Does Sibling Positivity And Negativity Work Together Affect Adolescents ' Behaviors?

In this section the author talks about the way of conducting the study which is the basis of this book. She has chosen a total of twelve families including six white, five black and one interracial. All the families had children who aged from 9-10 years. She visited these families at least twenty times in a time span of a month and spend time around the space where their everyday lives evolve.

In today’s world, families are dynamic and interdependent systems. The developmental processes of the children in the family are deeply affected by how the family system operates. However, a family’s structure does not determine whether it is a healthy family system or not. Today, families consist of single parents, stepparents, divorced parents, remarried parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They are all able to contribute to a healthy functioning family system by meeting each family member’s needs and encouraging positive communication (Jamiolkowski, 2008). Unhealthy family systems have negative and possibly

Until recently, there has been little attention given to basic issues regarding siblings in out-of-home care (McCormick, 2010, p.198). There are many reasons as to why this should be important to child welfare researchers and policy makers. “Sibling relationships are an integral part of childhood and continued development and these sibling relationships can serve as a source of protection and healing throughout their journey in out of home care” (Cicirelli, 1995).

In “Races isn’t what defines me: exploring identities choices in transracial, biracial, and monoracial families”, Butler-Sweet, Colleen explains that there has been a controversial issue in the United Sates for more than half a century, among black children raised in white homes. The author’s main claim is that transracial adoption will miscarry a black identity. Comparing experiences among monoracial, biracial, and transracial families on black identity.

Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family Life, revealed her research findings in this enlightening text featuring twelve socially, economically, and culturally diverse families having a child nine to ten years of age respectively in their nuclear family unit. These families were garnered from the author’s coinciding study comprised of eighty-eight children. Lareau, along with her research assistants, visited each family approximately twenty times. Visits included time spent within the home, as well as family events, school functions, doctor’s visits, structured activities, shopping trips, and church services. Wide-ranging contexts allowed researchers a unique opportunity to observe and record a multiplicity of interactions within each family unit.

Interracial families are more prevalent today than they have even been and the number of interracial families are growing each year as people are becoming more accepting of people of other races and rejecting the past. However, interracial families still report dealing with issues such as discrimination. Not everyone has yet to accept and welcome the idea of an interracial family in their own family and neighborhoods. Parents and children who are a part of interracial families must deal with multiple biases, how people act towards them, and developing a healthy identity in a world that is not always ready to accept them as they are.

However, Amanda’s family has potential to thrive despite these challenges if they are resilient (Black & Krishnakumar, 1998). African American families commonly show resiliency by having a strong kinship bonds, central role in religion, racial biculturalism, and enforcing positive self esteem (Black & Krishnakumar, 1998). Amanda’s father can continue to protect her from negative consequences of communities by providing structured activities, like sports, or involvement at recreational centers (Black & Krishnakumar,

     The African-American family is defined as networks of households related by blood, marriage, or function that provide basic instrumental and expressive functions of the family to the members of those networks (Hill, 1999). It is one of the strongest institutions throughout history, and still today. Family strengths are considered to be cultural assets that are transmitted through socialization from generation to generation and not merely adaptations or coping responses to contemporary racial or economic oppression (McDaniel 1994; Hill 1999). This definition is contrary to the belief that the Black family is an adaptation to harsh conditions, instead of an ongoing establishment. Hill (1999) discusses

Eradicating and contradicting such beliefs perpetu ated by the Moynihan Report and the "Bitch Test" has been a long but steady process. Nevertheless, it is a process that those of African descent have undertaken with a great deal of vigor. Before anyone, including black Americans themselves, can truly understand where the black family is going, one has to take into account certain factors. These factors are numerous, but the one that has had the most profound effect was the institution of slavery. An in depth study of this factor will help to answer whether the depiction of the black family as "dysfunctional" and "problem -rid den" are a reality or simply a myth.

The late Dr. Martin Luther King could have never fathomed the epic fail of the modern day African-American society that he worked so hard to establish. “The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal—one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American”(Hymowitz, 2005). While marriage tends to create a stable home for family and children to thrive, many blacks find themselves

The Moore family is a family that is made up of three generations, starting with the grandparents, parents, along with the children. The Moore family also consist of multiple racial groups, such as African American and Caucasian that causes divided within the family because of the cultural differences within each group. The Moore family is made up of Jessica, Caucasian mother, Ed, African American father, Derrick, adopted African American son, Terrence, Jessica’s biological biracial son, and Debbie, Ed’s biological biracial daughter. With the listing of the both husband and wife along with the children, it is clear that this family has encounter a few life transitions, trajectories, cohorts, turning points, and life events. Understanding life course perspective will assist with understanding the family dynamics that are displayed within the Moore family. Life transitions, trajectories, cohorts, turning points, life events, along with other terms will be defined and discussed to fully examine the Moore’s family behavior and life events that guided their family’s development. With all of the issues that the Moore family has encountered both Jessica’s and Ed’s marital problems may be seen as the core of their family’s dysfunction, therefore, this will be explained under the life course perspective.

social class . . . matters most in explaining these [family] differences. It is widely known (and confirmed by U.S. Census data presented in Table 1) that Blacks and Latinos/as tend to have far less income and education than Whites. Families of color are also much more likely than White families to be below the official poverty line. In [their] research, [they] find that the differences in extended family ties and behaviors between Whites and ethnic minorities are primarily the result of these social class disparities (64).

Cicerelli, V. (1991) Sibling relationships in middle and old age. In G.H. Brody (Ed) Sibling relationships: Their causes and consequences, 47-73. Norwood, N.J: Ablex.

“Sibling relationships in particular are among the longest lasting and most influential relationships in an individual’s lifetime” (Shalash 288). Relationships with siblings definitely affects emotions. Emotions vary when it comes to siblings; they can range from anger and jealousy to joy and gratefulness. Siblings can go from calm and loving while spending time together to fighting physically or verbally within moments. With multiple siblings, favorites are often chosen by parents or siblings so the other siblings may feel like an outcast. When two families are combined different routines can cause great conflict. If a child faces conflicts continuously with their family it can make complications for their love life.

The impact of parent-child relationship, marital conflicts and the nurturance environment on child development has been a focus of literature since a considerable time period. Recently, researchers have concentrated on the role of sibling relationship quality on the overall development of an individual (Brody, 1994). This area is studied by examining a number of factors such as sibling warmth and conflict, the number, age and gender of siblings, personality of individuals along with the role of parents and several other facets. The findings are inconsistent and there are a number of variables which are seen to affect the behavior and the development of an individual.