Family Assessment: Application of 11 Gordon's Patterns of Family Evaluation - Research Paper Example

The family stress model best applied to the family interviewed and whose details were provided in details in this paper. Barnet (2008) argues that the family stress model describes the process through which poverty influences child development. This model was advanced during the Great Depression, related to evaluation of paternal behaviors and the related child outcomes that such behaviors would have. The theory states that the economic disadvantages in a family in many cases triggers feelings of economic pressure that lead to psychological distress in parents, and this negatively impacts negatively in the child’s development and growth.

The family in question would be analyzed in respect to these characters and how the family has been able to maneuver through the economic hardships. In addition, Hooper (1996) argues that the use of the 11 areas of Gordon patterns in family health allows the interviewer to indentify factors that may influence the health of the family, and relating the two models above would lead to a better understanding of the particular family. Below is a critical analysis of the 11 elements as postulated by Gordon.

Family description. The family investigated would be represented by the name “RP family” for confidentiality purposes. The family members to observe the same confidentiality would be denoted as follows: father (LR), the mother (AR), a 14 years old child (k1),an 11 years child (k2) and an 8 months infant (B child). Family decision making. It was observed that on major decisions that affect the family, the parents; AR & LR discussed the issues with k1 and K2 and B having no input at this time.

Major decisions were made by A & L together. The types of decisions observed included vacation planning, dinner choices, holiday plans, Saturday activities and summertime activities. All decision regarding children such as schooling, medical decisions, transportation decisions school sport participation etc. Family self perception. The RF family perceives themselves as a normal American family. Though the family had some tragic event in the near past, they were supportive of each other during these incidences and sought counseling for each member after these tragic events.

The strategies of coping with stresses during these times elaborate much on stress tolerance among the family members (Hooper, 1996). Family Values: participation and experiences. The family was not very much religious. The parents and the older children had discussed matters of relating and settled on the decision that the belief in God was a personal belief rather than attending a religious facility each Sunday for worship. The family had much value on education. L was a college graduate; A was in a BS school of Nursing program and had a 4.0 GPA. K1 was on her mothers’ footsteps with a 4.

0GPA entering high school, while k1 portrayed deep understanding on the importance of school though had only attained a 3.5 GPA entering middle school. RP family portrayed deep value and the importance of both nuclear and extended family members, with k1as the eldest child helping in babysitting B infant when instructed by parents. Describing the family residence The family resided in North Kansas City, near Liberty city in the subdivision of upper middle class families. The family