Family Life Cycle

Kathrina A. Alvia, MD, MPH

 Reference
Leopando, Z. (2016). Textbook of Family Medicine Volume 1.
PAFP. Proceedings of the Orientation Course in Family Medicine
Family Life Cycle
It delineates various developmental stages in the status
of families.
Describes the manner in which a family is functioning.
In each stage, a family projects various identities and
roles, the fulfillment of which would ensure
advancement to the next or higher level.
Wide Variations from 1930s-1940s
Stages: presence and ages of children in the
families and the demarcation points involve
significant family events such as marriage and the
birth of children.
 Definition of Terms:

Family Life Cycle: a set of predictable steps or patterns

and developmental tasks families undergo within a
given time frame.
Includes emotional, psychosocial and physical changes
attendance on each step.

Family Stage: a time period in the life of a family that

has a unique structure.
Transition: the shift from one family stage to another.
 Comparison of the Family Life Cycle Stage
Nine-stage Cycle Nine-stage Cycle Eight-stage Cycle Six-stage Cycle Five-stage Cycle

Stage I: Experiences with Stage I: The Young Unattached Adult Stage I: Independence
Family of Origin

Stage II:Leaving Home

Stage III: Pre-marriage

Stage I: Establishment (Newly- Stage I: Establishment (Newly- Stage IV: Childless couple Stage II: Newly married Couple Stage II: Coupling or marriage
married couple) married couple)

Stage II: New parents (infant-3 y.o) Stage II: New parents (infant-3 y.o) Stage V: Family with Young Stage III: The Family with Young Children Stage III: Parenting-babies through
Children adolescence

Stage III: with Pre-school Children Stage III: with Pre-school Children

Stage IV: with School-age Children Stage IV: with school-age children

Stage V: Teenage Children or Stage V: Family with Early Stage VI: Family with Stage IV: The Family at Midlife with
Adolescents Adolescents Adolescents Adolescents

Stage VI: Late Adolescents Stage VI: Family with Young Adults

Stage VII: Launching Family Stage VII: Launching Family Stage VII: Launching Family Stage V: The Stage of Launching Stage IV: Launching Adult with
children

Stage VIII: Middle-age Parents Stage VIII: Middle-aged Parents Stage VIII: Family in Laters Stage VI: Family in Later Life Stage V: Retirement or Senior
Years Years

Stage IX: Aging Family Stage IX: Aging Family

 Six- Stage Cycle

consolidates the previous ones (Laucer & Laucer, 2004; Goldenberg & Goldenberg, cited in Harder
2002);

Stage I The young unattached adult

Stage II The newly married couple
Stage III The family with young children
Stage IV The family at midlife; adolescents and aging parents
Stage V The stage of launching children and moving on
Stage VI The family in later life
 Stage I: Unattached Adult
from the reliance on the family acceptance of emotional
and financial responsibility for oneself.

Adjustment
● differentiation of the self in relation to the family of
origin.
● One’s own identity is developed. (Beliefs and
behaviors)
Stage I: Unattached Adult
Intimate peer relationship
Financial independence

Medical Concern: proper nutrition, physical fitness

and safe sex practice.
Stage II: Newly Married Couple

high level of certain family strengths : self-disclosure , loyalty,

trust and respect.
Important Task: Marital System Formation
Issues:
● closeness versus fusion
● Strive to build intimacy while retaining their individual
identities.
Medical Concerns: Pregnancy and Childbirth
Stage III: The Family with Young Children

challenges:
▪ parenting roles and husband and wife
▪ enlarging family system
Main Task:
realign family system- make space for the children,
adopting and developing parenting roles.
relationship with parents and grandparents roles and
encouraging children to develop peer relationship.
Stage III: The Family with Young Children

Low Marital Satisfaction

Medical Concern: Childhood Illness, Child’s
development, Immunization; Preventive Health
Stage IV: The Family with Adolescent

Emotional Transitions are difficult for the whole

family.
Requires increase flexibility of a family’s
boundaries to include the children’s independence
and the grandparent’s weaknesses.
Requires Second-Order Change: Shifting of
Parent-child relationship to permit adolescent to
move in and out of the system.
Stage IV: The Family with Adolescent

Midlife marital and career issues and a shift

towards caring for the older generation with
children also seeking behavior.
Medical Concerns:
￮ Stress by gender identity and sexual
orientation.
￮ Peer Pressure: Drug dependency, smoking
 Stage V: Launching Family

Egress of the children from the system.

