FAMILY CONFLICTS AND CRISIS

MEANING OF CONFLICT

A conflict is a struggle between two or more people who disagree. That struggle may be verbal physical or both. Conflict range from little disagreements between friends, family members to violent battle between enemies. A family conflict is a struggle between two or more family members who disagree over issues. They could be conflicts between husband and wife or between siblings.

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CAUSES OF CONFLICTS IN FAMILIES

Conflicts can be caused by the following:

SITUATIONAL CAUSES: Any situation that dissatisfies people can cause conflict. For instance, in families,

When parent or parents show more love or attention to a child and neglects the others.
When a husband fails to give the wife money for house – keeping.
When children disobey their parent.

PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES: No two individuals are the same, not even twins. An individual difference arises from heredity and environment. Some people may be slow and quiet, while others could be fast, noisy and outgoing. These different behavioural patterns can bring about conflicts in the family.
POWER STRUGGLES: Conflicts can occur when people feel a need to be in control. Power is the ability to influence another person. Each person will be struggle for power. This can occur between husband and wife. It can also occur between a younger and an elderly brother or sister. In some cases, a boy might try to show a girl that he is stronger than her.

MEANING OF FAMILY CRISIS

A family crisis is a situation that marks a turning point when things cease to go on as usual in the family. A crisis is a change in the normal way of life of the family. Crisis can be challenging; they need to be managed properly.

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TYPES OF FAMILY CRISIS

ARRIVAL OF A NEW BABY: The arrival of a new baby is normally a joy to the family but it can also be a source of crisis in the following ways.
The father may feel neglected as mother turns all her attention to the baby.
Other children may also feel neglected and become jealous
Arrival of new baby means more pressure on family resources e.g more money will be needed for the baby’s needs.
It means more demand on the mother’s time and energy.

CLASHES OF PERSONALITY: Family members differ in their abilities, likes and dislikes. They also differ in the ways they react to situations. Some are fast while others are slow. In spite of all the differences, they are expected to agree with each other and work together in harmony. However, when they disagree seriously, there may be clashes in personality, and family crisis may occur.
LOSS OF JOB/ EMPLOYMENT: When a family member especially the bread winner, loses his job a serious crisis results. Loss of job could be as a result of unexpected retirement, retrenchment, redundancy, when the establishment is distressed and folds up in such situations family needs can no longer be met. For instance, education of the children can come to a sudden end.
DIVORCE: Divorce means the break-up of a marriage. This is one of the most serious crises in any family. It is even more serious when children are involved and parents disagree our custody. Divorce has negative effect on husband and wife, children and in – laws.
DEATH OF A FAMILY MEMBER: Death is traumatic. It causes severe emotional shock. The death of a family member may shatter the trust of the other members. For instance, the death of the bread winner could mean the loss of hope for children’s education.