C-48 Family Structure & Adjustment
The recent growth in the industrial sector and the advent of globalisation has not only had its impact on the economy, but also on family relationships- such as migration in search of jobs, and subsequently forming a nuclear family to carry on the generation. Such changes have definitely posed numerous problems in terms of adjustment for the young and the old.
To define adjustment, “it refers to the behavioural process of balancing conflicting needs, or needs challenged by obstacles in the environment”. The concept of adjustment was first used by Darwin to define the adaptation that human beings use to survive in the Physical world — socially, physically, and psychologically as they grow up, and also by being interdependent on others- in a social context, family dynamics being the topmost mode of communication which results in the organisational behaviour in schools, colleges, and jobs, and so on and so forth. Family dynamics by far has a prominent role to play in adjustment levels- it can either be a healthy one, which requires social attention, or a self-centred one. Before the discussion starts, it should be noted that no child has the same parent at any developmental period of life. Each child, every sibling have grown up with different parenting styles even after being born to the same parents.
Considering family demographics as the most prominent source for adjustment, studies found that older siblings adjust their capacities more than their younger ones for development, for the reason that parents generally spent more time with the elder one and the energy spent on them to inculcate values is higher to that given to the younger ones. It is obvious for younger ones, in this case, to develop an inferiority complex, making the social and emotional adjustment level extremely low. It has been noticed that one of the reasons emotional adjustment is low in young adults is due to lack of interactive time spent with both parents engaged it occupations. A study showed that factors such as nonstandard work schedules and financial stress may have a negative impact on a child’s social, emotional and behavioral development, resulting in issues like behavioral problems and poor academic performance ( Michigan Family Review, 2009). Additionally, a longitudinal study published in the May/June 2016 issue of the journal “Child Development” found that teens who spent the most time in child-care settings as young children were more likely to exhibit impulsiveness and risk-taking behaviours than peers who had spent less time in child care.
However, it was found that adopted children in families are at increased risk for a variety of psychological and academic problems compared to their nonadopted counterparts and biological children in an adoptive family may lead to increased adjustment problems for various family members. In contrast. Kirk [1964] speculated that adoptive families with biological children may be forced to deal with adoption issues in a more open and honest manner, which in turn, could lead to more positive adjustment among parents and children.
Considering gender as a factor, it was found that girls of both joint and nuclear family were found better adjusted than boys of both joint and nuclear family and the girls of joint family were more emotionally adjusted than girls of nuclear family. In the same way the girls were found better adjusted in social area also. In the field of educational adjustment the girls were also better adjusted than boys. Over all the girls of joint family were found better adjusted than other adolescents.
Thus there are a lot of psychological and societal factors that determine your living.
