Life Course Perspective

1
Life Course Perspective

• Bengston, V. L., Allen, K. R. (1993). The
  life course perspective applied to families over
  time. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa,
  W. R. Schumm, S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.),
  Sourcebook of family theories and methods A
  contextual approach (pp. 469-499). New York
  Plenum Press.

2
Introduction

• To Study Families Over Time we Need to
• Move beyond the individual life span metaphor.
• Move beyond family level of analysis.
• Examine intimate connections in families and
  long-term relationships in terms of
• social structure,
• and history.
• Explore socially constructed meanings which
  result from
• transitions
• and communication.
• Refine concepts, methods, and theories to explain
  change over time within families.

3
Basic Themes of the Life Course Perspective

• Time
• Context
• Process
• Meaning

4
Five Specific Points

• Time influences relationships in three ways
• Life experiences influence relationships.
• Family events and family transitions influence
  individuals and interactions.
• Historical time -- events in the broader social
  context -- influence roles and values.
• Individuals are influenced by social context
• Social structures (e.g., racism, sexism,
  homophobia) influence individual development.
• Individuals actively interact with social context
  and structure. This produces a reciprocal
  influence between families/individuals and social
  context via socially constructed meaning systems.
• Social structures change and this change
  influences individuals and relationships.
• There is an interplay of micro- and macro- levels
  of development.

5
Five Specific Points (cont.)

• Research is dynamic, focusing on both process and
  change they are a dialectic.
• It is important to consider diversity.
• Research should be multi-disciplinary.

6
Historical Origins and Research Traditions

• The Human Development Tradition explicitly
  studied family influence on individual
  development
• Life Span Developmental Psychology emphasizes
  individual development and behavior.
• Family Development Theory Suggested Three Levels
  of Analysis
• Individual-psychological.
• Interactional-associational.
• Social-institutional.
• Sociology of Age Stratification macrosocial
  perspective focusing on the influence of age.

7
Historical Origins and Research Traditions (cont.)

• Social-Historical Studies of the Family
• Emphasizes changing social nature of individual
  time and family time within changing historical
  context.
• Transitions are imbedded in history broad change
  influences families which, in turn, reciprocally
  influences society.
• The Life Course Perspective -- A New Paradigm?

8
Assumptions and Central Concepts (see Table 19-2).

• The Multiple Time Clocks Assumption
• Ontogenetic time and ontogenetic events
• Historical time and historical events
• The Social Ecology Assumption
• Social structural context
• Social meanings
• Cultural contexts
• The interplay of macro-micro levels of analysis
• The Diachronic Assumption
• Homeostasis and adaptation
• Interactions of age, period, and cohort effects
• Feedback Over Time among Structures and stages of
  development
• The Heterogeneity Assumption
• Diversity and differences
• Aging diversity
• Structural diversity

9
Table 19-2
10
Table 19-2 (cont.)
11
Table 19-2 (cont.)
12
Table 19-2 (cont.)
13
Table 19-3 Changes in American Family as the
Result of Improved Life Expectancy
14
Figure 19-2 Influence of Intra- and
Intergenerational Processes
Problem Family Relationships
A
Problem Behavior
B
Problem Family Relationships
C
Problem Behavior
A Intragenerational Hypothesis A,B
Intergenerational Hypothesis C Life Course
Development Hypothesis