Instructor's Guide

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - The Developing Profession/Professional

Questions/Problems for Discussion and Review - Chapter 2

Class Discussion

1. Which of the people described on the first page of this chapter would you consider to be a “professional” family life educator? Why?
2. How do you define “family”?
3. What is the goal of family life education?
4. Can a person have a different set of values in his or her personal life than in his or her professional life? Why or why not?

Research Problems

1. Trace the development of another social science profession (e.g., social work, marriage and family therapy) applying East’s criteria.
2. Interview a representative sample of family studies majors in your department and a sample of family life educators in your area. Compare their responses to the ethical dilemmas presented in the case studies in this chapter. On what bases do they make their judgments?
3. Using Doherty’s Levels of Family Involvement Model, determine the proper course of action for a family life educator when a parent in a parent education group reveals having been physically abused by his or her spouse.

Case Study Design
Read through the two ethical dilemmas described on page 49-50. What should Carl do? What should Gretchen do?

Box 2.2 - Assessing Your Personal Qualities as a Family Life Educator - Download a pdf of Box 2.2
Listed below are qualities seen as critical for effectiveness as a family life educator. Rate yourself on the following scale:

1. Needs much improvement
2. Needs some improvement
3. Average, but not well developed Above average, moving toward competency
4. Competent in this area

• General intellectual skills. Ability to gather, read, and process information and to apply it to a topic and to group needs; to articulate concepts and ideas; to organize materials and stay on track when presenting them; to hear and incorporate ideas of others.
• Self-awareness. Ability to recognize and articulate one’s own personal opinions, attitudes, and cultural values and not to assume that they are everyone’s opinions, attitudes, and values; to understand personal tendencies to assume certain roles in a group, such as caretaker, controller, placater, dominant authority; to acknowledge one’s own strengths and limitations.
• Emotional stability. Ability to recognize one’s own level of emotional comfort or discomfort in a given situation; to express emotions in appropriate ways and at appropriate times; to maintain calmness in the face of crisis or confrontation and to refrain from personal attack on another person, either verbally or physically.
• Maturity. Ability to handle success, disappointment, frustration, or confrontation with dignity and understanding; to acknowledge one’s own mistakes and weaknesses and not blame others; to move past grievances and continue to see each person as someone with value and potential.
• Empathy. Ability to put oneself in another person’s place; to reflect the feeling to the other person; to understand her or his dilemma.
• Effective social skills. Ability to feel comfortable and enjoy the company of others; to share in group activities; to engage in conversation and to actively listen to others.
• Self-confidence. Ability to speak and act decisively in personal conversation or in front of a group; to accept the challenge of one’s ideas without defensiveness and to state one’s position with enthusiasm and documentation, not personal criticism or attack; to acknowledge personal strengths and accept words of appreciation graciously.
• Flexibility. Ability to adapt plans to suit a changing situation; to recognize when change is needed and be willing to try a new approach.
• Understanding and appreciation of diversity. Ability to acknowledge differences in others’ values, attitudes, and lifestyles; to respect and appreciate cultural and ethnic differences in dress, customs, and language; to understand socioeconomic differences in income, education, and status and how these differences affect lifestyles and decision making; to actively resist gender, racial, and socioeconomic biases or stereotypes.
• Verbal and written communication skills. Ability to speak articulately, convincingly, and concisely; to write clearly in language that is not “over the head” of one’s audience; to use illustrations and examples that support one’s points; to know when an audience has been “overloaded” with information.
• Ability to relate well with all ages and groups and on a one-to-one basis. Ability to talk with and not down to any group or person; to resist judgmentalism and boredom; to appreciate humor and sharing; to practice patience in listening and interacting.

Box 2.3 - What Makes a Family?

1. A newly married couple moves into their first apartment together. They have both agreed that they do not want to have any children. Are they a family?
2. A man and a woman have shared an apartment for the past two years. They share equally in the maintenance and cost of the household. They have made a personal commitment to each other and plan to stay together for the rest of their lives although they have no plans to marry. Are they a family?
3. A man and a woman have shared an apartment for the past two years. They share equally in the maintenance and cost of the household. They are good friends but are dating other people. Are they a family?
4. A group of 10 people (5 men, 3 women, and 2 children) live together on a farm. They share responsibility for the maintenance of the household, including growing their own food. All household members take part in the care of the two children. The group is committed to living together harmoniously. Are they a family?
5. Two gay men live together in a house. They have made a personal commitment to each other. Are they a family?
6. Two gay women live together in a house. They have made a personal commitment to each other and were legally married in the state of Hawaii. Are they a family?
7. A divorced woman lives with her son from her marriage and her daughter from a relationship with another man whom she no longer sees. Are they a family?
8. A man and a woman share an apartment. They have a personal relationship and are committed to staying together as long as the relationship is beneficial to them both. Are they a family?
9. Two divorced heterosexual men live together in a house with their children and share the expense and maintenance of the household. Each man sometimes cares for the other’s children while the other is working. Are they a family?
10. A woman lives alone but speaks daily with her sister and brother who live in another state. Are they a family?
11. A brother and sister live with their grandparents while their divorced mother attends school in another city. The mother stays with the children and her parents on the weekends. Are they a family?
12. A widower moves in with his son and his wife. Are they a family?