Throughout America's years, it has long been known for its constant development. America and its people are always looking to take the "next-step" and to never look behind. This idea especially holds true when it comes to economic development. America has developed profoundly throughout these years, and their economic focus and priorities are nowhere near what they used to be. However, with such an emphasis on economic development, other aspects of life can be affected as a result. The aspect that will be discussed within this research essay is family relationships. The idea that family and money are very important is displayed in this quote; "Family and finances are key sources of strength and self-sufficiency that interact in the lives of most Americans." . Family has many types of interpretations, as it can be translated from relatives as well as friends. Family is the centerpiece for economics, demonstrated in this quote, "The family unit has long been the basis of economic activity: the stronger the family, the stronger the society and greater its achievements." Family relationships are affected either positively or negatively by a focus on economics. The fact that success in America is determined by wealth leads to such a focus and obsession on growing economically and obtaining wealth. This ultimately affects family relationships because people spend so much time focused on economic growth and gaining money that they do not have time for any other things such as spending genuine quality time with family.
The research question proposed within this paper is, "What are effects of Americans’ focus on economic growth?" This question will be specifically focused around how economics affect family relationships.
Economics can affect family relationships in a positive way if there is economic success within the household and a family is able to prosper. It is very important for families to achieve economic stability, as it allows families to avoid the constant stress stemming from financial issues, and it allows them to be much more focused on each other as a family. Economic success and positive relations are connected in this quote; "Research indicates that there is an interaction between interpersonal relationships and economic well-being. There is a well-documented correlation between marriage and better economic status; over time, married people experience a greater accumulation of wealth than do single or divorced people." This quote also demonstrates the importance of having a marriage to further strengthen family relationships, as two people working compared to one is a huge financial advantage. However, focus on economics only typically builds family relationships among the rich, which means that there is a very limited range of families that are positively affected by such a strong focus on economics.
There are many negative effects of economics on family relationships that play a large role in changing the outlook for both parents and children. America has long been known as a capitalistic society, and as a result there are two very differing class systems, the rich and poor. Typically, the poor have a much more difficult time at achieving economic stability along with economic success. The constant financial struggle that families with low incomes face lead to strained family relationships, with children tending to be the ones most affected. Economic struggles can have a "marginal impact of family relationships on child development could be greater for families from more disadvantaged socio-economic groups." This quote displays the fact that children can be the group most affected by economic struggles and their relationships with parents can be strained as a result of this. This source demonstrates that economic struggle has many negative effects on the family, "The experience of economic instability causes increased material hardship, particularly when families lack personal assets. Low family income negatively affects children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and academic outcomes, even after controlling for parental characteristics. Children’s cognitive development during early childhood is most sensitive to the experience of low family income." This source proves that economic hardship and struggle can severely affect a family and their relationship. Economic hardship for children at a young age can ultimately harm these children in the long-term, which alters their future. This proves why there has been such an emphasis on being financially stable in today's world, as financial difficulties can strain families and impair their ability to be live happily. Families that struggle financially "face greater difficulties in accessing resources to build strong finances and healthy relationships due to limited social networks, skills, and opportunities." This shows that families faced with many financial difficulties struggle to provide for themselves and their families because they do not have the ability nor the talent to sustain a stable environment for their family. The quote proves how important it is to find a balance between focusing on economic success in addition to one's family. If an individual spends too much time on one aspect, the other aspect can be affected and lead to many arising issues. Financial issues can "lead to depression that hurts parent-child relationships." Depression is a common cause of financial struggle, and it can affect all members of a family, which can cause both parents and children to feel that there is no hope or a chance of success in their future. That is why it is very crucial to make sure that financially struggling families have strong support systems in place to make sure the family is able to continue to have faith and believe in the fact that there are better days ahead for them. Parents who are depressed "are less likely to feel connected to their children." The idea that parents feel unconnected to their children can have serious negative implications as children may feel less obligated to listen to their parents, causing them to partly drift through whichever route they choose to travel on. A common cause of economic instability is "a change in family structure (specifically an adult family member leaving the household)." Children are typically the ones most affected by an adult family member leaving the house, as they feel a sense of being unwanted and uncared for by that family members as well as the predicament it puts the other adult family member in since the remaining member has to provide for the child completely.
