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I learned that healthy families provide crucial support for their members, helping to develop values and skills necessary for success in society while serving as a protective factor against risky behaviors for teens.
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There are various types of families, including nuclear, single-parent, blended, extended, adoptive, and foster families, each with its own dynamics and structures.
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Some major functions of families include ensuring physical health by meeting basic needs, promoting mental and emotional health through love and support, and fostering social health by instilling values and cultural traditions.
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Domestic violence can encompass spousal abuse, child abuse or neglect, and elder abuse, highlighting the need for awareness and resources to combat such issues within family systems.
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Positive and negative peer pressure play significant roles in relationships with friends, and it is essential to recognize and respond to negative peer pressure assertively, using techniques such as stating one’s position and suggesting alternative activities.
Family and Peer Relationships: Chapters 7 & 8, all lessons
Learning Targets
After studying this lesson, I will be able to
● explain some of the major functions of the family.
● identify traits that healthy families have in common.
● explain factors that may cause a family system to break down
● describe the forms of domestic violence.
● identify sources of help for families in crisis.
● describe the types of peer relationships.
● describe the dating relationship.
● give examples of both positive and negative peer pressure and manipulation.
● describe ways of responding to negative peer pressure.
● identify the three-step process of assertive refusal.
Healthy Family Relationships
Your relationship with your family is the most important relationship in your life. Healthy families:
● Provide support for its members.
● Help children and teens develop the values and skills to become successful members of society.
● Can be an important protective factor for teens by helping them avoid behaviors that may put their health at
risk.
● Are the foundation of a healthy society.
Types of Families
1. Nuclear family – two parents and one or more children living in the same place
2. Single-parent family – families with one parent caring for one or more children.
3. Blended families – a married couple and their children from previous marriages.
4. Extended families – a family that includes additional relatives beyond parents and children.
5. Adoptive families – a family consisting of a parent or parents and one or more adopted children
6. Foster families – a temporary placement of children in the homes of adults who are not related to them.
Functions of the Family
1. Physical Health
● Meet the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter
● Provide medical care
● Set limits on behavior
● Teach health skills
2. Mental/Emotional Health
● Provide a safe environment for you to express and deal with your emotions.
● Provide love and emotional support to promote self-esteem
● Provide affirmation – the positive feedback that helps others feel appreciated and supported
3. Social Health
● Instilling ethical values
● Instilling culture and tradition
Characteristics of Strong Families
● Care and support (love)
● Good communication
● Affirmation – providing positive input that helps others feel appreciated and supported.
● Trust
● Commitment
● Time together
● Respect
● Solving problems
Changes in Family Structure
● Birth / adoption
● Separation / divorce/ remarriage
● Death of a family member
Changes in Family Circumstances
● Moving to a new home
● Changes in a families financial situation
● Illness and disability
● Alcohol or other drug abuse
Violence in Families
Abuse is defined as the physical, mental, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of one person by another. When the abuse
results in acts of violence involving family members, it is called domestic violence.
● Spousal abuse – can involve physical or sexual violence, as well as emotional abuse.
● Child abuse or neglect – Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual. Neglect is failure to provide for a child’s
basic needs.
● Elder abuse or neglect - Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual. Neglect is failure to provide for someone’s
basic needs. It can also be financial, such as a caregiver taking advantage of elders by manipulating or pressuring
them into handing over control of their money and other assets.
Stopping Domestic Abuse (the three “Rs”)
1. Recognize the problem. Domestic violence is a crime!
2. Resist the abuser. Try to escape or prevent the attack. Seek help once you escape.
3. Report the abuse
a. Law enforcement
b. Trusted adult, family member, teacher, school nurse
c. Abuse hotline
d. Crisis center
❖ Both the victim and abusers need help. Through counseling and other strategies, they can learn to manage their
feelings and break the cycle of violence (a pattern of repeating violent or abusive behavior from one generation
to the next).
Sources of Support
● Family Counseling services
● Support groups
● Community services (shelters, hotlines)
● Law enforcement officials
● Hospitals or clinics
● Faith communities
Safe and Healthy Peer Relationships
You will form many kinds of friendships throughout your life. Friends not only enjoy spending time together, they also
share certain common attributes such as:
● Similar values, interests, beliefs, and attitudes
● Open and honest communication
● Mutual respect, caring, and support
● Concern about each other’s safety and well-being
Types of Friendships
● Casual friendships – someone with whom you share interests but not deep emotional bonds.
● Close friends – someone you have strong emotional ties with. You feel comfortable sharing your thoughts,
feelings, and experiences with this person.
● Platonic friendships – a friendship with a member of the opposite gender in which there is affection, but the
two are not considered a couple
● Online friendships – can be rewarding, but can also be dangerous. Online friends may not be truthful, such as a
person claiming to be a teen who is actually an adult.
● Cliques – a small, narrow circle of friends, usually with similar backgrounds and tastes, who exclude people they
view as outsiders. They may exclude people due to prejudice or stereotypical views.
Characteristics of Healthy Friendships
● Mutual respect
● Caring
● Honesty
● Commitment
● Empathy
● Fairness
● Shared interests
● Acceptance
● Support
● Loyalty
Reasons for Ending a Harmful Friendship
● A friend pressures you to do something that is unsafe or goes against your values.
● A friend says hurtful and insulting things to you.
● A friend constantly tries to get you to change your beliefs or actions.
Peer Pressure
Peer pressure is defined as the influence that people your age may have on you
1. Positive Peer Pressure
2. Negative Peer Pressure
a. Harassment – persistently annoying others. It may include name-calling, teasing, or bullying.
b. Manipulation – an indirect, dishonest way to control or influence other people.
● Making threats – promising violence or some other negative consequence
● Blackmail – threatening to reveal some embarrassing or damaging information
● Mocking or teasing – making fun of another person in mean or hurtful ways.
● “Guilt trips” – making a person feel guilty.
● Bargaining – offering to make a deal
● Flattery – using excessive praises
● Bribing – promising money or favors
Responding to Negative Peer Pressure
Assertive refusal – standing up for your own rights, in firm but positive ways, using refusal skills
a. State your position and give an honest reason for your response
b. Suggest alternative activities
c. Stand your ground and leave if necessary
Day 11 Do Now
Write 5 sentences about what you learned from the info sheet.
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2 answers