dramatically affected by diverse variables, including class, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, race, religion, and sexual orientation. The family life cycle perspective offers a valuable context for understanding dysfunction in the individual and family. From the family life cycle point of view, psychiatric symptoms in a family member may represent a signal that the family is having problems mastering the tasks or making the transition at the stage of the cycle.

B. Relate one incident/situation in your family life cycle (either immediate family or family of origin) to its influence/impact on you as a person to this day.
One incident in my family life cycle would fall under the first stage of Carter and McGoldrick’s original six family life cycle stages – Leaving home: Emerging single young adults. In this model, stage one is characterized by the entrance into the self-supporting work world and formation of friendships and intimate relationships. The young adult begin to strive to become fully able to support oneself emotionally, socially, physically and financially. The young adult begin to develop unique qualities and characteristics that define his or her individual identity. In essence, the single adult must separate from her/his family of origin without cutting off or fleeing. Derailment occurs when families do not let go of their adult children, or the adult children are “persuaded” to remain dependent by circumstances beyond their control, such as social disadvantage or isolation, poor family finances, or severe illness in the family.
When I was eighteen years old, my mother suffered her second stroke. She had had a minor stroke two years prior which did not cause her any significant disability. However, the second stroke she had was a major one. She stayed in the Intensive Care Unit for weeks and had to undergo a risky operation with a fifty-fifty chance of survival. She managed to pull throu...