of husband and wife,
father and mother, son and daughter, brother
and sister, creating a common culture.’
-Eliot and Merrill
What is a family life cycle?
 The emotional and intellectual stages you
pass through from childhood to your
retirement years as a member of a family are
called the family life cycle.

 In each stage, you face challenges in your

family life that allow you to build or gain new
skills.

 Not everyone passes through these stages

smoothly.
The stages of the family life cycle are:
 Stage 1 Beginning Family
 Stage 2: Childbearing Family
 Stage 3: Family With Preschoolers
 Stage 4: Family With School Age Children
 STAGE 5:Family With Teenagers
 Stage 6: Launching
 Stage 7: Empty Nest
 Stage 8: Aging Family
Stage 1.Beginning Family

 Beginning Family: The couple establishes

their home but do not yet have children. 

 Developmental Tasks: Establishing a
satisfying home and marriage/ relationship
and preparing for children
During the stage, you hope to:

 Learn to see yourself as a separate person in

relation to your original family.

 Develop intimate peer relationships outside

the family.

 Establish yourself in your work or career.

other important qualities you develop during
this phase.
 being in an intimate relationship with
someone does involve a process of
adaptation and relationship building

 When you join families through a marriage or

committed union, you form a new family
system.
Skills which you learn:

 Advanced interpersonal communication.

 Problem-solving skills.
 Common spiritual and emotional

development goals.
 How to form boundaries in relationships.
 When to place the needs or importance of the

other person above your own.

Some common areas of adjustment
include:
 Finances.
 Lifestyle.
 Recreational activities or hobbies.
 Relationships with in-laws.
 Sexuality or sexual compatibility.
 Friendships.
 Putting another person's needs before your

own.
Stage 2.Childbearing family

 Making the decision to have a baby

Childbearing Family: From the birth of the
first child until that child is 2 1/2 years old.
 
Developmental Tasks: Adjusting to increased
family size; caring for an infant; providing a
positive developmental environment.
 Parenting is one of the most challenging
phases of the family life cycle.

 Introducing a child into your family results in

a major change in roles for you and your
partner.
 Each parent has three distinct and demanding

roles: as an individual, a partner, and a

parent.
Types of parenting
 Authoritative parents: who adopt a warm,
accepting child-centred approach coupled
with a moderate degree of control that allows
children to take age-appropriate
responsibility
 provide a context which is maximally

beneficial for children’s development as

autonomous confident individuals.
 Authoritarian parents: who are warm and
accepting but controlling, tend to develop
into shy adults who are reluctant to take
initiative.

 permissiveparents: who are warm and

accepting but lax in discipline, in later life
lack the competence to follow through on
plans and show poor impulse control.
STAGE 3: FAMILY WITH PRESCHOOLERS

Family with Preschoolers: When the oldest

child is between the ages of 2 1/2 and 6. 

Developmental Tasks: Satisfying the needs

and interests of preschool children; coping
with demands on energy and attention with
less privacy at home.
Specific goals when young children join your family are:

 Adjusting your marital system to make space

for children.

 Taking on parenting roles.

 Realigning your relationships with your

extended family to include parenting and
grand parenting roles
Stage 4: family with school age
children

Family with School Children: When the oldest

child is between the ages of 6 and 13.
 
Developmental Tasks: Promoting educational
achievement and fitting in with the
community of families with school-age
children.
STAGE 5:FAMILY WITH TEENAGERS
Family with Teenagers: When the oldest child
is between the ages of 13 and 20. 

Developmental Tasks: Allowing and helping

children to become more independent; coping
with their independence; developing new
interests beyond child care.
 Parenting teenagers can be a rough time for
your family and can test your relationship
skills.
 It's also a time for positive growth and

creative exploration for your entire family.

 Families that function best during this period

have strong, flexible relationships developed

through good communication, problem
solving, mutual caring, support, and trust.
STAGE 6: LAUNCHING

Launching: From the time the oldest child

leaves the family for independent adult life
till the time the last child leaves. 

