Remarried Families/Unified Families
Various terms have been used to describe families formed by remarriage, such as stepfamilies, united families, blended families, and rematched families. Terminology aside, these families consist of two adults and children who are foster, adopted, or placed in respite care. (Pearson, 1993, p.51)
Formation of United Families
There are differences in the ways that united families come together. Their structures are much more complex compared to families in their first marriage. Joint families are most commonly formed when a previously married adult ends his or her spouse's death, divorce, or abandonment, and remarries another adult. With this marriage, a unique family system emerges with the combination of new relationships, family histories, problems and interactions. This new family brings with it new opportunities and new challenges.
Children's Participation in United Families
It takes time for children to adapt to divorce. Often, both adults and children are in a state of mourning for their first family, and it is difficult to emotionally participate in the new family without processing and sorting through these feelings. (Ginsberg, 2007; Pill, 1990) Although divorce is not the physical death of a loved and close individual, it is a psychological death.” (Schwartz, 1992, p. 324) Children's perceptions of their parents' divorce and their reactions to the divorce vary depending on their age, gender, relationships with their parents, living and child care conditions before or after the separation, children's psychological resilience levels, and the level of emotional support shown to them. . There are also difficulties that divorce imposes on children. Fear of losing the closeness of the parent with whom he does not live (guilt-anger), losing his position in the family compared to his old family life, getting used to a new home and environment, adapting to living with new members of the family... These can be as positive as they are negative.
Factors Affecting Healthy Harmony in Joint Families
The situational and developmental problems faced by united families are greater and quite different than those of other families. Most obviously, stepparents and stepchildren are perceived as outsiders. We can count complex kinship relationships, restructuring and defining the family, creating a spirit of unity and common goals, and establishing intra-family interaction patterns among the main problems. In addition, creating new roles and rules, establishing and maintaining new relationships, establishing a functioning home life... People in the family; They can expect him to behave like his previous family. When these families come together, these subsystems formed by extended kinship relationships such as adults, children, step-grandparents, and cousins can make the relationship and interaction between family members difficult. It is one of the most important difficulties in joint families. Another is that couples cannot spare enough time for each other in this process. (If there are young children, the children need more attention and care, and if there are older children, the behaviors brought about by adolescence and the search for identity) Unity and adaptability are important in the integration of the members of the new family, in the formation of integrity and unity, in the formation of integrity and unity of the family. There are two important factors in its functioning. According to the literature, compared to families formed by first marriage, united families have less unity spirit, are more problematic and stressful. (Bray, 1993, p. 5) Likewise, in these families, the relations between step-parents and children, the warmth-closeness relationship; It has been found that the level is lower than in families formed by first marriage. In addition, they need to make more efforts to establish commitment and close relationships. (Hetherington, 1991) The parent who does not have custody of the children can have many direct and indirect effects on the new family. Border violations may occur. Moreover; Who are the real members of the family? Is there a space belonging to me/where is it? Where do I belong? Who has a say in the decisions that will be made about me? To whom and how should I arrange time, how much time should others allocate to me? (McGoldrick and Carter, 1988, p. 400-402) Economic problems may also arise in these families; alimony, managing two households, joining new members With new expenses...
In united families, the adaptation of individuals depends on the harmony shown by family members both individually and as a whole. There has been a radical change in the family. There are two subsystems that can make healthy change and harmonious development of this system; parents and children. Family members may have to work hard to gain a place in the subsystem. In order for positive developments to occur in united families, bringing the issues related to the previous family to a conclusion, unfinished issues being resolved, and emotions related to the issue are processed and sorted, is a supportive element for participation in the new family.
It can be said that these families have some strengths that can facilitate harmony. These are the experiences of united families. The opportunities it offers to the new family are its different perspectives, creative methods, and qualities in creating common areas of interest. Quasi-kinship ties can create a new social support network. New members in the family can offer a rich model. Respect for different lifestyles, different parental models, new perspectives brought by different life experiences... These can facilitate harmony in united families.
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