180 Chapter 8 Personal Relationships
do your work for you. On the other hand, do not assume that you can get
along without your coworkers. Most jobs are a team effort. If you show
consideration to coworkers, they will be likely to cooperate with you.
Benefi ts of Positive Relationships
Positive relationships produce many benefi ts. Research has shown
that relationships can affect a person’s physical and emotional well-
being. People who maintain positive relationships have fewer physical
illnesses. They are also less prone to diseases and tend to live longer.
Their emotional well-being is enhanced because they know people care
about them. They can share their problems and thereby reduce the stress
of daily living.
Positive relationships also provide social benefi ts. You are more likely
to go places and get involved in activities when someone can join you.
Your present relationships can serve as bridges to future relationships.
Your social circle will expand as you meet new people.
Economic well-being can be a benefi t of positive work relationships.
People who relate well on the job are likely to enjoy their work. This will
encourage them to stay on the job. They will increase their chances of
being promoted and getting more pay raises.
Qualities Needed for Positive
Relationships
As you read earlier, positive relationships do not happen
automatically. Both people involved must work to develop key qualities
that form the basis for positive relationships. These qualities include a
positive self-concept, mutual respect, trust, openness, and reliability.
Positive Self-Concept
As you have read, a positive
self-concept means that you see
yourself as worthwhile. Confi dent
people who care for others may
anticipate that others will care for
them in return. In addition, when
others see that you think highly of
yourself, they are likely to think
highly of you as well. They may
realize that they would enjoy
forming a friendship with you.
A positive self-concept usually
results from positive feedback.
Therefore, an important part of
friendship is providing positive
Serving Your
Community
Investigate local programs
focused on encouraging and
helping older adults who
live alone to socialize with
others. Research why these
programs are so important.
Ask about volunteer
opportunities for teens.
Healthy Living
Friendships and Emotional Health
Everyone needs friends. Positive
friendships are important to emotional health.
Characteristics of true friends include people

with whom you feel you can talk about anything

who make you feel peaceful just by being with them

with whom you can have fun—even when you are not
doing anything special

to whom you can tell a secret and know it won’t get
spread around

who understand and support you whether you’re feeling
up or down
Section 4-2 Decision Making and the Management Process 91
8. Evaluate the results of your
decision. Once a decision is made
and action is taken, the result
cannot be changed. This is part of
learning to take responsibility for
your decisions by accepting the
consequences. You can, however,
benefi t from past experience by
using it to help you make a future
decision. To do this, you need to
evaluate your decision. That means
looking back on your decision and
judging its success. Did your decision
solve your problem? Did the decision
help you reach your desired goal?
Are you satisfi ed with the results?
Try to see what did or did not work.
In evaluating your decisions, you
learn from your mistakes as well as
from your successes.
As you can see, the decision-
making process can be applied to all
kinds of decisions and problems. You
can use it for important decisions you
make every day. The steps can also
be applied to more complex decisions
such as those involving your education,
your career, parenthood, or major purchases, 4-6. These major decisions
can impact your family, friends, society as a whole, and your future.
Th e Management Process
Management involves following a series of steps called the management
process. This process helps you plan how to use resources to achieve
goals. In some ways, the management process is similar to the decision-
making process. The management process can be used by families and other
groups as well as by individuals. It helps all members know what goals have
been set and what plans are to be followed. Otherwise, group resources may
not be used effi ciently and group goals might not be met.
Planning
The fi rst step in the management process is to form a plan. Begin
forming your plan by deciding exactly what steps to take to reach your
goal. Think about the best order for accomplishing the steps.
When working toward a short-term goal, like your goal to get to the
game, this step may be brief. You might plan to check the bus schedule,
Analyze
and
Solve
Choose a real or imaginary
problem. Write a paper
explaining how you could
use the decision-making
process to solve the problem.
4-6
Using the decision-making
process can help people
make important decisions
that impact life goals.
138 Chapter 6 Understanding Families
Nuclear Families
A nuclear family is a family group that consists of a man and
woman and their children. This structure gives children the comfort and
security of family ties with both parents. It gives them a solid base for
the development of human relationships. The nuclear family also gives
children a view of adult roles modeled by their parents.
Single-Parent Families
In the single-parent family structure, one adult lives with one
or more children. The adult may be widowed, separated, divorced, or
never married. The single parent must provide the functions of a family
without the aid of a spouse.
Cooperation is the key to success in single-parent families. Each
member should be aware of the needs and concerns of other members.
When one family member has a problem, another member may be able
to understand and offer help.
Stepfamilies
When a single parent marries, a stepfamily is formed. The husband,
the wife, or both spouses have children from other marriages. Thus, the
stepfamily structure includes the roles of stepparents and stepchildren.
In most cases, at least some of the family members were previously
part of a nuclear family. They may have faced the crisis of death or
divorce. Making the adjustment to a stepfamily may be stressful for
them. To cushion this adjustment, each family member must try to be
understanding and cooperative.
A stepfamily is usually a new experience for everyone involved.
Each person brings his or her hopes and doubts into the family. New
relationships form. Besides
adjusting to each other, husbands
and wives must adjust to each
other’s children. The children
must adjust to a new parent as
well as new brothers and sisters.
Extended Families
Extended family includes
relatives other than parents and
their children, such as grandparents,
aunts, uncles, and/or cousins.
In many extended families,
members offer one another support.
Grandparents and other adults may
help care for children in the family.
Life Skills
Accessing Support for Single-
Parent Families
Organizations designed to help fi ll the
vacant adult roles in single-parent families exist in
many communities. For example, the Big Brothers organization
matches adult men with young boys who lack male infl uence in
their homes. The Big Sisters organization operates in the same
way to match adult women with young girls. The adults help to
provide friendship and guidance to young people.
The parents in single-parent families often miss the
companionship of other adults. They can fi nd support and
understanding in organizations like Parents Without Partners
(PWP). Local chapters of this international organization
sponsor many social and educational activities.
VI Introduction
Serving Your Community
Fosters concern, appreciation, and
involvement with the community and
emphasizes your role as a citizen.
Analyze and Solve
Develops your problem-solving, critical
thinking, and decision-making skills.
Healthy Living
Focuses on ways to maintain
a healthy lifestyle.
Life Skills
Provides additional information that will help
you develop life skills in a variety of areas.
Lively Features Promote
21st Century Skills
Previous Page Next Page