Chapter Nine: A Study of Family Dynamics, Support, and Relationships

This essay provides an analysis of family dynamics based on chapter nine of a book, focusing on the transgenerational concept where family members support each other across generations. It discusses how children maintain connections with aging parents, offering emotional and financial support, and reinforces the idea of the family as a system characterized by self-regulation, interdependence, and hierarchy. The essay agrees with the argument that socioeconomic factors influence the level of support given to family members and acknowledges the closer bond individuals often share with their mothers. However, it challenges the notion that individuals over eighteen primarily rely on parents for emotional support, suggesting peers play a more significant role during that stage. Overall, the essay captures essential aspects of family interaction and communication, offering both agreement and contention with the article's arguments.

Running head: CHAPTER NINE
Chapter Nine
Student Name
Institution Name

CHAPTER NINE 2
Chapter Nine
The family is an essential structure in all societies. Precisely, it is described as the
basic unit of the society. The provided article stresses some of the vital points highlighted in
chapter nine of the book. Firstly, this article directly expounds on the transgenerational
concept discussed in chapter nine of the book. In the transgenerational concept, a family
involves the existence of at least one member of one generation who is the responsibility of at
least one member of another generation.
Precisely, the concept of transgenerational points out that family members take care
of each other across generations. Equally, this concept is comprehensively elaborated in the
article. In particular, the article focusses on how parents relate to their children. In this
relationship, the article points out that children continue to communicate and take care of the
aging parents despite becoming independent. As pointed out in the article, these children
continue to offer emotional as well as financial support to their parents thus confirming the
validity of the concept of the family as a transgenerational unit.
Moreover, the article echoes the book’s chapter concept of the family as a system.
The book insists that family operates as a system. In this respect, the family entails self-
regulation, interdependence, and hierarchy. These attributes confirm why the article
emphasizes that children have a lifetime connection with their parents. Likewise, the parent
illustrates a never-ending affection towards their children. Due to this natural
interdependence and connectivity that exists within the family unit, each member of the
family demonstrates a special affection towards the other members. Consequently, the book
chapter serves as the foundation for the crucial issues highlighted in the article.
The assigned article outlines vital arguments which I concur with while there are
others that in find contentious. Firstly, I agree with the article’s stance that socio-economic

CHAPTER NINE 3
attributes of individuals define their support towards their aging parents or children. In
reality, offering adequate support to children or aging parents require significant financial
expenditure. Supporting this stance, Fingerman et al. (2015) established in their study that
financially stable individuals offer more emotional and financial support to their children.
Nonetheless, Carr (2015) contend that the level of care offered to children or the aged
depends on their conditions. For instance, people tend to provide more financial and
emotional support to ailing parents or children.
Moreover, I concur with article’s argument that people are more close to their mothers
than fathers. According to Glenn, Chang, and Forcey (2016), the attachment of individuals to
their mother emanates from the social construction of mothering. Mothers are considered as
loving, less aggressive, and concerned. Through experience, I can attest that people are more
comfortable with their mother and their fathers. However, I disagree with the article’s stance
that children aged eighteen and older rely on their parents for emotional support. Individuals
aged eighteen and above tend to rely more on their peers for emotional support than their
parents. For instance, in college, most of my friends hardly contact their parents for
emotional support. Instead, the seek console in their peers. Nevertheless, this article captures
essential attributes that characterize family interaction and communication.

CHAPTER NINE 4
References
Carr, A. (2015). The Handbook of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology: A Contextual
Approach. New York: Routledge.
Fingerman, K. L., Kim, K., Davis, E. M., Furstenberg, F. F., Birditt, K. S., & Zarit, S. H.
(2015). “I'll Give You the World”: Socioeconomic Differences in Parental Support of
Adult Children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(4), 844-865.
Glenn, E. N., Chang, G., & Forcey, L. (2016). Mothering: Ideology, Experience, and Agency.
Milton Park: Taylor & Francis.