The article focuses on the role and impact of several key
elements of a family unit – the hierarchy, parenting style,
value of communication, conflict resolution and negotiation
within the family. It presents elements of the concept of a
family as a system, which includes a closed or open family
dynamic, the setting and maintaining of clear limits and the
adjustment thereof as the child grows older, the transfer of
family patterns through upbringing, and the strong influence
of parents on the formation of values and identity. The
empirical segment contains an overview of the biographies
of three adolescents. The first exemplifies a positive family
influence which has contributed to a balanced psychosocial
development of the adolescent in these tumultuous times.
The second reveals a series of traumatizing experiences which
have impeded normal development and have resulted in a
level of stress that the adolescent cannot cope with. The
third displays the effects of growing up without being constrained
by limits and of lesser parental involvement which have resulted in the adolescent’s engaging in a string of dissocial
experiences and actions which conflict with his social
environment. These conflicts stem from a lack of internalized
limits and boundaries, and a deviant value system. The
second and third biographies include elements of growing
up which are typical of youths whose malfunctioning family
relations contribute to difficulties and anomalies in emotional
responses and consequently result in deviant behavior.
|
