Family relationships: A long-lasting source of well-being


Abstract


This article examines the link between family relationships and well-being, focusing on relationship quality, as well as on the positive and negative constructs used to describe it. Fincham and Beach (2010) developed a perspective aimed not only at reaching a balance between the negative and the positive aspects of relationships, but also at understanding a relationship ‘in itself’, where ‘relationship flourishing’ represents the core construct. The relational-symbolic model (Scabini & Cigoli, 2000) has provided new insights into the concept of ‘relationship flourishing’. According to this model, generative well-being can be considered as a specific form of well-being produced by flourishing family relationships. Generative well-being occurs when family generativity and social generativity are connected to each other. Research findings highlighting the two-fold role of family and social generativity are reported in the final part of the contribution.


DOI Code: 10.1285/i24212113v2i1p36

Keywords: relationship quality, flourishing, generative well-being

References


Albert, I., & Ferring, D. (2013). Intergenerational relations. European perspectives on family and society. Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Alfieri, S., & Marta, E. (2014). Transizione all’età adulta tra affetto ed etica: quali effetti per i giovani? [The transition to adulthood through affection and ethics: What effects on youth?]. In Aa. Vv. (Eds.), La condizione giovanile in Italia. Rapporto Giovani (pp. 205–225). Bologna, Italy: Il Mulino.

Amato, P.R. (2000). Consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4), 1269–1287.

Amato, P.R., & James, S. (2010). Divorce in Europe and the United States: Commonalities and differences across nations, Family Science, 1(1), 2–13.

Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, stress and coping. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bandura, A., Caprara, G.V., Barbaranelli, C., Regalia, C., & Scabini, E. (2011). Impact of family efficacy beliefs on quality of family functioning and satisfaction with family life. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 60(3), 421–448.

Barni, D., Ranieri, S., & Scabini, E. (2012). Value similarity among grandparents, parents and adolescent children: Unique or stereotypical? Family Science, 3(1), 46–54.

Baumeister, R.F., & MacKenzie, M.J. (2014). The value of marriage in the era of the glorified self. Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of Psychological Theory, 25(1), 53–55.

Bengtson, V.L. (2001). Beyond the nuclear family: The increasing importance of multigenerational bonds. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(1), 1–16.

Boccacin, L., & Bramanti, L. (2015). Active ageing: From individualistic withdrawal to social generativity. Familia, 50, 111-119. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10807/67234.

Bodenmann, G. (2005). Dyadic coping and its significance for marital functioning. In T. Revenson, K. Kayser, & G. Bodenmann (Eds.), Couples coping with stress: Emerging perspectives on dyadic coping (pp. 33–50). Washington, DC: APA.

Brim, O.G., Ryff, C.D., & Kessler R.C. (2004). The MIDUS National Survey: An overview. In O.G. Brim, C.D. Ryff, & R.C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we? A national study of well-being at midlife (pp. 1-36). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Bronfennbenner, U. (2005). Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Caprara, G.V., Regalia, C., Scabini, E., Barbaranelli, C., & Bandura, A. (2004). Assessment of filial, parental, marital, and collective family efficacy beliefs. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 20(4), 247–261.

Cigoli, V., & Scabini, E. (2006). Family Identity. Ties, symbols and transitions. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Cigoli, V., Margola, D., & Molgora, S. (2010). Report di ricerca: giovani e generazioni in famiglia e nella comunità, parte terza [Research report: Youth and generations in the family and the community, section three]. Milan, Italy: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

Crocetti, E., & Meeus, W. (2014). “Family comes first!”, Relationships with family and friends in Italian emerging adults. Journal of Adolescence, 37(8), 1463–1473.

de St. Aubin, E., & Bach, M. (2015). Explorations in generativity and culture. In L. Jensen (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of human development and culture: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 653-665). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

de St. Aubin, E., McAdams, D.P., & Kim, T.C. (2003). The generative society: Caring for the future generations. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Donati, P. (1991). Equità generazionale: un nuovo confronto sulla qualità familiare [Generational equity: A new debate on family quality]. In P. Donati (Ed.), Secondo Rapporto sulla famiglia in Italia (pp. 31–108). Cinisello Balsamo, Milan, Italy: San Paolo.

Donato, S., & Parise, M. (2015). Introduction to special section on the bright side of the couple relationship: Pro-relationship processes in response to positive and negative events. Family Science, 6(1), 94–98.

