Family 04/05

UNIT 1. Varied Perspectives on the Family 1. The American Family, Stephanie Coontz, Life , November 1999 Many assumptions exist about the family as it existed in the past. Stephanie Coontz, a family historian, discusses the fallacy of many of our beliefs about families in the "good old days." 2. American Families Are Drifting Apart, Barbara LeBey, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education) , September 2001 Social scientists are examining the decline of the American family. From mobile family members living far from their relatives to those engaged in out and out family conflict, fewer American families remain intact. This article provides both anecdotal and statistical evidence to explore this issue and its myriad causes. UNIT 2. Exploring and Establishing Relationships Part A. Gender and Our View of the World 3. Are Boys the Weaker Sex?, Anna Mulrine, U.S. News & World Report , July 30, 2001 American culture, parents, and schools are struggling with boys. Gender differences including more aggression and impulsivity but less efficient learning, less emotional control, and less peer intimacyare noted. Male emotions are linked more with action than words. Consequences include moral problems, insults to self-esteem, and depression. 4. The New Woman: Daring to Be Less Than Perfect, Eric Lin, Sinorama , April 1999 In this article, Taiwan is described as "at the intersection of old and new value systems." The role of women and the nature of male-female relationships retain remnants of traditional self-sacrificing, family-centered definitions. However, a "new good woman" with greater independence is evolving. 5. Sexual Stereotypes, Jonathan Knight, Nature , January 17, 2002 Bateman's principle, which states that males are promiscuous and females are choosy, has long been the bias of evolutionary theory and human sexual stereotypes. However, sociobiologists are finding increasing evidence of role reversals involving female promiscuity in the animal world that contradict this traditional dichotomy. Part B. Emotions, Relating and Mating 6. Can Men and Women Be Friends?, Camille Chatterjee, Psychology Today , September/October 2001 Contrary to the common belief that men and women cannot be real friends, this author argues that sexual tensions are not a given, and male-female relationships are not inevitably romantic. 7. Love Is Not All You Need, Pepper Schwartz, Psychology Today , May/June 2002 Although we may want to believe that love is all that is needed to make a relationship work, Pepper Schwartz reports in this article that a number of compatibility factors actually are crucial for the success of the relationship. Part C. Sexuality 8. Sexual Satisfaction in Premarital Relationships: Associations With Satisfaction, Love, Commitment, and Stability, Susan Sprecher, The Journal of Sex Research , August 2002 This study reports that sexual satisfaction is associated with relationship quality and stability in premarital relationships. Throughout the existence of premarital relationships, sexual satisfaction is significantly related to relationship satisfaction, love, and commitment. Evidence also exists for a relationship between sexual satisfaction and relationship stability. 9. Sex for Grown-Ups, Carol Lynn Mithers, Ladies' Home Journal , March 1999 Although TV and other media and even most people's fantasies seem to suggest that sex is for the young, the experts in this article explain that lovemaking, like fine wine, gets better with age. Greater self-acceptance and awareness, increased male-female biological similarities, and long-term relationships actually intensify and enrich lovemaking. Part D. Conception and Pregnancy 10. The Abortion Wars: 30 Years After Roe v. Wade , Linda Feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor , January 22, 2003 Abortion, although legal in the United States, is highly controversial. With increasingly conservative legislatures, those who hope to make abortion illegal see new possibilities for that to happen. Others who believe the choice of abortion should remain legal think that physicians should be trained in the procedure to facilitate that. 11. Making Time for a Baby, Nancy Gibbs, Time , April 15, 2002 As women age, they face a diminishing capacity to produce a child. Assisted reproduction technologies may improve their odds of having a child, but there are risks associated with these technologies. 12. Barren, Deborah Derrickson Kossmann, Psychotherapy Networker , July/August 2002 This first-person account of the heartbreak of infertility covers the lovemaking-to-making-babies transition, miscarriages, medical treatments, struggles with choices and options, and the effects on both partners and their relationship. The ending is not a storybook one, but a realistic resolution. Part E. The Next Generation 13. Shaped by Life in the Womb, Sharon Begley, Newsweek , September 27, 1999 New scientific advances have been made in understanding the impact of life in the uterine environment. Increasingly, we are faced with questions regarding prenatal health and its long-term effects. 14. Our Babies, Ourselves, Meredith F. Small, Natural History , October 1997 Cross-cultural research in child development shows that parents readily accept their society's prevailing ideology on how babies should be treated, usually because it makes sense in their environmental or social circumstances. UNIT 3. Finding a Balance: Maintaining Relationships Part A. Marriage and other Committed Relationships 15. No Wedding? No Ring? No Problem, Jay Tolson, U.S. News & World Report , March 13, 2000 Increasing numbers of couples are choosing to forgo marriage for cohabitation. Some do this as a precursor of marriage, seeing it as a test. Others see marriage as a troubled institution and view cohabitation as a less painful alternative. 16. Welcome to the Love Lab, John Gottman and Sybil Carrere, Psychology Today , October 2000 Using three dialogues from couples, the authors demonstrate how to detect troubled relationships. Results from actual research are also shared in order to enable the reader to detect problems. 17. Marriage at First Sight, Paula Span, The Washington Post Magazine , February 23, 2003 Arranged marriages have a long history in Indian society. Many families have broughtGilbert, Kathleen R. is the author of 'Family 04/05', published 2004 under ISBN 9780072861280 and ISBN 0072861282.