Family Power
Questions 1
Referential power: A son may admire how his father displays affection and love for her mother. Because of this, the boy may emulate his father’s charismatic qualities in his own family, not because his father expects him to do so, but because of his admiration (Simpson et al., 2016).
Coercive Power: A father may force his son to undertake a specific course like Law to follow in his footsteps against the child’s will. This is an authoritarian parenting style (Simpson et al., 2016).
Expert Power: A mother who is trained in home economics may be trusted to advise the family on how to house management. Like a father who is a professional accountant, he may be in charge of finances in the family.
Reward Power; Parents may use gifts and other forms of rewards to influence children’s actions, like hard work in school. For instance, a promise of a brand new bike for an adolescent when he/she performs well in class.
Legitimate Power: Husbands are perceived as the head of the family; as a result, mothers and children submit to this authority willingly courtesy of his position and role in the family (Simpson et al., 2016).
Question 1b.
Reward Power: As a trained psychologist, I tend to apply the reward power to get things done in the family.
Question 2
My Parents used the authoritative parenting style. The rules of engagement were clear when a mistake was committed. They showed affection and offered guidance as much as possible (Baumarind, 1971). In particular, my father set for me prominent and high goals in school and life.
Question 3a
Powerlessness in a family may be caused by authoritarian parents whose words are final (Theiss, 2018)—for example, forcing children to take courses against their will in college.
One way communication, from the top (parents) to bottom (children), may result in the children feeling powerlessness (Theiss, 2018).
One spouse may also feel powerlessness when he/she cannot make meaningful contributions to family matters. One partner is an authoritarian or male-dominant culture where women are prohibited from the decision-making process (Simpson et al., 2016).
Question 3b
I can empower my child and or fellow family members through opening up communication channels in the family. Open communication boosts children’s confidence and self-esteem (Adler et al., 2016). Confident children can make better choices in life (Theiss, 2018).
Question 4a
Problem identification: Buying a family car: This is a fictional problem that requires decision making. It is essential to note that clear steps should be followed before a decision is made to buy the car or not based on the available resources.
Question 4b
Step 1
Identification of the problem: This involves recognizing the problem and or the need. In this case, it is buying a family car to facilitate movement. Commuting may involve dropping children to school and picking groceries.
Step 2
Restatement or formulation of goals: Once a problem has been identified, in this case, buying a family car, family members must discuss and formulate new goals. For example, the need for a family car may mean letting go of other competing demands, such as buying a piece of land to put up rental houses.
Step 3
Assessment of Resources; the family must look into the available resources to gauge the viability of the goal (buying a family car) vis-à-vis the resources at hand.
Step 4
Generation of Alternatives; before deciding to buy a family car, the family must generate as many alternatives as possible. Sample alternatives may include Ford five-seater station wagon or seven-seater Skoda Kodiaq.
Step 5
Assessment of Alternatives; The family must evaluate each alternative’s pros and cons before selecting the best choice.
Step 6
Selection of the best alternative: Once the family has debated on the available options, the best is selected by consensus or majority approval.
Step 7
Action on implementation of alternative; the step here involves going to the car showroom and buying the selected best option using available resources.
Step 8
Evaluation of Action and Problem-solving process; once the car is bought, the family must evaluate if the action taken is consistent with the plan. It also involves assessing if the problem/need has been solved or satisfied through the action taken.
Source (Kieren et al., 1996)
References
Adler, R. B., Rodman, G. R., & Du Pré, A. (2016). Understanding human communication (Vol. 10). Oxford University Press.
Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental psychology, 4(1p2), 1.
Kieren, D. K., Maguire, T. O., & Hurlbut, N. (1996). A marker method to test a phasing hypothesis in family problem-solving interaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 442-455.
Simpson, J. A., Farrell, A. K., Oriña, M. M., & Rothman, A. J. (2015). Power and social influence in relationships.
Theiss, J. A. (2018). Family communication and resilience. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 46(1), 10-13.