Donato, S., Iafrate, R., Bradbury, T.N., & Scabini, E. (2012). Acquiring dyadic coping: Partners and parents as models. Personal Relationships, 19(2), 386–400.

Donato, S., Parise, M., Iafrate, R., Bertoni, A., Finkenauer, C., & Bodenmann, G. (2015). Dyadic coping responses and partners’ perceptions for couple satisfaction: An actor-partner interdependence analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 32(5), 580–600.

Dykstra, P.A. (2010). Intergenerational family relationships in ageing societies. Geneva/New York: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe United Nations.

Erikson, E.H. (1982). The life cycle completed. New York, NY: Norton & Company.

Fincham, F.D., & Beach, S.R.H. (2010). Of memes and marriage: Toward a positive relationship science. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 2(1), 4–24.

Fincham, F.D., & Rogge, R. (2010). Understanding relationship quality: Theoretical challenges and new tools for assessment. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 2(4), 227–242.

Ghislieri, C., & Gatti, P. (2012). Generativity and balance in leadership. Leadership, 8(3), 257–275.

Hinde, R.A. (1997). Relationships: A dialectical perspective. London, UK: Psychological Press.

Hodgson, L.K., & Wertheim, E.H. (2007). Does good emotion management aid forgiving? Multiple dimensions of empathy, emotion management and forgiveness of self and others. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24(6), 931–949.

Huppert, F.A., & So, T.T.C. (2013). Flourishing across Europe: Application of a new conceptual framework for defining well-being. Social Indicators Research, 110(3), 837–861.

Karremans, J.C., Van Lange, P.A.M., Ouwerkerk, J.W., & Kluwer, E.S. (2003). When forgiving enhances psychological well-being: The role of interpersonal commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 1011–1026.

Keyes, C.L.M., & Ryff, C.D. (1998). Generativity in adult lives: Social structural contours and quality of life consequences. In D.P. McAdams & E. de St.Aubin (Eds.), Generativity and adult development: How and why we care for the next generation (pp. 227–263). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Knafo, A., & Schwartz, S.H. (2009). Accounting for parent-child value congruence: Theoretical considerations and empirical evidence. In U. Schönpflug (Ed.), Cultural transmission. Psychological, developmental, social, and methodological aspects (pp. 240–268). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Koball, H.L., Moiduddin, E., Henderson, J., Goesling, B., & Besculides, M. (2010). What do we know about the link between marriage and health? Journal of Family Issues, 31(8), 1019–1040.

Lanz, M., & Marta, E. (2012). La transizione all’età adulta [The transition to adulthood]. In E. Scabini & V. Cigoli (Eds.). Alla ricerca del famigliare. Il modello relazionale-simbolico (pp. 161-180). Milan, Italy: Cortina.

Lanz, M., & Tagliabue, S. (2007). Do I really need someone to become an adult? Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(5), 531–549.

Mannheim, K. (1952). The problem of generation. In P. Kecskemeti (Ed.), Essays on the sociology of knowledge (pp. 276-320). London, UK: Routledge and Kegan.

Manzi, C., Parise, M., Iafrate, R., Vignoles, V.L., & Sedikides, C. (2015). Insofar as you can be part of me: The influence of intrusive parenting on young adult children’s couple identity. Self and Identity, 14(5), 570–582.

Manzi, C., Vignoles, V.L., Regalia, C. & Scabini, E. (2006). Cohesion and enmeshment revisited: Differentiation, identity, and well-being in two European cultures. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(3), 673–689.

Marta, E., Lanz, M., & Tagliabue, S. (2012). The transition to adulthood and generativity: A family generative climate. In E. Scabini & G.Rossi (Eds.), Family transitions and family in transition. Studi interdisciplinari sulla famiglia (pp. 147–159). Milan, Italy: Vita e Pensiero.

Mattson, R.E., Rogge, R.D., Johnson, M.D., Baker, E., & Fincham, F.D. (2013). The positive and negative semantic dimension of relationship satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 20(2), 328–355.

McAdams, D.P. (2001). Generativity in midlife. In M. Lachman (Ed.), Handbook of midlife development (pp. 395–443). New York, NY: Wiley.

McAdams, D.P. (2006). The redemptive self: Stories Americans live by. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

McAdams, D.P., & de St. Aubin, E. (1998). Generativity and adult development: How and why we care for the next generation. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

McCoy, K., Cummings, E.M., & Davies, P.T. (2009). Constructive and destructive marital conflict, emotional security and children’s prosocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(3), 270–279.

