EDCO 815 Reading Report
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Name: Lynda Burke
Date: April 25, 2020
Week #: Four
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. 17-18 ISBN - 9780801049347
Carter & McGoldrick: ch.20-22 376-429 ISBN - 9780205968060
Kostenberger: ch. 11 ISBN - 9781433503641
Yarhouse & Sells: chs. 11-12 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!
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Balswick, (2014), State that when a married couple find that they are at their wits ends
and feel like there is no where else to turn except to get a divorce, that even if they get divorced
they may not be any happier. It was shocking to find out that 5 years after their divorce many
divorced couples did not find that they were any happier. As noted in previous papers many
young people look at marriage as a disposable commodity, looking at their marriage and saying,
‘that it is hard today and too much work, so I will just walk away.’ In the early 1900’s divorce
was something that rarely happened, by the mid 1900’s divorce happened more often but was
still looked down upon by many, now in the 2000’s divorce is a common practice and is less
looked down on. “Divorce remains a topic of great interest, as noted by the fact that nearly 2,000
scholarly articles were published on this topic in social-science journals between 2000 and 2010
(Amato 2010)” Balswick, 2014. All marriages are not feasible, while all divorces are not
obligatory. If a couple cared enough about each other to get married, there is a good chance that
if they received the needed tools, they could make their marriage work, however, it can only
work if both parties are willing to put in the effort. Many young people are moving in with each
other rather than marring. Within these cohabitating relationships that a number of new children
are being brought into the world and their parents are feeling no prerequisite to be married to
have a family. If and when these cohabitating couples break up it is not recorded or added to the
number of divorces that happen each year. Balswick states “Although there is no sure way of
predicting whether a marriage will succeed, research has found correlations with a number of
demographic factors, such as age, ethnicity, income, occupation, social class, and level of
education that may have a bearing (p. 302).
Balswick helps to enlighten what a family is these days. When one looks at the historical
meaning of family; it was looked at as two parents, a father and a mother along with their
EDCO 815 Reading Report
children. Once children were added to the mix the couple became a family. However, in the
present, a family looks significantly dissimilar than the typical family of yesteryear. Several
years back the government made it legal for same sex marriages, thus a family did not need to be
headed by a husband and a wife any longer, single parents are common in the current era also.
Beyond typical parents (a husband and a wife), there are same sex parents, stepparents, blended
families, there are single parents, there are adult siblings raising their younger siblings, there are
more and more family members raising other people’s children such as multigenerational
(grandparents, aunts, uncles and even family friends), along with foster families, and
cohabitating couples. There is not one single type of family and to suggest that there is, would be
doing harm and a disservice to the other types of families. In cases of blended families there are
a lot of new things to consider, the new step-parent will have to realize where they can fit in,
how the family existed prior to their addition and what role they will take in the newly formed
family, especially if the new member is stepping in the role of a parent who passed away. In the
event that the new parent is stepping into a family that has lost one of their parents the children
may not be willing to accept the new parent into the family causing additional issues. However,
no matter what the reason is behind the addition of a new family member there will be some
struggles not just for the new member but also for the family that is taking in the new member.
Carter & McGoldrick explain that divorce is becoming more socially acceptable but
many still regard divorces as an adverse action. With that being said there are no two divorces
that are the same. Per Merriam-Webster the Definition of sociocultural: of, relating to, or
involving a combination of social
and cultural factors. Sociocultural influences the divorce
and affects each person involved in it in a different way.
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Ethnic and religious groups may differ in the way they perceive divorce, and
these different perceptions influence how a family copes. In order to help
families reorganize as healthy systems, clinicians need to understand the nature
of the divorce process, the family’s developmental stage, and the sociocultural
background of the family.
Not only does social and cultural elements affect how individuals deal with a divorce,
ethnicity, religious believes or lack thereof, age of the persons in the marriage, location where the
couple lives, and sexual orientation (just to mention some of the main ones), also affect whether
a couple’s marriage will end in divorce. However, divorce is never that straight-forward, divorce
affects people on many proportions. If the couple are younger they would be considered more
likely to divorce, if the partners were older than 30 when they married they would be more likely
to divorce, if the parties come from broken-homes they are more likely to repeat what their
parents have done. There are innumerable different reasons why people end up getting divorced
and what experiences affects their divorce. To address all of the reasons and experiences that
cause a couple to get a divorce would be impossible as the list would be exhaustive.
