The Blended Family

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the dynamics of the blended family, with a focus on the children of the new family unit. The paper discusses the stages and process of "blending" a new family and examines the counseling of blended families in crisis. The paper shows how the success of the new family depends on their ability to form a cohesive group and establish boundaries. The paper concludes that more research needs to address the significant characteristics of the blended family so that family therapists can develop programs that are only available for the nuclear family.

Outline:
Social Dynamics of the Blended Family
Stages to Becoming Blended
Counseling Blended Families in Crisis
Discussion and Recommendations

From the Paper:

"According to the 200o US Census, approximately 52-62% of all marriages end in divorce (US Census Bureau, 2001). These numbers are staggering when one considers that out of every 100 marriages 43% involve a previously married spouse. Nearly 60% of all remarriages will end in divorce (US Census Bureau, 2001). In 2001, 5.4 million children lived in a blended family consisting of one biological parent and either a stepparent or adoptive parent (Kreider & Fields, 2005). In every case, it would be easy to say that both parties had the best intentions in mind when they made the decision to marry, but something went wrong. These statistics highlight the importance of family counseling in the attempt to help families work out their problems, or help them cope when a relationship ends."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Afifi, T. (2003). 'Feeling Caught' in Stepfamilies: Managing Boundary Turbulence through Appropriate Communication Privacy Rules. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 20 (6), 729-755.
• Banker, B. & Gaertner, S. (1998). Achieving stepfamily harmony: An intergroup-relations approach. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(3), 310-325.
• Baxter, L. Braithwaite, D., & Nicholson. (1999). Turning Points in the Development of Blended Families. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 16 (3), 291-314.
• Braitwaite, D., Olson, L., Golish, T., Soukup, C., & Turman, P. (2001). "Becoming a family": developmental processes represented in blended family discourse. Journal of Applied Communication Research. 29 (3), 221-247.
• Krieder, R. and Fields, J. (2005). "Living Arrangements of Children: 2001." Current Population Reports, P70-104, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC.

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