Describe how contemporary researchers view the family, providing examples of both direct and indirect influences within family members' relationships.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Contemporary researchers view the family as a network of interdependent relationships. Bidirectional influences exist in which the behaviors of each family member affect those of other family members. These influences can be direct or indirect, depending on whether third parties are involved.
As an illustration of direct influences, kind, patient communication between parent and child tends to evoke cooperative, harmonious responses from both parties, whereas harshness and impatience engender angry, resistive behavior. Each of these reactions, in turn, forges a new link in the interactive chain. In the first instance, a positive message tends to follow; in the second, a negative or avoidant one is likely.
Interaction between any two family members is affected by third parties present in the setting, who can enhance or impede development indirectly. For example, when a marital relationship is warm and considerate, parents are more likely to engage in effective coparenting (mutual support and collaboration). Effective coparenting, in turn, engenders warm, stimulating parent-child interaction, which promotes healthy child adjustment.