“The
whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
This week in class was so
interesting. We started by talking about the differences between theories, hypotheses,
law, facts, and truth. I really liked a scripture that someone in class read.
It’s D&C 93:24. It says, “The truth is knowledge of things as they are, and
as they were, and as they are to come.” To me this really means that truth is
truth, before, now, and forever. It never changes.
We went on to talk about the
different kinds of theories that can be applied to families and family research.
I will name them and then kind of go through and define/provide an example of
each on so they are easier to understand. They are;
Systems Theory- “when an intimate group
(in this case, a family) is analyzed as a whole. This specific group has
boundaries that distinguish it from other groups.” An example of this is how
each family has their own set of rules, and procedures they follow that are unique
to their family.
Exchange Theory- this is when the “you
owe me” kind of attitude comes into play. In a relationship, if the cost it
takes to keep that relationship in tact is greater than the rewards you reap
from that relationship, more often than not, the ties to that relationship will
be cut. It won’t always be in an intentionally malicious way, but if we aren’t getting
back what we put out, why would we want to keep putting effort into something where
we receive nothing in return? It’s kind of like the analogy where we each have
our own buckets of water, and if we constantly have to give and fill someone else’s
bucket, we will eventually be dried out. Nothing left. We have to get something
back as well in every kind of relationship. Relationships go both ways.
Symbolic Interaction Theory- this
theory says that humans are cognitive creatures who are influenced by their
interaction experiences with others. A girl in class gave an example of how if
a cute person came up to you and randomly asked you one a date, you would think
it was sweet and probably say yes. But if you flip it around and someone you didn’t
find super attractive did that, you would think it was weird and probably say
no. It’s interesting how our perceptions and interactions with the people
around us shape what we think about them.
Conflict Theory- this theory means that within a group,
there is always going to be inequality, conflict, and struggles over resources.
In a family, everyone has differing interests, needs and goals. You sometime struggle within each other to
meet those needs.
W can use these theories to explain and analyze things going
on in our own families.
We also talked about the different family rules that we each
grew up with. They could even be unspoken rules, like unassigned seating at the
kitchen table when eating dinner. Things like that. A few examples of family
rules could be asking both mom and dad for permission to do something, or maybe
dad drives the family when they go places. It’s something that goes without being
said and no one questions it.
We talked about the role we each played in our family growing
up. What was your role? I can’t pinpoint a specific title but I was definitely
a help and almost a second mom to my younger siblings. I was also very sarcastic
and joked a lot.
We briefly talked about how when we are dating now, it is important
to date a variety of people to see what you like, what works, and what doesn’t.
Who you date and marry will greatly impact your future children? I know that I
don’t always think about how who I marry could affect my future children.
Anyways, these are
just my two cents and thoughts about what we learned this week. Thanks for turning
in! Feel free to share any thoughts you have!
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