Psychology Benefits Of Family Meal Times

2500 Words10 Pages
1. a) Summarise the main psychological and social benefits of family mealtimes. According to Schwarschild (2000) forum posting ‘Alienated Youth: Help from families and school’s. Schwarschild identified family mealtime as the single most effective intervention for the widest variety of teen and adolescent’s problems (Schwarschild, 2000, p. 95). Family meal times can create a positive influence on a person’s life and develop skills that last a lifetime. The two main developmental benefits as stated by Schwarschild (2006) by bringing about family mealtimes are as follows. Firstly there are several positive mental benefits developed by committing to family mealtimes. As mentioned by Schwarschild (2006) mealtimes give children a sense of security (Schwarschild, 2006, p. 95). Children and adolescents are able to develop more extensive vocabularies, build conversation and understand language at an earlier age (Schwarschild, 2006, p. 95.) Family meal times also promotes good communication amongst members, creating an opportunity for family interaction to share information, discuss or solve family problems, strengthens family bonds and relationships and improves nutrition (Schwarschild, 2006, p. 95). Adolescents participating in regular family mealtimes are more likely to make the right choices and are better adjusted in life. Secondly, family mealtimes provide children and adolescent’s an opportunity to develop important social skills such as courtesy and social manners that are well-regarded in society. Regular participation in family mealtimes for adolescents and children can be very beneficial for developing skills that can be utilise in the future. By maintaining family mealtimes adolescent’s and children are able to strengthen their communication and interaction skills therefore enhancing their socialisation skills. Word count: 229 excluding in text referencing
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