Finding Hope in Hopeless Times

  This week, I had the opportunity to discuss changes within dating culture within the past few decades and compare the pros and cons of "historical dating" and current dating culture. As we did so, our discussion centered on the movement away from traditional dating into a newer, seemingly less stressful pattern of "hanging out." As we weighed out these differences, we discussed the implications of historical versus current dating patterns within the context of the ideas and models of Dr. John Van Epp. Of the topics we have discussed in my class so far, this one has been one of the most impactful for me, as it helped me reframe my views of dating and how harmful current trends can be. Here is some of what I learned: As I mentioned earlier, my class mainly discussed current versus historical dating cultures and the benefits and downsides associated with each dating style. But what exactly is the difference? In historical dating patterns, individuals went on a va...

 During a class lecture this week, my classmates, professor, and I had the opportunity to review scientific research on sex differences between men and women. After having that sex difference discussion, it's pretty safe to say that this topic can be contentious depending on how you approach it, but the way my professor tackled it helped limit this outcome. As a part of our lecture, the class took an opportunity to reflect on and brainstorm about some of the challenges and benefits that can arise from male-female differences in family relationships. Here is some of what I learned from that conversation: One of the first things I learned during our discussion is that feminine and masculine tendencies function on a spectrum. As a part of this concept, while some individuals identify as being highly feminine or masculine, many individuals are also more androgynous, displaying both feminine and masculine traits. In addition, highly feminine or masculine individuals tend to pull toward ...

 This week, during a class lecture, we talked about culture and its influence on family life and decisions. Although most of us immediately tie culture to a larger society, our professor discussed how each family perpetuates its own culture. Culture is a set of patterns and traditions carried on from one generation to another. Through family culture, we learn family norms, and family rules and roles are created and passed down. In line with a family culture, families often have traditions (inherited patterns of belief or behavior) that influence family members to act and think in specific manners. In reflecting on this idea of traditions further, I wanted to discuss traditions that bring out the best in family members versus those that don't.  While thinking about this topic further, I couldn't help but reflect on my own family's traditions. Out of all of them, one of my favorite traditions (which I also find to be positively influencing) is our family dinners. It is rare...

  This past week, during a class lecture, I had the opportunity to learn more about a sociological family theory known as the Family Systems Theory. As a result, of my class' discussion, I was able to see the insight that this theory brings into family life and how it can help us see elements of our own families that were previously out of our awareness. This discussion had an immense impact on me and led me to do some reflection on my own family experiences. Before jumping into the details of the Family Systems Theory and its application to our lives, I would first like to explain the theory and its origins. Although the Family Systems Theory found its formal foundation in the 1960s, it takes root in many earlier sociological observations of family, particularly those shared by Ernest Burgess in 1926 to the American Sociological Association. During this presentation, Burgess shared that family is "a unity of interacting personalities," going on to say that family rel...