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Blended families are often times created by death, divorce and subsequent remarriage. What have you noticed about the dynamic of such families? Compared to those of other families, what is similar and what is different? After reviewing the 5 myths of step-families, discuss which one your found most surprising and why.  Your MAIN post must be substantial with a minimum of 2 to 3 paragraphs. Paragraphs being 4-6 complete sentences. Also, your main post must have in text citations and references.   To garner full points for your weekly discussions you must complete the above directives. Points will be deducted for grammatical errors; lack of depth in content; poor APA usage; (3 posts needed for full contributions)  Book     ·  Gold, J. M. (2015). Stepping In, Stepping Out: Creating Stepfamily Rhythm. Wiley. o Preface pp. v-xii o Chapter 1What do step families look like? Source:  Melinda Varga (Links to an external site.) Developing an understanding of what a step family looks like is what we will do in this first week. As such, the textbook begins by describing the demographic data of a typical stepfamily and divorce and remarriage has impacted the trajectory of stepfamilies. While blended or stepfamilies can occur within many cultural backgrounds, because there is little to no research on diverse groups, this text will focus on the Latino, African American, gay and lesbian stepfamilies. Moving forward in this chapter, this week will process the myths that surround stepfamilies and take time to deconstruct those myths.   Week 1: Lecture While stepfamily numbers are increasing every day, the actual demographic data is much harder to pin down accurately.  For example, there are about 35 million Americans in blended households due to remarriages or other couplings.  One third of all marriages in the US can be attributed to the creation of stepfamilies.  The numbers alone show the trend has no end in sight. According to the text, the end result is that 33\% of all Americans are in stepfamily relationships, including an estimated 10 million stepchildren under the age of 18. As you read this section of chapter 1, make note of all the the demographic numbers and the implications for those percentages. Pay attention to the remarriage rates, the divorce rates and the likelihood of 2nd marriages. All of these percentages have a direct correlation to the blended family creation and recreation. Moreover, the videos provided offer a glimpse in the blended family dynamics in 1st person narratives. Step Family Demographic Data Some demographic statistics are relevant to understanding the stepfamily numbers.  Unless otherwise noted, the data are from the U.S. Census Bureau (2007), the most recent data available. · About 35 million Americans in the U.S. are remarried. · An additional 36 million Americans are divorced or widowed (possibly finding themselves in a remarriage at some point). · About 46\% of all marriages today are a remarriage for one or both partners, and about 65\% of remarriages involve children from the prior marriage, and thus, form stepfamilies. Narratives: Step Family Members Describe Their Own Lives As a child, Tami Butcher grew up with what she lovingly refers to as her bonus mom, a nurturing, caring woman many in society would refer to as a stepmother.  Tamis parents amicably divorced when she was 11, and for the sake of Butcher and her three sisters, decided to keep each other fully involved in their childrens lives despite the divorce.  Eventually both her parents remarried, but they continued to share birthdays, holidays, and special times together with their children, as well as with their new spouses.  Because of her parents efforts, Butcher and her sisters grew up feeling blessed for having two moms and dads instead of stepparents.   Issues of Cultural DivCopyright Information (bibliographic) Document Type: Book Chapter Title of book: Stepping In, Stepping Out: Creating Stepfamily Rhythm Author of book: Joshua M. Gold Chapter Title: Chapter 1 Introduction: What We Know About Stepfamilies Author of Chapter: Joshua M. Gold Year: 2016 Publisher: American Counseling Association Place of Publishing: United States of America The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of fair use that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Introduction: What We Know About Stepfamilies Stepfamily constellations represent a growing societal trend (Lewis & Kre­ ider, 2015; McGoldrick & Carter, 2011), and clinicians are almost guaranteed to work with stepfamily dynamics during the course of their careers. This book will draw on what is known about African American, Latino, gay, and lesbian stepfamilies in order to explore issues of cultural diversity within this specific context. Two terms are used to describe the family constellation and its attendant dynamics that are the focus of this book. To my mind, stepfamily refers to a family system in which one of the spouses has previous children, and blended family denotes families in which both spouses have children from prior unions. In both instance, the number of external prior and evolving relationships remain the same. Within the family unit, the term stepchild is used to distinguish the child to whom one spouse is not the biological parent, while the generic term child refers to a spouses biological offspring. This chapter will provide demographic data on stepfamilies in the United States, followed by a description of common social myths about stepfamilies and comments from stepfamily members about their lives. Each dominant social myth is deconstructed to illustrate that applica­ tion of narrative therapy to these popular notions regarding stepfamily life. Subsequent chapters explore myths about specific roles within the stepfamily system. Stepfamily Demographic Data A stepfamily is defined as a household in which two adults are in a commit­ ted couple relationship and where at least one of the adults has a child or l Stepping In, Stepping Out: Creating Stepfamily Rhythm children from a previous relationship. Those children may be in residence, be jointly parented, or have reached an age of majority and left the family home. An estimated 9,100 new American stepfamilies are created each week. Fifty percent ~ Sixth Edition Publication a American Psychological Association • Washington, DC Copyright © 2010 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. 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BF76.7.P83 2010 808 .06615-<lc22 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record is available from the British Library. Printed in the United States of America Sixth Edition, First Printing 2009010391 Contents List of Tables and Figures xi Foreword xiii Preface xv Editorial Staff xvii Introduction 3 Organization of the Sixth Edition 4 Specific Changes in the Sixth Edition 4 How to Use the Publication Manual 6 1. Writing for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Types of Articles 9 1.01 Empirical Studies 10 1.02 Literature Reviews 10 1.03 Theoretical Articles 10 1.04 Methodological Articles 10 1.05 Case Studies 11 1.06 Other Types of Articles 11 Ethical and Legal Standards in Publishing 11 Ensuring the Accuracy of Scientific Knowledge 12 1.07 Ethical Reporting of Research Results 12 1.08 Data Retention and Sharing 12 1.09 Duplicate and Piecemeal Publication of Data 13 1.10 Plagiarism and Self-Plagiarism 15 Protecting the Rights and Welfare of Research Participants 16 1.11 Rights and Confidentiality of Research Participants 16 1.12 Conflict of Interest 17 9 IfIl CONTENTS Protecting Intel