Stage 2 of the family life cycle is defined as?

• A. Family of Origin Experiences
• B. Leave Home and Differentiate Self from Family of Origin
• C. Pre-marriage: Select Partners and Decide to Establish Home with Someone
• D. Career Development

Answer: (B)

Leaving home and differentiating oneself from the family of origin is the main developmental task at Stage 2. At this point, the individual works to establish autonomy and a separate identity from parents and siblings, taking on adult responsibilities, making independent decisions, and setting personal boundaries. This differentiation is crucial because it prepares a person to form intimate relationships and later start their own family, by ensuring they can function independently while maintaining appropriate emotional ties to the family of origin. The other options describe tasks from other stages—engagement with family of origin experiences is more about early development, selecting a partner and establishing a home is a later pre-marriage phase, and career development is a broader, often later focus that spans many stages.