Read the Book(Uploaded) and write about the questions(each 1150~200 words)

children” mean not only a disruption of routines but also disagreements about turf, au- thority, and responsibilities—items they thought were long ago resolved.

Widowhood. As you know, women are more likely than men to become widowed. There are two reasons for this: On average, women live longer than men, and they usually marry men older than they are. For either women or men, the death of a spouse tears at the self, clawing at identities that had merged through the years. With the one who had become an essential part of the self gone, the survivor, as in adolescence, once again confronts the per- plexing question “Who am I?”

The death of a spouse produces what is called the widowhood effect. The impact of the death is so strong that it increases the chances that the surviving spouse will die earlier than expected. The “widowhood effect” is not even across the board, however, and those who have gone through anticipatory grief suffer fewer health consequences (Elwert and Chris- takis 2008). This is apparently because they knew their spouse was going to die, and they were able to make preparations that smoothed the transition—from arranging finances to preparing themselves psychologically for being alone (Hiltz 1989). You can see how say- ing goodbye and cultivating treasured last memories would help people adjust to the im- pending death of an intimate companion. Sudden death, in contrast, rips the loved one away, offering no chance for this predeath healing.

Diversity in U.S. Families As we review some of the vast diversity of U.S. families, it is important to note that we are not comparing any of them to the American family. There is no such thing. Rather, family life varies widely throughout the United States. We have already seen in several contexts how significant social class is in our lives. Its significance will continue to be ev- ident as we examine diversity in U.S. families.

African American Families Note that the heading reads African American families, not the African American family. There is no such thing as the African American family any more than there is the white family or the Latino family. The primary distinction is not between African Americans and

314 C h a p t e r 1 0 M A R R I A G E A N D F A M I L Y

There is no such thing as the African American family, any more than there is the Native American, Asian American, Latino, or Irish American family. Rather, each racial–ethnic group has different types of families, with the primary determinant being social class.