Acceptance of the independent and adult roles of
the first child: role transitions.
Marital Relationship: Empty Nest
Medical Illness: Hypertension, Heart Dse, Arthritis,
Osteoporosis, Menopause and Weight Problems.
 Stage VI: Family in Later Life

Main Task:
Physiologic Decline in the self adjusting to children
taking a more central role in day-to-day activities,
valuing the wisdom and experience of the elderly

Dealing with the loss of a spouse and peer

Reviewing, Reminiscing and Preparing for one’s own
eventual demise
Stage VI: Family in Later Life

Key Emotional Trait: Accepting the Shift in

Generational roles.

Medical Concerns: Physical Illness or a Psychological

One increase with age. Degenerative conditions and
debility.
Stage I. Unattached Young Adult
Emotional Process of Second Order Changes First Order Changes
Transition: Key Principle “NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or
Required to Proceed Tasks Involved
Developmentally
Accepting parent offspring 1. Differentiation of the self 1. Extend social contact
separation in relation to the family of outside of home includes
origin. dating clubs, and
2. Development of intimate recreation.
peer relationship 2. Job employment.
3. Establishment of self in 3. Living accomodation.
work
Problem encountered at Unattached Adult
Medical Emotional Social

1. Episodic Problems 1. Psychosomatic 1. Peer group pressure

2. Sexually Transmitted problems sec to new on acquiring vices,
3. Unwanted Pregnancy job, role and peer such as alcoholism,
4. Pre-employment group smoking.
check up 2. Depression sec to 2. Fiancee pressure for
adjustment to life marriage and
away from home, premarital sex
difficulty in finding
employment suitable
life partner parenteral
expectation
Stage II.Newly Married Couple
Emotional Process of Second Order Changes First Order Changes
Transition: Key “NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or Tasks Involved
Principle Required to Proceed
Developmentally
Commitment to the new 1. Formation of marital system Establishing
system 2. Realignment of relationship 1. home base in a place to call their own.
with extended families and 2. mutually satisfying system for getting and spending
friends to include spouse money.
3. mutually acceptable patterns of who does what and
who is accountable to whom.
4. continuity of mutually acceptable patterns of who
does what and who is accountable to whom
5. continuity of mutually satisfying sexual relationship
6. system of intellectual and emotional
communication.
7. workable relationship with relatives.
8. ways of interacting with friends and associates in
the community
9. possibility of children and planning their coming.
Problem encountered at Newly Married Couple

Medical Emotional and Social

1. Episodic Problems 1. Depression due to the forced early marriage and

2. Early Pregnancy unwanted pregnancy
3. STD 2. Jealousy to job, friends and previous fiancee
4. Job-related physical 3. Emotional Problems relating to new role as a
examination spouse (communication,personalities and character
5. Gynecological problem differences in habits and background
6. Infertility 4. Problems relating to inlaws, friends, peers and
money
5. Demands of new role
6. Problems of adjustment to work and office
Stage III. Family with Young Children
Second Order Changes First Order Changes
“NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or Tasks Involved
Required to Proceed
Developmentally

1. Accepting marital system 1. Supplying adequate space, facilities and equipment for the
to make space for children expanding family.
2. Taking on parenting role 2. Meeting predictable and unexpected costs of family life with small
3. Realignment of relationship children.
with extended family to 3. Sharing responsibilities within the extended family and between
include parenting and members of the growing family
grandparenting roles 4. Maintaining mutually satisfactory sexual relationship and planning
for the future children.
5. Creating and maintaining effective communication system in the
family.
6. Cultivating the full potentials of relationship with relatives w/in the
extended family.
7. Tapping resources serving needs and enjoying contracts outside the
family.
8. Facing dilemmas and reworking philosophies.
Problem encountered: Family with Young Children
Parents Children Grandparents

Medical Medical Medical:

1. Episodic Problems 1. Episodic medical problems 1. Episodic Medical Problems
2. Ob-Gyne 2. Accidents 2. Degenerative Disease
3. Family Planning 3. GOBI 3. Chronic Debilitating
4. annual PE in the job 4. Mental retardation Disease
5. STD 5. Poisoning
Emotional & Social
Emotional & Social Emotional & Social: 4. psychosomatic problems
1.peer pressure on alcoholism 6. learning deficiencies related to illness and
and other vices. 7. child abuse and neglect loneliness
2.sexual inadequacies 5. financial difficulties
3.spouse abuse
4. job-related
5. child rearing
6. communication probs
7. in-law
8. take care of sick and oldies
9. financial difficulties
 IV. Family with Adolescent
Emotional Second Order Changes First Order Changes
Process of “NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or Tasks Involved
Transition: Key Required to Proceed
Principle Developmentally

Increasing 1. Shifting of parent-child 1. Providing facilities for widely different needs.

