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Program Outcomes for Parents & Families | ||||||||||||||||
Parents
Adaptability Introduction Krysan, Moore and Zill (1990) define “adaptability” as one of the essential characteristics of strong resilient families. Increasingly, researchers point to a family’s ability to adapt to stressful, potentially damaging events, as well as more predictable life changes as a significant indication of a family’s sense of well-being and overall strength. Most families face a number of common challenges. Children get older. Adults switch jobs or retire. Families are reshaped by birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, sickness, and death. Families move to different communities. Family relationships are most likely to remain healthy and strong if family members adapt to these changes. The development of a stable family pattern is necessary to deal with all the things a family must face, decide, and accomplish in daily life. But a family must also be able to adapt to new needs and circumstances. Families must deal with developmental changes within their family as well as with situations outside the family that can be stressful or potentially damaging. A family that is structured and flexible rather than rigid and chaotic is likely to most adaptable. Family strengths influence a family’s ability to respond to a variety of stressors (e.g., accord, celebrations, communication, financial management, hardiness, health, leisure, personality, support network, time and routines, and traditions). Family adaptability involves issues of leadership, negotiation, discipline, rules, and roles. Families whose response style reflects extremes (rigid or chaotic) vs. balance (structured or flexible) tend to have difficulty adapting to change and therefore experience more dysfunction during stressful times (Olson, Russell & Sprenkle, 1989). Often, events are not stressful in themselves, but resultant stress is a product of a family’s perception of the events in conjunction with their family resources (i.e., both internal and external; emotional and material capacities). Adaptability is a major component element in Olson’s Circumplex Model. In fact, much of Olson’s research is focused on a family’s ability to overcome stress and crises. Olson (1989) defines adaptability as “the ability of a marital or family system to change its power structure, role relationships and relationship rules in response to situational and developmental stress” (p. 12). Olson hypothesizes that when family members are satisfied with family dynamics, they function effectively. Further Olson et al.’s (1989) research indicates that family require different levels of adaptability as they progress through different events in the life cycle (e.g., birth, school, adolescence). McCubbin et al. (1996) utilize the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation to explain how families negotiate change and stressful life events. McCubbin et al. note that in major crisis situations, a family often adapts by instituting changes in the family’s pattern of functioning, legitimating changes through modifications with family schema, paradigms, meanings and situational appraisal, and by changes in the family’s relationship with the outside world. This process is directed at reestablishing a satisfactory and growth-producing level of harmony and balance within the family. Component elements The following family behaviors serve as examples for developing more specific outcome objectives based on the critical component elements of Adaptability. Family members exhibit adaptability when they:
Definition Families who exhibit “adaptability” are able to manage both everyday and unpredictable stress (Krysan, Moore & Zill, 1990). Brief summary with application to State Strengthening Projects Families can be strengthened by helping them build their personal resources. Some of these important resources are intangible, but vital to the families ability to achieve harmony and balance. McCubbin (1996) has identified eight categories of these personal resources: 1. The innate intelligence of family members
McCubbin, Hamilton I., Thompson, Anne I & McCubbin, Marilyn A. (1996) Family assessment: Resiliency, coping and adaptation. Madison: University of Wisconsin Publishers. Olson, D. H., Russell, C.
S., & Sprenkle, D. H. (1989). Circumplex model: Systemic
assessment and treatment of families. New York: Haworth Press.
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