Family Size: Implicit Policies and Assumed Psychological Outcomes

Thompson, Vaida D.

doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb01757.x

Cited by 58 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…Historically, few considered a one-child family to be the ideal, and it is generally deemed disadvantageous to be an only child (as is documented by Blake 1981 andVeenhoven andVerkuyten 1989). Despite the argument that only children do not form a singular, homogeneous group, but instead are representative of different types (Rosenberg and Hyde 1993), there are many negative stereotypes of only children (Blake 1981;Thompson 1974;and Westoff 1978 among others). Only children are often seen as socially unskilled, self-centered, dependent, anxious, and generally maladjusted (Terhune 1974;Thompson 1974).…”

Section: Ideal and Intended Family Size In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These stereotypes are supported by some evidence. Research suggests that only children are less social (Claudy 1984) and less able to make friends (Miller and Maruyama 1976), more likely to suffer mental distress (Belmont 1977;Howe and Madgett 1975), and more self-centered and less cooperative (Jiao, Ji, and Jing 1986;Thompson 1974). On other dimensions, especially those relating to socioeconomic status, singletons perform well (Blake 1981).…”

Section: Ideal and Intended Family Size In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intended and Ideal Family Size in the United States, 1970–2002

Hagewen

Morgan

2005

Population & Development Rev

185

155

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How do contemporary fertility ideals, desires, and intentions relate to contemporary low fertility? At the empirical level the answer is straightforward: observed fertility is well below the levels of ideal family size and also usually well below respondents' desires and intentions. In fact, below-replacement fertility in many countries would disappear if respondents' fertility intentions were realized (Bongaarts 2001(Bongaarts , 2002Goldstein, Lutz, and Testa 2003).At the conceptual level, all behavioral models of contemporary low fertility feature choice: individuals choose to have children (Thomson and Brandreth 1995). Thus fertility intentions, if not ideals, hold the promise that actual fertility could mirror intentions over the long run, thus bringing observed fertility closer to replacement. Consistent with this view, Bongaarts (2002) argues that a substantial part of the discrepancy between aggregate fertility intentions and contemporary fertility levels can be accounted for by timing shifts, specifically the postponement of childbearing to later ages. Once this postponement abates, as it eventually must, 1 intentions and current behavior will be more similar. In addition, frustrated demand for children could encourage institutional adjustments that would allow childbearing to correspond to levels desired by women and couples, again raising fertility to levels that approximate intentions.Expressing an alternative view, Goldstein, Lutz, and Testa (2003) report that Germanspeaking areas of Europe now show levels of ideal and expected family size well below replacement levels (i.e., less than two children per woman), a pattern they suggest portends a permanent shift to sub-replacement fertility. They argue that the previous disjuncture between intentions and behavior in German-speaking counties, now evident in many other countries as well, represents "cultural lag." Specifically, women and couples act in accordance with contemporary antinatalist constraints and have few children, but continue for a period (a time lag) to express the prevailing cultural imperatives to be parents and to have at least two children. Younger cohorts, once they have lived much of their lives in a low-fertility setting, adopt the status quo as an expectation and thus express intentions (and ideals) that more closely correspond to contemporary behavior. Goldstein et al. (2003) hypothesize that fertility intentions and ideals in Italy, Spain, and elsewhere will soon decline further, creating greater symmetry between subreplacement fertility and subreplacement ideals and expectations. The suggestion that aggregate shifts in intentions can follow rather than precede behavioral shifts is not new (see Lee 1980;Westoff and Ryder 1977;Morgan 1981Morgan , 1982.Finally, Demeny (2003) argues that a wide gap between expressed preferences and behavior can persist indefinitely. Even if such preferences for a particular number of children are Direct all correspondence to S. Philip Morgan, Department of Sociology and Center for Demographic Studie...

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Section: Ideal and Intended Family Size In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ideal and Intended Family Size In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intended and Ideal Family Size in the United States, 1970–2002

Hagewen

Morgan

2005

Population & Development Rev

185

155

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“…From the perspective of deprivation theory, the only child was seen as selfish, lonely, or maladjusted than children with siblings since they lack sibling support and lack the experience to live with and learn from siblings (Thompson 1974;Falbo 1977). In contrast, uniqueness theory contends that the only child tends to be happier than the child with siblings (Falbo 1981).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Freshmen or Pre-graduates, Who Need More Attention?—Mental Health Changes From Chinese Freshmen to Pre-graduates

Wang¹,

Xia²,

Zhang³

2016

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First year of college was found to be the most challenging and stressful year due to the transition from home to school and the adjustment to new life, however, others reported that pre-graduates suffered from more mental problems under the pressure of job-hunting and uncertainty of future. This study sought to examine mental health development measured with University Personality Inventory (UPI) among Chinese college students and its relationship with family factors (family income, family residence, and sibling status) with a longitudinal design. Data of 390 Chinese college students were collected at their first and the third year of college period. The results showed that Chinese college students' overall mental health declined in the third year than in the first year. Urban students showed a more rapid increase in physical symptoms from the first year to the third year than rural students. The results indicated that psychological intervention should be extended to students facing graduation, especially those from urban area.

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“…De ce courant de pensée naquit le préjugé selon lequel l'enfant unique serait un être égoïste, solitaire, voire mésadapté (Thompson, 1974). En outre, les couples n'ayant qu'un seul enfant étaient perçus comme marginaux tant par l'opinion publique que par les cercles scientifiques.…”

Section: La Fratrieunclassified

L’enfant et sa famille : quelques nouveaux thèmes de recherche

Provost¹,

Piché

2006

smq

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Cet article vise à démontrer l'intérêt sans cesse grandissant de la psychologie génétique pour l'analyse multi-variée des nombreux facteurs de développement psychologique. Au-delà de la relation mère-enfant, les chercheurs se tournent de plus en plus vers les facteurs physiques et sociaux du milieu familial, les facteurs directement liés à l'enfant et les formes d'ajustement famille-enfant et ce, dans le cadre tant du développement socio-affectif que du développement cognitif. Il ne s'agit pas d'un relevé exhaustif de la documentation mais une introduction à de nouvelles avenues de recherche particulièrement prometteuses.The aim of the article is to demonstrate the ever-increasing interest of genetic psychology in the multi-variate analysis of the numerous factors in psychological development. Going beyond the mother-child relation, researchers are turning, more and more, towards physical and family milieu social factors, factors directly linked to the child and forms of family-child adjustment, and this, as much within the context of socio-affective development as that of cognitive development. What is presented is not an exhaustive survey of documentation, but rather an introduction to new, particularly promising, avenues of research

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Family Size: Implicit Policies and Assumed Psychological Outcomes

Abstract: mountain children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1942, 33, 32 1-334. Witty, P. A. "Only" and "intermediate" children of high school ages.

Cited by 58 publications

References 70 publications

Intended and Ideal Family Size in the United States, 1970–2002

Intended and Ideal Family Size in the United States, 1970–2002

Freshmen or Pre-graduates, Who Need More Attention?—Mental Health Changes From Chinese Freshmen to Pre-graduates

L’enfant et sa famille : quelques nouveaux thèmes de recherche

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