The course topics are essential for other students and me, both for the individual and for the future professional, as they give an understanding of personal development and interpersonal relationships. The topic of family functions helps to determine whether partners’ visions of the goals of creating a family are the same since not all functions can be implemented at the same time. For example, partners can have joint views on the economic benefits of marriage and the importance of supporting spouses by each other, but they categorically disagree about the function of adding a new member or giving birth to children (Holloway et al., 2010). In this case, it will be difficult for these people to create a healthy marriage. For me, this topic is essential for a person who will also be part of the family. At the same time, this knowledge can also be used to help other families who have not agreed on their understanding of functions before marriage and are now experiencing problems.
Life-course theories offer different perspectives on human development. This topic is also useful for students as they will raise their children in the future, and this knowledge help to avoid severe parenting mistakes. For example, Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development show the crucial role of parents in the life of the child, since they create the conditions for the emergence of trust, autonomy, initiative, and other necessary qualities for the healthy development of the person (McLeod, 2018). At the same time, a lack of attention or hyper-custody of parents can create a feeling of insecurity, fear, and anxiety in the child that will negatively affect their interaction in adulthood. Riegel’s dimensions of development, Loevinger’s theory of the ego, give a different view on the formation of a person’s behavior and help avoid mistakes and problems in his or her development and adjust perception (“Jane Loevinger,” 2015; Wergin, 2019). Understanding these characteristics also helps professionals find the sources of problems in adults and direct their efforts towards solving them.
The topic of contemporary marriage allows students to eliminate stereotypes and understand the trends in relationships between people, which helps to avoid bias. For example, today, love in marriage plays the most significant role for most people, and its absence is the reason for divorce, but back in the early twentieth century, feelings had much less influence. Another example is premarital sexual relations, which are common practices in most countries of the world; however, such behavior became normal only in the twentieth century (Holloway et al., 2010). Consequently, an understanding of the characteristics of modern marriage and its diversity allows students to treat any marriage as normal and not succumb to the stereotypes that exist in society. At the same time, this knowledge can help other people understand that their relationship is or is not problematic if they suffer from uncertainty.
Theories of attraction and mate selection are helpful insights into why some relationships are successful, and others end. Most people have several relationships before starting a family, and breakups are usually a painful experience for them. Perhaps a rational and scientific approach to understanding attraction helps people accept and reduce suffering after the end of relationships. For example, one partner’s feelings can be explained by ideal mate theory, according to which his or her choice depends on the image formed by previous experience (Khaleque, 2018). At the same time, the lack of feelings of another partner is explained by the theory of social homogamy, due to which people from the same social environment usually attract each other (Khaleque, 2018). Such rational explanations often help people recognize and accept breaking up more quickly and avoid fixating on their shortcomings. In addition, knowledge of theories of attraction and mate selection helps to prevent traumatic relationships even before they begin. Therefore, this topic is also a useful student as people involved in social interaction and, probably, future professionals.
The topic of spousal or domestic violence is necessary for studying since violence has serious moral and physical consequences for people. Awareness of this topic makes it possible to avoid abuse by noticing signs of cruel behavior of the partners and breaking the relationship even before the first manifestations of violence. For example, alcoholism and rage, psychological problems, or injuries, as well as threats, can be such signs. In addition, knowledge of negative social changes, such as loss of job or sources of income, also facilitates timely intervention to eliminate the influence of triggers and avoid violent behavior. This knowledge also helps to notice signs of spousal violence in other people and offer them support. Such skills are useful not only to social workers and support services but also to all indifferent people because domestic violence is found in all professional areas and daily life. Therefore, all course topics are useful for understanding and controlling a person’s own life and avoiding threats or mistakes and are also necessary for future professionals providing emotional and mental help and support to the population.
References
Holloway, M., Holloway, G., Witte, J., Gallant, M., Henson, L., & Di-Giuseppe, T. M. (2010). Individuals and families: Diverse perspectives. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Jane Loevinger. (2015). Web.
Khaleque, A. (2018). Intimate relationships across the lifespan: Formation, development, enrichment, and maintenance. Praeger.
McLeod, S. A. (2018). Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Simply Psychology. Web.
Wergin, J.F. (2019). Deep learning in a disorienting world Cambridge University Press.