Concept Paragraph and Outline
Donyel A. Beale
Liberty University
EDCO 815
CONCEPT PARAGRAPH AND OUTLINE 1
January 23, 2024
Concept Paragraph
This paper will develop an explanation of my personal theory of the development of
family. My definition of family is simply, the family is any set or group of individuals, who are
bound together traditionally by birth or adoption, or bound together structurally by blending, or
be bound over time by sharing life and resources. While the family has always been the nucleus
of society, the dynamics has constantly changed, which has caused various interpretations of
what the family really is. According to what the Bible has presented, the family originated with
male and female, which of course grew as time progressed, because of the intimacy shared. It
was then, that family was thought of as male and female, ideally married, which included
children as the offspring. However, this definition has changed, as family is now not only
defined as those who are biologically connected, but also includes those who are bound together
by even those who have played an intricate role in each other’s lives. Therefore, the definition
has clearly changed, over time. The paper will dive further into the past definitions of the family
as well as today’s interpretation of the family. Included in this discussion is further explanation
of the religion sexuality, parent, and family development.
I. Introduction
If there is one group of people that is important to today’s society, it would have to be the
family. As explained by McGoldrick & Carter (2015), we are born into families. However, while
each of us are born into families, our definitions of family can sometimes change, based upon
various circumstances that happen in people’s lives.
II. Marriage and Family Development
a. Marriage
i. Gender Roles
1. Men- From a young age, men learn to evaluate their adequacy
based upon their ability to behave in accordance with male gender
norms. These norms help shaped and influenced by culture,
communicated to the individuals through social learning and
filtered through and affected by group characteristics (Cole, et al,
2019).
2. Women- women have always played a central role in families, yet
women are far more complex varied and unpredictable lives than
men (McGoldrick & Carter, 2015). While men tended to work
outside the home in the fields, women specialized in activities in
the home. The division of labor then generated norms about the
appropriate role of women in society (Alesina, et al, 2013).
b. Divorce and remarriage- While the beauty of God’s plan for marriage is plainly
laid out in Scripture and many long to experience the kind of intimacy and love
found only in biblical marriage, the sad reality is that marriage relationships are
often broken and fall short of the biblical ideal (Kostenberger, 2010). Sadly,
approximately one million children are constantly affected by divorce (Johnson,
et al, 2001).
III. Religion and Spirituality
a. Findings have suggested that religion promotes the formation of traditional family
ties, such as marriage rather than cohabitation and marital rather than nonmarital
births (Mahoney, 2010).
i. Research shows a generally overall positive outcome for children, youth,
and adults of all ages who associate with religious beliefs, spiritual
practice, along with involvement in a faith community (Dollahite &
Marks, 2018).
ii. Perhaps the greatest challenge to the Christian community is to offer grace
in the midst of the tension felt when those who enter the church to learn of
God and God’s grace have a different set of value systems (Balswick,
2014).
IV. Sexuality and Family Development
a. According to Russell et al, (2020), sexuality values, behaviors, and health are
important components of individuals and family well-being.
V. Parenting and Family Development
a. According to Balswick (2014) the importance of informing parents about child
development and parenting methods along with encouraging them to analyze
information is critical.
b. Parental authority does not mean that the children should not be involved in
problem solving and decision making (Balswick, 2014).
VI. Later Life
VII. Preferred Theory of Family Therapy
a. Cognitive-behavioral family therapy relies on many of the assumptions of
behavioral family therapy, but there is significant awareness and exploration of
how thoughts influence behavior (Yarhouse, et al, 2017).
References
Alesina, A., Giuliano, P., & Nunn, N. (2013). ON THE ORIGINS OF GENDER ROLES:
WOMEN AND THE PLOUGH. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(2), 469–530.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26372505
Balswick, J. O., & Balswick, J. K., & Frederick, T. V. (2021). The family: A Christian
perspective on the contemporary home (5th ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
ISBN: 9781540963000.
Cole, B. P., Baglieri, M., Scott, P., Brennan, M., Ternes, M., Patterson, T., & Ashley, K. (2019).
What’s Right With Men? Gender Role Socialization and Men’s Positive
Functioning. American Journal of Men's
Health, 13(1)https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318806074
Dollahite, D. C., & Marks, L. D. (2018). Introduction to the Special Issue: Exploring Strengths
in American Families of Faith. Marriage & Family Review, 54(7), 617– 634.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1080/01494929.2018.1469569
Garland, D. (2012). Family ministry: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed.). Downers Grove, IL: IVP
Academic. ISBN: 9780830839711.
Mahoney, A. (2010). Religion in families, 1999-2009: A relational spirituality
framework. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(4), 805-827.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00732.x
McGoldrick, M., Carter, (2016). The expanding family life cycle: Individual, family, and social
perspectives. Boston: Pearson.
Russell, St. Mallory, A.B., Bishop, M.D., & Dorri, A.A. (2020). Innovation and Integration of
Sexuality in Family Life Education. Family Relations, 69(3), 595-613.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1111/fare.12462
Yarhouse, M.A. & Sells, J.N. (2017). Family therapies: A comprehensive Christian appraisal.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