Newland, L.A. (2014). Supportive family contexts: Promoting child well-being and resilience. Early Child Development and Care, 184(9-10), 1336–1346.

Newland, L.A. (2015). Family well-being, parenting, and child well-being: Pathways to healthy adjustment. Clinical Psychologist, 19(1), 3–14.

Padilla-Walker, L.M., & Nelson, L.J. (2012). Black hawk down? Establishing helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 35(5), 1177–1190.

Paleari, F.G, Regalia, C., & Fincham, F.D. (2009). Measuring offence-specific forgiveness in marriage: The Marital Offence-specific Forgiveness Scale (MOFS). Psychological Assessment, 21(2), 194–209.

Parise M., Donato S., Pagani A.F., Ribeiro M.T., & Manzi C. (2015). Couple identity processes in young adulthood: An experimental study on the role of intrusive parenting for romantic partners’ other-serving bias. In A.M. Columbus (Ed.), Advances in psychology research (pp. 123–138). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publisher.

Proulx, C.M., Helms, H.M., & Buehler, C. (2007). Marital quality and personal well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69(3), 576–593.

Rasmussen, D.B. (1999). Human flourishing and the appeal to human nature. Social Philosophy and Policy, 16(1), 1–43.

Rossi, A.S. (2001). Caring and doing for others: Social responsibility in the domains of family, work, and community. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Rossi, G. (2012). Legami e percorsi di coppia: le trasformazioni della coniugalità in Europa [Couple bonds and paths: Changes in marriage in Europe]. In G. Pollini, A. Pretto, & G. Rovati (Eds.), L’Italia nell’Europa: i valori tra persistenze e trasformazioni (pp. 135–166). Milan, Italy: Franco Angeli.

Rothrauff, T., & Cooney, T.M., (2008). The role of generativity in psychological well being: Does it differ for childless adults and parents? Journal of Adult Development, 15(3), 148–159.

Rusbult, C.E., & Buunk, B.P. (1993). Commitment processes in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10(2), 175–204.

Rusbult, C.E., Olsen, N., Davis, J.L., & Hannon, P. (2001). Commitment and relationship maintenance mechanisms. In J.H. Harvey & A. Wenzel (Eds.), Close romantic relationships: Maintenance and enhancement (pp. 87-113). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Ryff, C.D. (2014). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83(1), 10–28.

Sabatelli, R.M., & Bartle-Haring, S. (2003). Family-of-origin experiences and adjustment in married couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(1), 159–169.

Scabini, E. & Marta, E. (2013). Giovani in famiglia: risorsa o rifugio? [Youth living in the family: Resource or refuge?]. In Aa. Vv. (Eds.), La condizione giovanile in Italia. Rapporto Giovani 2014 (pp. 23–48). Bologna, Italy: Il Mulino.

Scabini, E., & Cigoli, V. (1997). Young adult families. An evolutionary slowdown or a breakdown in the generational transition? Journal of Family Issues, 18(6), 608–626.

Scabini, E., & Cigoli, V. (2000). Il famigliare. Legami, simboli e transizioni [Family identity: Ties, symbols, and transitions]. Milan, Italy: Raffaello Cortina.

Scabini, E., & Cigoli, V. (2012). Alla ricerca del famigliare. Il modello relazionale-simbolico [Searching for family identity: The relational-symbolic model]. Milan, Italy: Raffaello Cortina.

Scabini, E., Lanz, M., & Marta, E. (2006). Transition to adulthood and family relations: An intergenerational perspective. London, UK: Routledge.

Snow, N.C. (2008). Virtue and flourishing. Journal of Social Philosophy, 39(2), 225–245.

Trommsdorff, G. (2009). Intergenerational relations and cultural transmission. In U. Schönpflug (Ed.), Cultural transmission: Psychological, developmental, social, and methodological aspects (pp. 126–160). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Vatnar, S.K.B., & Bjorkly, S. (2012). Does separation or divorce make any difference? An interactional perspective on intimate partner violence with focus on marital status. Journal of Family Violence, 27(1), 45–54.

Veroff, J., Young., A.M. & Coon, H.M. (1997). The early years of marriage. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships: Theory, research and interventions (pp. 431–450). Chichester, UK: Wiley.

Waldfogel, J., Craigie, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2010). Fragile families and child well-being. The Future of Children, 20(2), 87–112.

Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C.E., Foster, C.A., & Agnew, C.R. (1999). Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(5), 942-966.


Full Text: PDF

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 3.0 Italia License.