Developmental Tasks: Releasing young adults

and accepting new ways of relating to
them; maintaining a supportive home base;
adapting to new living circumstances
STAGE 7: EMPTY NEST
Empty Nest: From the time the children are
gone till the marital couple retires from
employment. 

Developmental Tasks: Renewing and

redefining the marriage relationship;
maintaining ties with children and their
families; preparing for retirement years.
 This is a time when your health and energy
levels may decline.
:
 High blood pressure (hypertension).
 Weight problems.
 Arthritis.
 Menopause.
 Osteoporosis.
 Heart disease (coronary artery disease).
 Depression.
 Stress-related illnesses.
Specific goals to reach at this stage include:

 Refocusing on your relationship without

children.
 Developing adult relationships with your

grown children.
 Realigning relationships to include in-laws

and grandchildren when your children begin

their own families.
STAGE 8: AGING FAMILY

Aging Family: From retirement till the death of

the surviving marriage partner. 

Developmental Tasks: Adjusting to

retirement; coping with the death of the
marriage partner and life alone.
 This stage can be a great adventure where
you are free from the responsibilities of
raising your children and can simply enjoy the
fruits of your life's work.
 Challenges you may face include being a
support to other family members, even as you
are still exploring your own interests and
activities or focusing on maintaining your
relationship.
 Many people are caring for elderly parents at
this time. You may feel challenged by their
emotional, financial, and physical needs while
trying to help them keep their independence.
Specific goals to reach for at this final
stage of your family life cycle include:

 Maintaining your own interests and physical

functioning, along with those of your partner,
as your body ages.
 Exploring new family and social roles.
 Providing emotional support for your adult

children and extended family members.

 Making room in the family system for the
wisdom and experience of older adults.
 Providing support for the older generation

without doing too much for them.

 Dealing with the loss of a partner, siblings,

and other peers, and preparing for your own

death.
 Reviewing your life and reflecting on all you

have learned and experienced during your life

cycle.
LIFECYCLE STAGES ASSOCIATED WITH SEPARATION AND
DIVORCE

 Decision to Divorce: Accepting one’s own part

in marital failure
 Planning separation: Cooperatively

developing a plan for custody of the children,

visitation and finances, dealing with the
families of origin’s response to the plan to
separate
 Separation: Mourning the loss of the intact

family Adjusting to the change in parent–

child and parent– parent relationships
 Post-divorce period: Maintaining flexible
arrangements about custody, access and
finances without detouring conflict through
the children, Re-establishing peer
relationships and a social network

 Entering a new relationship: Completing

emotional divorce from the previous
relationship Developing commitment to a new
marriage
 Planning a new marriage: Planning for
cooperative co-parental relationships with
ex-spouses Planning to deal with children’s
loyalty conflicts involving natural and step-
parents Adjust to widening of extended
family
 Establishing a new family: Realigning

relationships within the family to allow space

for new members Sharing memories and
histories to allow for integration of all new
members
Why it is important?
 Family life cycle theory suggests that
successful transitioning may also help to
prevent disease and emotional or stress-
related disorders. Whether you are a parent
or child, brother or sister, bonded by blood
or love, your experiences through the family
life cycle will affect who you are and who you
become.
conclusion
 In the fairytale, the prince and Cindrella fall in
love, get marry, and live happily ever after.
Our culture bounds with similar stories but
the number of divorce rate is increasing due
to uncertainties and maladaptivenes of life
cycle changes. This can be resolved through
proper understanding and acceptance of each
stages and its challenges.
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 Berne, E. (1964). Games people play: The psychology of human
relationships. New York: Random House.
 Dinkmeyer, D., & Jon C. (1984). Training in marriage enrichment. Circle
Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
 Durana, C. (1994). The use of bonding and emotional expressiveness in
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 http://study.com>academy>the-family-lify-cycle-definition-stages-
theory
 https://www.peacehealth.org/medical-topics/id/ty6171
THANK YOU