Flexibility of relationships to permit the 2. Working out money matters in the family with
boundaries to adolescent to move in and teenagers.
include children out f the system. 3. Sharing the tasks of responsibilities of family
independence 2. Refocus on midlife, marital living.
and career issues. 4. Putting the marriage relationship into focus.
3. Beginning shift towards 5. Keeping the communications systems open.
concern for the older 6. Maintaining contacts with the extended
generations. family.
7. Growing into the word as a family and as a
person.
8. Reworking and maintaining a philosophy of
life.
Encountered Problem Family with Adolescent
Adolescent Parents

Medical Medical
1. drug and other substance abuse d/o 1. Common medical problems
2. STD 2. Ob-Gyne
3. acne, bad odor 3. Pre-menopausal symptoms
4. Gyne prob 4. alcoholism and other vices
5. Menstrual prob
6. Allergies and other skin dse Emotional & Social
7. Circumcision 1. Middle life crisis
Emotional & Social 2. male climacteric
8. sexual experimentation leading to teenage pregnancy 3. extra-marital affairs
9. homosexuality 4. insecurities sec to changing
10. conflict with parents appearance
11. juvenile delinquency
12. depression sec to peer pressure, identity crisis and
secondary sex characteristics
13. child prostitution
14. suicidal tenden
V. Launching Family
Emotional Process of Second Order Changes First Order Changes
Transition: Key “NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or Tasks Involved
Principle Required to Proceed
Developmentally

Accepting a 1. Renegotiating of marital 1. Adjusting to the physiologic changes of middle age.

multitude of system as a dyad. 2. Discovering new satisfaction in relation with spouse.
entries and 2. Development of adult to 3. comfortable home set-up for themselves that
exits into the adult relationship accomodate periodically other members of the family.
family system. between grown-up 4. Help adolescent children to free themselves and
children and their become responsible and happy adults with families of
parents. their own.
3. Realignment of 5. Re-examining their living arrangement with their own
relationship to include in- parents.
laws and grandchildren. 6. Adjusting to the reality of their own work situation.
4. Dealing with disabilities 7. Assuring security for their later years.
and death of parents, 8. Participating in community life.
grandparents. 9. Reaffirm the values of life that have real meaning esp.
dependent newly married children.
10. Sexual relationship w/ spouse.
Problem encountered: Launching Family
Parents Children

Medical Medical
1. Episodic Medical Problems 1. Episodic medical problems
2. OB-Gyne 2. OB-Gyne
3. Degenerative Dse 3. Medical problems of adolescence

Emotional & Social Emotional & Social:

Depression due to: 4. independence and dependency problem

a. career stagnation 5. juvenile delinquency
b. emptiness syndrome 6. peer group pressure on vices
c. over-dependent married children 7. problems of old relatives
d. early retirement financial problems 8. conflict with parents
e. extra-marital affairs 9. problems on adjustment to married life
f. taking care of the sick parent or in-law
g. Adjustment of new member of the family
through marriage.
VI. Family in Later Years
Emotional Process Second Order Changes First Order Changes
of Transition: “NEED TO BE” (“NEED TO DO”) or Tasks Involved
Key Principle Required to Proceed Developmentally

Accepting the 1. Maintaining own and or couple functioning 1. Adjusting to the physiologic changes
shifting of and interest in the face of physiologic of later life.
generational decline, exploration of new familial and 2. Re-examining their living
goals. social options. arrangement with their own parents.
2. Support for more central role for middle 3. Participating in-group activities.
generation. 4. Maintaining contact with younger
3. Making room in the system for the wisdom generations.
and experience of the elderly generation
w/o overfunctioning them.
4. Dealing w/ loss of spouse, siblings and
other peers and preparation for own death,
life review and integration.
Problem encountered: Family in Later Years
Parents and Grandparents Children

Medical Medical
1. Degenerative Dse 1. Episodic medical problems
2. Episodic Medical Prob 2. OB-Gyne
3. Gyne Probs 3. Menopausal problems
4. Urologic Prob

Emotional & Social

5. Depression due to death of spouse and sickness.

6. Psychosomatic problems sec to children leaving the
home.
7. loneliness.
8. financial adjustment
Exercise 1

Choose a stage through which you have already passed. Write a

letter to your younger self in that stage.
What advice would you give?
What wisdom could you provide?
What pitfalls could you warn your younger self about?
Be sure and address the developmental task of the stage and discuss
how that task would fit into your advice.
 Exercise 2

Choose a stage you have not yet entered.

What are your desires for that stage?
Given what you have learned about the developmental task
of that stage, how could you approach it so that you could
traverse the stage successfully and optimally?
Google Form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/
1FAIpQLSd1RpFCba_c8CC17--
naCAYJvZbBOgRl7aNpqWe3SeymY8ZHg/
viewform?usp=sf_link
Thank you!