However, no matter how peaceful or mutual the desire to get a divorce is, it will be
anything but easy. A divorce will require time spent with a lawyer, time in court, agreeing to
certain facts or stipulations, children if they exist, family, your church, etc.… “Rarely is the
process symmetrical, let alone rational or mutual” (McGoldrick & Carter, 2016).
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Kostenberger states that Jesus’ believes that divorce is not what God had planned
(Malachi 2:16)“The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the LORD, the God of Israel,
“does violence to the one he should protect,” says the LORD Almighty So be on your guard, and
do not be unfaithful (Gateway Bible). Despite the fact that Jesus declared marriage was designed
to be eternal rather than merely an instrument of man. Per Jesus and his teachings divorce is not
an option, remarriage is acceptable in the event of death. However, Mathew does allow for
divorce under the milieu of adultery (Kostenberger, 2010). When one member or in the instance
of both members having had an affair divorce would be acceptable.
The Catholic church still regards an affair as the only legitimate reason for a couple to
divorce. Most other religions hold some form of acceptance or rebuff to divorce. Many churches
require premarital counseling and offer ongoing counseling in the event issues should arise to
help prevent the couple from divorcing. Kostenberger states that porneia (defined as illicit sexual
intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animal s per Bible
Study Tools) is the one acceptable reason for someone to divorce. However, if a person is
cheated on by their spouse, they typically will end up having trust issues that they may carry
onward into their potential future relationships.
In these potential future relationships, one must address their stories of their previous
relationships. It is a narrative therapist who might help the entities in the family realize they can
get past these distressing parts of their history (Yarhouse, 2017). With the help of a narrative
therapist, the parties can learn how they can re-write their past troubling stories. “A narrative
family therapist assists a family by helping them articulate their story and identify the meaning
that they have attached to it” (Yarhouse, 2017). Yarhouse goes on to explain that what was
perilous is given a tone to articulate to the family. By allowing the issue to have a voice the
EDCO 815 Reading Report
problem can be removed from the family, leaving the family and the problem, two separate
objects. Yarhouse explains that it is viewed that how a person describes an unpleasant incident is
often how they interpret the humanity around them. “The postmodern underpinnings of narrative
approaches to therapy reject any claims to universal, timeless truth” (Yarhouse, 2017).
Reference
Balswick, J. O. & Balswick, J. (2014). The family: a Christian perspective on the contemporary
home. Michigan: Baker Academic.
Bible Gateway. BibleGateway.com/ A Searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50
languages, www.biblegateway.com.
Cloud, H., & Townsend, J. S. (1999). Boundaries in marriage. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (2013). Measures for clinical practice and research. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press Inc.
Eggerichs, E. (2004). Love & respect: the love she most desires, the respect he desperately needs.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Garland, D. R. (1999). Family ministry: a comprehensive guide. Downers Grove: InterVarsity
Press.
Gottman, J. & Silver, N. (1994). Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: ... and How You Can Make
Yours Last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
KOstenberger Andreas J., & Jones, D. W. (2010). God, marriage, and family rebuilding the
biblical foundation. Wheaton, , Il: Crossway.
McGoldrick, M., & Carter, E.A. (2016). The expanding family life cycle individual, family, and
social perspectives. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Read & Study the Bible - Daily Verse, Scripture by Topic, Stories. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24,
2020, from https://www.biblestudytools.com/
EDCO 815 Reading Report
Sociocultural. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/sociocultural
Yarhouse, M. & Seals, J. (2017). Family Therapies: a comprehensive christian appraisal.
Downer Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1,
2020, from https://zoom.us/
Williams, L., Edwards, T. M., Patterson, J., & Chamow, L. (2011). Essential assessment skills for
couple and family therapists. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
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