“EDCO 815 Reading Report Week 2”
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Place a mark beside the percentage that most accurately represents the amount of reading from
your textbook(s) and additional materials you completed for this week’s module. Then generate a
paragraph of reflection from the reading and type them on this form below. Save the reading
report and submit it through the assignment link on Blackboard. Submitting the weekly reading
report is a requirement for the course.
Critical thinking involves asking questions about clarification of key issues, worldview
assumptions, reasons/evidence, perspectives, and implications. Reflections develop critical
thinking from the required reading. Reading reports will be conducted at 4 times during the
course and will account for a total of 200 points.
Completed Reading
I have completed the following percentage of required reading for this weekly module:
0%____ 20%____ 40% ____ 60% ____ 80% ____ 100% _ X_
Textbook Readings
Balswick: chs. 2, 8, 19 ISBN - 9780801049347
Carter & McGoldrick: ch. 8 ISBN - 9780205968060
Garland: ch. 4 ISBN - 9780830839711
Kostenberger: ch. 6 ISBN - 9781433503641
Yarhouse & Sells: chs. 3–4 ISBN - 9780830828548
Note: Please keep in mind the academic honesty policy of Liberty University as you complete
and submit your reading report. A clear conscience is worth more than a few points!
Advanced (A- to A):
Satisfies criteria w/ excellence
14 to 15 pts.
The readings are summarized according to instructions. The major themes/messages are stated.
Summary demonstrates thorough familiarity with the materials.
19 to 20 pts.
Between 92% - 100% of readings were completed.
14 to 15 pts.
The report properly uses current APA style in citations/references (Full APA not required).
The paper reflects a graduate level voice and vocabulary.
Name: Lynda Burke
Date: April 4, 2024
Week #: 2 – Revised version
“EDCO 815 Reading Report Week 2”
“EDCO 815 Reading Report Week 2”
Balswick states that the concept of family is has at least the position of parents and
children but depending on the background of the family could include extended family systems
as well (ch. 2, pg. 24). In most sets of members of society, the adults are looked upon as the
leaders or the individuals who have the authority over those who are younger. However, in each
family structure there must be some wiggle room as to how things will adjust to any changes
within the unit. The changes within a family can be looked at during different stressors and each
will look different from the other as each process will contain its own unique stages of
development and milestones. Disengagement, differentiation, and enmeshment are explained by
Balswick as the amount a family is involved in the emotional wellbeing of other family members
(Ch. 2, pg. 35-40). Families that are disengaged have very little to do with each other’s mental
wellbeing or cohesion, where as enmeshment is an overly involved family one might look at it as
a micromanaging family where no one has any independence, and finally the differentiational
family which is considered the ideal state. The differentiational family is involved with each
other but individuals have autonomy also.
Spiritual education was previously developed with support from the grandparents in the
family, however in todays day of singular families and of the nuclear family moving farther away
from the extended family the role of spiritual education falls upon the parents shoulders who
often allow it to roll away from the family forcing the church to be responsible for more of the
ethical believes (Balswick, ch. 8, pg. 145). “Moral values are based on underlying beliefs
concerning right and wrong” (Balswick, ch. 8, pg 146). This spiritual education and moral
values develop as the bond grows between parent and child, where the child learns what is
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morally acceptable and what is unacceptable. In families where the parents hold no faith or do
not display any faith the development is different, and the children may develop without a belief
of a higher power. Balswick states “Differentiation in Christ refers to the New Testament
emphasis on each believer finding his or her identity and reference in relationship with Chris
rather than with other humans” (ch. 8, pg 150). It is through this spiritual growth that each family
member allows the family as a who to grow within its spirituality.
One may not look at the concept of family and automatically presume it contains a father
(husband), mother(wife) and children (biological offspring). Concept of family has changed
dramatically over the last several decades, a family may contain one or more parents, may have
grandparents and children. However, in today’s age this family model may not have anyone
biologically related to each other, it may have same sex parents, it may have children from
multiple families or may not even contain children (Balswick, ch. 18, pg. 321). When a marriage
ends one must investigate themselves and see what went right and what went wrong, without
looking and honestly finding out what dynamics played a positive roll as well as a negative roll,
the individual will never be able to move forward into a new relationship without continuing to
make the same mistakes that were previously made, thus resulting in a rocky marriage or a
divorce. However, if the people have both reflected on their past relationships and have
discovered what worked as well as what did not the people will have a better chance of making
their second marriage work. However, if they do not develop good communication skills and
conflict resolution, they will be likely to fall back into the same patterns which lead to their last
failed marriage (Balswick, ch. 18, pg. 325). More and more families are becoming new blended
families in one way or another, with the ongoing drug issues more children are moving in with
grandparents, aunts or uncles or foster families causing the concept of a nuclear family to be in
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flux. If the new family is not grounded and if all parts do not feel valued and included struggles
will exist causing ongoing issues which can end up breaking the new family instead of making it
stronger.
