A Framework for Studying Family Socialization Over the Life Cycle

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical work on family socialization focuses on the process by which parents transmit values to their children. This work tends to rely on the unstated assumption that individuals live in only two families during their lives: the family of origin and the family of procreation. Behavior is learned in the childhood family and transmitted to the marital/childbearing family unit formed later in life. This limiting assumption discourages consideration of how current rates of divorce and remarriage affect the process of family socialization. This article uses a lifetime perspective on family socialization to develop a framework for understanding the effects of divorce and remarriage on family violence. We identify three sources of family socialization experiences: socialization that occurs early in family life and creates a repertoire of behavior that may be carried into subsequent family relationships; lessons learned as a result of transitions from one family to another; and socialization experiences in a person's current family. Although the discussion focuses on the specific case of how the transitions of divorce and remarriage affect family violence, the framework can be extended to other family transitions and behaviors.