COMPETENT FAMILY AND PARENTALITY

By Cecilia Gutiérrez A., Psychologist NSW SLASA.

psychologist@nswslasa.com.au   

Several studies have shown that the family fulfils a fundamental role in protecting a child psychologically when that child is faced with adversity. One of the family’s main functions is to provide not only the basic necessities, but also to meet emotional, cognitive and social needs within a positive setting: a caring atmosphere providing acceptance, support and security to family members so that all can grow physically and psychologically healthy.

Competent Parentality is a concept which refers to the parents’ ability to adequately meet all of their children’s needs. This setting creates the basic ability to find out about and to develop a deep understanding of what their children’s needs are in order to create awareness of these needs and to satisfy them adequately.

Physiological Needs:  All children, regardless of race and sex, have certain needs which are indispensable to their growth and maturation; basic or physiological needs; food, hygiene, health, protection and security. These needs are vital to the maintenance all human life.

Emotional Needs: An atmosphere providing the child with emotional stability and safety, where care, trust and security are conveyed to the child, is as important as food, hygiene and vaccines.

Cognitive Needs:  Children have a need to understand and to give meaning and significance to the world they live in. To achieve this, it is vital to create opportunities within the family for learning, dialogue and discussion, which will in turn stimulate language development, logical thinking, attention, perception, memory, reflection and critical outlook.

Social Needs:  Adequately meeting the child’s social needs allows the child to find his place as an individual. Children must incorporate social norms that allow them to live harmoniously and satisfactorily linked with the social world, this allows the process of social adaptation and a healthy coexistence with others, as well as a sense of duty and social responsibility. A sense of belonging (the feeling of being a ‘part’ of a social community or group) is a vital part of the development process of child to adult. In the first stage of socialisation, this aspect is found within the family, so that later the child can function in new social environments, as in school and other social and community settings.

A harmonious integration of all human needs through the process of development will mean that the individual can have a healthy independent and engaging development. The individual will possess the basics to foster within himself the consolidation of mental health, effective growth, social awareness, and integrated growth and development.

Several studies have shown that the family fulfils a fundamental role in protecting a child psychologically when that child is faced with adversity. One of the family’s main functions is to provide not only the basic necessities, but also to meet emotional, cognitive and social needs within a positive setting: a caring atmosphere providing acceptance, support and security to family members so that all can grow physically and psychologically healthy.

Competent Parentality is a concept which refers to the parents’ ability to adequately meet all of their children’s needs. This setting creates the basic ability to find out about and to develop a deep understanding of what their children’s needs are in order to create awareness of these needs and to satisfy them adequately.

Physiological Needs:  All children, regardless of race and sex, have certain needs which are indispensable to their growth and maturation; basic or physiological needs; food, hygiene, health, protection and security. These needs are vital to the maintenance all human life.

Emotional Needs: An atmosphere providing the child with emotional stability and safety, where care, trust and security are conveyed to the child, is as important as food, hygiene and vaccines.

Cognitive Needs:  Children have a need to understand and to give meaning and significance to the world they live in. To achieve this, it is vital to create opportunities within the family for learning, dialogue and discussion, which will in turn stimulate language development, logical thinking, attention, perception, memory, reflection and critical outlook.

Social Needs:  Adequately meeting the child’s social needs allows the child to find his place as an individual. Children must incorporate social norms that allow them to live harmoniously and satisfactorily linked with the social world, this allows the process of social adaptation and a healthy coexistence with others, as well as a sense of duty and social responsibility. A sense of belonging (the feeling of being a ‘part’ of a social community or group) is a vital part of the development process of child to adult. In the first stage of socialisation, this aspect is found within the family, so that later the child can function in new social environments, as in school and other social and community settings.

A harmonious integration of all human needs through the process of development will mean that the individual can have a healthy independent and engaging development. The individual will possess the basics to foster within himself the consolidation of mental health, effective growth, social awareness, and integrated growth and development.