‘What is the meaning of life?’ is a question uttered by those who have no belief in a
higher power or who have lost their belief. When a person struggle with spiritual belief, feels as
though there is no one to turn to, or are suffering from something negative affecting him causing
the feeling of loss he will be lacking the healing force needed to come out the other side in a
positive stronger form. During the development of a human being their belief in spirituality will
change, beginning as an infant and youngster a child will learn what the family teaches them
about God, spirituality or a higher being. As the child grows into an adolescent their believes
will become influenced by the people around them outside their family and eventually as they
become adults they will explore and move toward the belief that fits them and will allow them to
spread their wings and ultimately becoming the head of a new generation which will be
influenced by his believes (Carter & McGoldrick, ch. 8, pg. 162). People throughout the world
believe in and lean on religion or spirituality not just during the hard times, but also the good
times and the day to day event. Even though their spiritual believes may change over their
lifetime they will know they always have God or a high being to lean on.
Chapter Four, Family Ministry: A Comprehensive Guide by Diane R. Garland describes
the life of Jesus as well as those who were relative to his birth, upbringing, and life. Garland
explains that there were many people who were his brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers
because they were faithful to God. Garland is not stating that his mothers and fathers, brothers
and sisters are biologically related to him, that through biologically is how they have their
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relationship, rather that they are his family because they have faith in God. It is explained that we
must fix things when they break, we must believe what God says and we must work hard to be
able to be worthy of God’s love. Garland states that it is these things which will make us family
with God’s other disciples (ch. 4).
Kostenberger writes that Jesus expected his followers to be willing to leave their
biological family behind in the pursuit of a better life. Looking to live a holier life, his believers
needed to follow God’s word. “Leaving one’s natural family behind, even literally, was regularly
expected of Jesus’ first followers, at least for the duration of Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry
(though it appears that subsequently the disciples resumed normal family relations, 1 Cor. 9:5)”
(Kostenberger, ch. 6, pg. 110). Kostenberger also states that Jesus’ disciples should be baptized
as well as have ongoing formal and informal continuing education (Kostenberger, ch. 6, pg. 126-
127).
Yarhouse and Sells discuss the background and history of Bowen as well as his family.
Explaining that Bowen served in the Army as a surgeon during World War II, then returned to
Topeka, Kansas where he began to practice psychiatry. Schizophrenia is the specialty that
Bowen began treating before acknowledging that he needed to focusing on the parent-child
relationship regarding persons with schizophrenia (Yarhouse & Sells, 2017, ch. 3, pg. 62). It was
through this insight that Bowen began to realize when treating an individual, he must also treat
the family, “the family as the unit of treatment” (Bowen, 1961, pg 40). Bowen believed that a
person is a makeup of their family, now referred to as “transgenerational” or “Bowenian”
(Yarhouse & Sells, 2017, ch. 3, pg. 64). Bowen looked to see how the different generations of
family members affected the client with schizophrenia and visa verse, referred to as
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multigenerational transmission (Yarhouse & Sells, 2017, ch. 3, pg. 67). Bowen used genograms
as an additional tool to help bridge the gap within families.
Per Yarhouse & Sells; Strategic Family Therapy is made up of theoretical stage,
therapeutic stage, and dissemination stage (2017, ch. 4, pg. 88). Yarhouse & Sells use the well-
known phrase damned if you do, and damned if you don’t as a means to explain the issues within
the Strategic Family Therapy. In other words, individuals are dealing with situations where they
do not feel like there is a winning option. This is something most people have had to deal with at
one point in their life or another. Once a person feels like they have no choice or there is no way
to change what is going on they often seek out counseling (Yarhouse & Sells, 2017, ch. 4, pg.
100-101). The sessions will begin by looking to fix only the superficial problems, then to find a
way to address issues which are repeated. It is through these small fixes that Strategic Family
Therapist look to resolve. It is stated that this is a double bind process puts a person into a
situation where neither choice is desirable. Double bind “psychological predicament in which a
person receives from a single source conflicting messages that allow no appropriate response
to be made” (Merriam-Webster).
“EDCO 815 Reading Report Week 2”
References
Balswick, J. O. (2014). The family: A Christian perspective on the contemporary home, 4th ed.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. ISBN: 9780801049347.
Carter & McGoldrick. (2016). The expanded family life cycle: Individual, family, and social
perspectives, 5th ed. Columbus, OH: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN: 9780205968060.
Double Bind. (n.d.). Retrieved April 3, 2020, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/double bind.
Garland, D. (2012). Family ministry: A comprehensive guide, 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP
Academic. ISBN: 9780830839711.
Kostenberger, A. J. (2010). God, marriage, and family: Rebuilding the biblical foundation, 2nd
ed. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. ISBN: 9781433503641.
Yarhouse, M. A. & Sells. (2017). Family therapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN: 9780830828548.
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