Research Paper on:
Functioning of a Single Parent Household

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
The traditional concept of family, or more specifically the traditional American sociological model of the nuclear family, is one which dates far back into our history. Indeed, the concept  of family itself can be described as the "oldest fundamental of all social institutions" (Sullivan and Thompson, 1994). This concept has changed radically in recent years, however. More  and more frequently our "traditional" families are single parent households or even more unusual twists of the age-old sociological concept of family. Not only do these familial units entail  extreme diversity in family roles, alliances, and interactional patterns, they often are impacted and result in a number of socially constructed myths and assumptions. On the whole, single parent  families face many unique problems related to the familial structure itself (Dinkmeyer, McKay, and McKay, 1987). Although Dinkmeyer, McKay, and McKay (1987) caution that this structure in itself  does not make the single parent family inferior to traditional families, some problems ultimately result. Sometimes, in fact, our radical transition from the American concept of nuclear family to  more unusual sociological constructs of the idea of family even results in a number of psychological problems which must be consequently addressed by the therapeutic community.  The term "nuclear family" brings to mind the American concept of the ideal family, of the mother, the father, and one or more children sharing a common  home. In this concept it is the mother who stays at home and cares for the children and the father who works outside the home in order to provide  financial support for the family (Turnbull and Turnbull, 1990). This traditional concept of nuclear family is one which is currently floundering in failure, however.