Daniel A. Bochner, Ph.D.

The Great Life Machine is a construction of an infinite number of interconnected and interdependent systems. From a psychological point of view, the family group is the system of preeminent importance. It is from the family that each individual develops his or her style and awareness of others, and from which each individual will learn how to couple, and then create a new family. It's as if each individual within a family, and then each group that can be derived through the combination of any part of the family, is a cog, a gear, a spring, a sponge, or a sub-component of the whole family system. The family system works together to be one unit even as the various parts can be viewed separately. Because each part is a component of the larger machine, however, it is typically a grave error to view any one part in isolation from the larger machine. In fact, it is also incorrect to view the family in isolation from the community or communities of which it is part. The family bears its imprint upon each individual, much like DNA from parent to child and back through the generations. Likewise, the health of the family bears its imprint on the larger community and on society itself.

The first subsection of Family Dynamics and Parental Leadership focuses on the family as a whole, first in describing how the individual is influenced and influences the other parts of the family as well as larger groups, and then in discussing how emotions take up space within the family unit.

In the second subsection, we turn to parenting issues, from the essentials, to dealing with the judgment of others, and then to getting in tune with the importance of the connection between children and parents.

Understanding what goes into making a good kid is the emphasis of the third subsection. Building block issues such as the balance between materialism and integrity or the balance between freedom and responsibility lead into the more protective issues, like dealing with bullies and teaching children how to be true to who they are.

The ubiquitous parenting issue of discipline wraps up Part III, with articles that will bolster the parenting team and appropriate parenting methods. This subsection hones in on how parents can support one another, make expectations more clear for children, and also searches for an explanation of seemingly nonsensical bad behavior.

In Part III, the family will be discussed as a conglomeration of its parts as well as on its own merit. The primary emphasis will be on getting the family to function in the healthiest manner. The health of the family as a whole is our best hope for individuals and for society, as the healthy functioning family churns out each part onto the world, thus freeing them to create new systems of all kinds and everywhere.