Research Paper on:
Sociological Perspectives on Stepparenting

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Am I a step-parent or just stepped on, many remarried people ask. And ultimately, each parent, whether they are the biological parent or the step parent has to wonder if  they are doing irreparable harm to the children by forcing them to accept another authority figure into their home, aligned with their parent. In order to understand the complexities of  a step parent situation, a purely sociological standpoint and understanding of family, as with all social phenomenon, begins with the basic definition and functions of the family. Most experts would  tend to agree that the most true definition of a family is a unit of people which serves some basic functions in society such as reproduction, socialization, emotional and financial  support. For many, step-parenting is a role that is assumed naturally and with a minimum of discomfort. Generally speaking, it can be thought that these types of arrangements occur  when there has been a lot of ground work done before hand, with careful planning and ample time given for results to be observed. It also must be said that  certain factors can figure prominently into whether or not a transition of this magnitude can be assimilated by the child. Those factors include the age and sex of the child,  as well as the proximity and consistency of other support factors in their life. A quick divorce and an even quicker remarriage can leave even the smallest childs psyche  reeling, it can be said. There are too many adjustments to be made, no matter how resilient children are attested to be. In fact, sociologists now know that the commonly  held belief that children are more adaptable than adults and are resilient is a fallacy. Children adjust because they have very little choice. They adjust because not adjusting may lead