Role Conflicts & The Family Life Cycle

Roles…

What are My Roles? Inherited roles- Family roles, or roles you can’t control and/or do anything about –Son/daughter, mother/father, boy/girl Assigned roles- Roles you are given or give to yourself, based on your talents and goals –Career/job, cook, gardener, captain, friend You behave differently in each of your roles. That is acceptable and sometimes, even necessary.

What is a Role Conflict? But first, what is a role? Role- Pattern of behavior Role Conflict- Lack of compatibility between different expectations from a job or position. One of your roles prevents you from filling some of your other roles. –Student and a job –Career and a wife and/or parent Role Strain- The pull between familiar behaviors of the past and the unknown challenges of the future –Growing up!

Things to Remember About Roles Don’t over-do it! –When you have too many roles, at least one will suffer. Sometime all of your roles will suffer Each roles takes time and energy Roles change Recognize your roles –This helps yourself and those around you –Make sure your roles are personally fulfilling

How Can I Manage Role Conflicts Handling with role conflicts is all about MANAGEMENT!!! You need to manage: –Goals –Resources Human –Time, energy, knowledge, people Material –Car, home, money, supplies, etc. –Priorities What is most important to you? What HAS to get accomplished?

Family Life Cycle

What is a Family? Difficult to define because its different for everyone Most easily defined as: A group of people who share or feel ties of affection. –Could be people and animals –Could be people related by blood only –Could be several people, none of which share blood –Could be a combination of blood and non-blood

The Family Life Cycle Just as individuals go through stages of life, families too are also continually changing The family life cycle –Beginning –Expanding –Developing –Launching –Middle Years –Later Years

Beginning Stage Marriage Employment Breaking away from the family of origin and forming own family

Expanding Stage Child-Rearing New demands on time and energy New expenses Balancing act

Developing Stage Children grow up and go through school Parents’ main focus is the children Tug between children’s dependence and their need to be independent Children prepare for adulthood

Launching Stage Move the children from the family of origin into their own homes Unique experience in that a new family life cycle has now begun with the children! Launching stage is being postponed later now than years ago. Children are living with their family of origin longer, mostly due to economics.

Middle Years Stage Adjust to the “empty nest” –Sometimes during this stage, people go through a serious self-examination, and maybe even a mid-life crisis Become grandparents Plan for the future More “middle agers” today are finding themselves responsible for both older and younger relatives

Later Years Stage Retirement Develop new interests Spend as much time as possible with family Reduced income Aging process (sometimes illness and health problems) Death