The Relationship between Attachment and Conflict: Implications for Child and Youth Development

Impact of Inter-Parental Conflict (IPC) in Child and Youth Development Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Code and Name Instructor’s Name Date Impact of Inter-Parental Conflict (IPC) in Child and Youth Development Child development is a crucial stage of a human being and determines the eventual behavior of individuals in adulthood. The action witnessed by children as they grow influences how they interpret their challenges and handle them as they grow. As such, caregivers should ensure that they teach policies that promote child well-being and help them become productive adults. Sometimes, the behavior of parents, including how they handle their conflicts, affects children and interferes with their performance in various areas, such as school. According to the findings by Harold et al. (2007) disagreements between caregivers have a negative influence on child development. The negative influence occurs because aside from emotional abuse, the youngsters also watch and emulate their caregivers during moments of conflict, something that affects them even at adulthood. Notably, this paper delves into the provisions espoused in family systems theory in a bid to unearth its significance and relationship with factors like inter-parental conflict and child development. Therefore, the family systems model has helpful insights that enhance knowledge regarding the impact of IPC on child and youth development and facilitate the development of practical recommendations. Theoretical Perspective Family systems theory is integral in understanding the challenges that exist in families in modern times. The significance of the theory hinges on the focus adopted by the paper, which is on the impact of IPC on child and youth development. In the assessment by Kopystynska et al. (2020), the family systems theory allows individuals to assess families as a single interdependent and complex unit. Aside from the research by Kopystynska et al. (2020), Kim‐Appel and Appel (2021) also define family systems theory as a unit, which incorporates the behavior of all members. Such incorporation of behavior influences the outward expression of individuals and determines the quality of their interaction with others in societies. Notably, the family systems theory has features that dictate its ability to influence the character of family members even in adulthood. These factors comprise interdependence, boundary development, and fusion of emotions. Other features include role sharing and complexity in self-differentiation (Kim‐Appel & Appel, 2021). Apparently, the factors highlighted above play a notable role in determining the character of individuals, especially the youth and the children who watch and later imitate these features in communities and learning institutions. In their study, Feldman et al. (2010) observed the behavior of individuals from Palestine and Israeli families and realized that their conflict management strategies differed. Such differences related to the observations, which influenced the behavior of the then parents on their children. After watching the behavior of their parents, individuals try to inculcate them in those around them and their children. Notably, constitute a set of individuals who lead interconnected lives and rely on each other for various purposes. The interconnected nature of families, as explained by Kim-Appel and Appel (2021) makes the family a powerful unit in setting the character of individuals at home and around others in schools, communities, and workplaces. While adults can identify areas that need rectification in their actions, youth and children absorb everything they observe from their caregivers, including those that may not be in line with the moral conventions of their caregivers. The features enshrined in the family systems model have a notable role in determining the actions exhibited by parents and their youngsters. For an effective understanding of the family systems theory and its dominance in the family unit, a brief examination of the outlined features is integral. Features of Family Systems Theory The first feature of family systems theory is interdependence and fusion of emotions. Interdependence is something that is evident in families where each member relies on others for different reasons. While children depend on their parents for support and guidance, the spouses need one another for love, care, and support. Children need their parents to cater for their education, provide shelter, help them access medical attention, and provide clothing. On the other hand, spouses help one another on aspects such as rent, provision of medical insurance, and education. Such commitments make parents and their children to be interdependent in their existence. Due to the high levels of interdependence, individuals in the family can sometimes exhibit a blend of feelings. According to a study by Kim-Appel and Appel (2021), a fusion of emotions occurs when family members bond and cannot identify their personal feelings and assertions from those exhibited in the larger context of the unit. Sometimes, the desire to have a happy family can mislead people to downplay what they feel. As such, their feelings blend with the demands in the family leading to a blend of emotions. The other feature is boundary development and role sharing. Developing boundaries and setting rules in families is another feature that determines how individuals interact. Effective development of boundaries and regulations leads to unity and peace. When parents and those in authority establish biased policies, this can be a basis of conflicts. Such an aspect is evident from the study undertaken by Kopystynska et al. (2020), which posits that harsh parenting results in conflicts in a family unit. When policies governing how people behave in families are less rigid, the level of unity and positivity improves significantly. Role sharing is a major component that helps in defining the family systems theory. Among families, people may decide to take up certain roles because they think they are good in them. The occurrence of such entitlement may affect the unity of families and can lead to inter-parental conflict. Kim-Appel and Appel (2021) explain that sometimes, family members take up roles that they believe befit them, such as being the caretaker and watching over the others. Such behaviors lead to rebellion from a section of those who do not align with the adopted role. However, families can sometimes decide to accord some members the chance to lead or be problem solvers ba...