Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Application:
The theory of housing adjustment has been used extensively to study housing satisfaction,
housing preferences, residential mobility, and housing decisions. For example, Keller, Farr,
Kirby, and Rusco (1997) referred to the Morris and Winter theory (1978) in their discussion
regarding the role of housing norms, values, and cultural background in shaping housing
satisfaction and housing preferences. Krofta, Morris, and Franklin (1994) used this theory to
study housing decisions among older age cohorts, whereas Bruin & Cook (1997) looked at
constraints and residential satisfaction among low-income, single-parent families.
References:
Bruin, M. & Cook, C. (1997). Understanding constraints and residential satisfaction among
low-income single-parent families. Environment and Behavior, 29, 532-553.
Earl W. Morris & Mary Winter [Photograph]. Retrieved May 7, 2009 from Welcome to 3G
Farms,
Keller, T.C., Farr, C.A., Kirby, S.D., & Risco, J. (1997). Housing and its influence on life and
job satisfaction among clergy. Housing and Society, 24, 15-34.
Krofta,, J., Morris, E.W., & Franklin, E. (1994). Housing, health and the needs for help in
older households: Differences among age cohorts. Housing and Society, 21, 76-89.
Morris, E.W. & Winter, M. (1975). A theory of family housing adjustment. Journal of
Marriage and the Family, 37, 79-88.
Morris, E.W. & Winter, M. (1978). Housing, family, and society. New York: Wiley.
Morris, E.W. & Winter, M. (1994). Housing, family, and society (Rev. Ed.). Ames, IA: Morris
& Winter.
Morris, E.W. & Winter, M. (1996). Housing, family, and society (Rev. Ed.). Ames, IA: Morris
& Winter.
Pedersen, E. (2007). Theory is everywhere: A discourse on theory. Clothing and Textiles
Research Journal, 25(1),106-128.
Steggell, C.D., Binder, S.K., Davidson, L.A., Vega, P.R., Hutton, E.D., & Rodecap, A.R.
(2001). Exploring theories of human behavior in housing research. Housing and Society,
28(1/2), 3-32.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/housingstudies/hsg8467theory/2013/07/housing-adjustmenttheory.html
the theory of housing adjustment states that households judge their housing
in accordance with culturally derived norms.
First posited in 1975, Earl W. Morris and Mary Winters theory of housing
adjustment became the crux of the text Housing, Family, and Society have
employed the Morris and Winter theoretical framework to explain households
norms and preferences for housing.
Norms also are established at the household level and may sometimes differ
from societal norms.
Deficits
Housing adjustments
- are behaviors that are undertaken to meet demands for more and/or better
housing, or to overcome normative housing deficits. Morris and Winter (1978,
1975) view individuals and families as evaluating their housing in terms of both
cultural and family norms. When the housing situation does not meet the norms,
a normative deficit exists. this normative deficit creates dissatisfaction.
According to Morris and Winter (1978), Americans (regardless of race or class)
hold housing norms for space, tenure, structure type, quality, expenditures and
neighborhood. They specify that U.S. housing norms are widely held and fairly
constant, despite the considerable diversity in actual housing conditions in this
country. They are quite specific in noting that the houses people live in may vary
markedly from the houses people want to live in and, "the fact that many
families do not conform to a given cultural norm may not be used scientifically
as evidence that the norm does not apply to them" (Morris and Winter 1975:s 1).
Space norms
- cover family and dwelling size. While only one kitchen and one living room are
"necessary," regardless of family size, the number of bedrooms varies depending
on the age and sex of household members (Morris and Winter 1975).
Tenure norms
- favor homeownership over renting. While it is permissible for low income,
young, or single-parent families to rent, when a family has school-age children,
homeownership is expected. Similarly, structure type norms prescribe that a
family shall live in a single family detached dwelling. In rural areas, detached
dwellings are particularly expected.
Expenditure norms include all dwelling-related costs such as insurance, taxes,
rent or mortgage payment and utilities.
Quality and neighborhood norms are more ambiguous, but should be
consistent with the socioeconomic status of the family (Morris and Winter 1975).
Satisfaction with Housing
-
Outcomes:
- Adjustment
- Adaptation
The concept of constraints is essential to Morris and Winter's (1978) theory.
There are three 'types of constraints.
Intrafamilial constraints - include the level of problem solving skills and
the ability to achieve consensus.
Satisfaction constraints - relate to attractive features of the current
dwelling that family members are unwilling to forego.
Extra-familial constraints - include race, sex of the householder, social
class, income, supply of housing and access to credit factors that limit
housing adjustment.
GOAL:
The goal of households in the housing-adjustment process is to maintain
housing conditions within 1imits defined by the norm's of the society and of
the household. The household's norms and preferences as well as its ability to
attain those norms are affected by the household's resources. Many
households are unable to do anything about their housing deficits because of
constraining factors.
Methods:
Application:
The theory used in this paper is an approach that has developed since the
1940s when Riemer (1943; 1945; 1947) published a series of papers on
"maladjustment to the family home." It was from those papers that the idea