In conclusion, economic success is the key to building stronger family relationships, although it is very difficult to obtain prominent financial success unless an individual is a member of the upper-class. However, economic instability or hardship is a major component in poor family relationships, as members within a family are often depressed by the fact that they are constantly struggling and the situation then appears almost hopeless. Many people in today's society will argue that economic growth and the desire to further improve America needs to stop as a result of a wide range of hardship that occurs, however, "Quantum changes in income, mortality rates, life expectancy, nutritional status, educational opportunities, and other indicators of the quality of life occur in response to industrialization, modern health care, education, and other aspects of socio-economic development. It is widely agreed that families are better off with these changes than without them." Therefore, this proves ultimately why it is necessary for economics to be further improved as it has had positive effects on society as a whole. All in all, it appears there are many negative effects of America's focus on economic growth, while there are limited positive effects from their overwhelming focus.
The research question proposed within this paper is, "What are effects of Americans’ focus on economic growth?" This question will be specifically focused around how economics affect family relationships.
Economics can affect family relationships in a positive way if there is economic success within the household and a family is able to prosper. It is very important for families to achieve economic stability, as it allows families to avoid the constant stress stemming from financial issues, and it allows them to be much more focused on each other as a family. Economic success and positive relations are connected in this quote; "Research indicates that there is an interaction between interpersonal relationships and economic well-being. There is a well-documented correlation between marriage and better economic status; over time, married people experience a greater accumulation of wealth than do single or divorced people." This quote also demonstrates the importance of having a marriage to further strengthen family relationships, as two people working compared to one is a huge financial advantage. However, focus on economics only typically builds family relationships among the rich, which means that there is a very limited range of families that are positively affected by such a strong focus on economics.
There are many negative effects of economics on family relationships that play a large role in changing the outlook for both parents and children. America has long been known as a capitalistic society, and as a result there are two very differing class systems, the rich and poor. Typically, the poor have a much more difficult time at achieving economic stability along with economic success. The constant financial struggle that families with low incomes face lead to strained family relationships, with children tending to be the ones most affected. Economic struggles can have a "marginal impact of family relationships on child development could be greater for families from more disadvantaged socio-economic groups." This quote displays the fact that children can be the group most affected by economic struggles and their relationships with parents can be strained as a result of this. This source demonstrates that economic struggle has many negative effects on the family, "The experience of economic instability causes increased material hardship, particularly when families lack personal assets. Low family income negatively affects children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and academic outcomes, even after controlling for parental characteristics. Children’s cognitive development during early childhood is most sensitive to the experience of low family income." This source proves that economic hardship and struggle can severely affect a family and their relationship. Economic hardship for children at a young age can ultimately harm these children in the long-term, which alters their future. This proves why there has been such an emphasis on being financially stable in today's world, as financial difficulties can strain families and impair their ability to be live happily. Families that struggle financially "face greater difficulties in accessing resources to build strong finances and healthy relationships due to limited social networks, skills, and opportunities." This shows that families faced with many financial difficulties struggle to provide for themselves and their families because they do not have the ability nor the talent to sustain a stable environment for their family. The quote proves how important it is to find a balance between focusing on economic success in addition to one's family. If an individual spends too much time on one aspect, the other aspect can be affected and lead to many arising issues. Financial issues can "lead to depression that hurts parent-child relationships." Depression is a common cause of financial struggle, and it can affect all members of a family, which can cause both parents and children to feel that there is no hope or a chance of success in their future. That is why it is very crucial to make sure that financially struggling families have strong support systems in place to make sure the family is able to continue to have faith and believe in the fact that there are better days ahead for them. Parents who are depressed "are less likely to feel connected to their children." The idea that parents feel unconnected to their children can have serious negative implications as children may feel less obligated to listen to their parents, causing them to partly drift through whichever route they choose to travel on. A common cause of economic instability is "a change in family structure (specifically an adult family member leaving the household)." Children are typically the ones most affected by an adult family member leaving the house, as they feel a sense of being unwanted and uncared for by that family members as well as the predicament it puts the other adult family member in since the remaining member has to provide for the child completely.
In conclusion, economic success is the key to building stronger family relationships, although it is very difficult to obtain prominent financial success unless an individual is a member of the upper-class. However, economic instability or hardship is a major component in poor family relationships, as members within a family are often depressed by the fact that they are constantly struggling and the situation then appears almost hopeless. Many people in today's society will argue that economic growth and the desire to further improve America needs to stop as a result of a wide range of hardship that occurs, however, "Quantum changes in income, mortality rates, life expectancy, nutritional status, educational opportunities, and other indicators of the quality of life occur in response to industrialization, modern health care, education, and other aspects of socio-economic development. It is widely agreed that families are better off with these changes than without them." Therefore, this proves ultimately why it is necessary for economics to be further improved as it has had positive effects on society as a whole. All in all, it appears there are many negative effects of America's focus on economic growth, while there are limited positive effects from their overwhelming focus.
( Keaton Choi )
www.ChordsAZ.com