Showing papers in "Family Process in 1980"
TL;DR: This paper presents the results of the research focused on individuating and elaborating principles and methods that are found highly productive in interviewing the family, under the headings Hypothesizing, Circularity, and Neutrality, to aid the therapist in stimulating the family to produce meaningful information.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of our research focused on individuating and elaborating principles and methods that we have found highly productive in interviewing the family. We have synthesized these principles under the headings Hypothesizing, Circularity, and Neutrality, giving conceptual definitions, descriptions, and practical examples of their application. Our purpose is to aid the therapist in stimulating the family to produce meaningful information, which is indispensable to the therapist in making a therapeutic choice.
817 citations
TL;DR: Some of the interventions developed at the Ackerman Brief Therapy Project in treating the families of symptomatic children are described, which are classified as compliance-based or defiance-based, depending upon the family's degree of anxiety, motivation, and resistance.
Abstract: This paper has described some of the interventions developed at the Ackerman Brief Therapy Project in treating the families of symptomatic children. The interventions are based upon a differential diagnosis of the family system and upon an evaluation of that system's resistance to change. They are classified as compliance-based or defiance-based, depending upon the family's degree of anxiety, motivation, and resistance. Paradoxical interventions, which are defiance-based, are used as a clinical tool in dealing with resistance and circumventing the power struggle between therapist and family. A consultation group acting as a Greek chorus underlines the therapist's interventions and comments on the consequences of systemic change. This group is also sometimes used to form a therapeutic triangle among the family, therapist and group, with the therapist and group debating over the family's ability to change.
157 citations
TL;DR: This paper is an attempt to outline a set of hypotheses about the kinds of issues that intensify the problem of fusion in committed lesbian partnerships, and offers case examples of a "fused" lesbian couple.
Abstract: This paper is an attempt to outline a set of hypotheses about the kinds of issues that intensify the problem of fusion in committed lesbian partnerships. We consider also why the likelihood is so great of fusion occurring as a response to stresses both internal and external to the relationship. We have chosen to address the problem from a systems perspective because we feel that the most productive clinical interventions for lesbian couples depend upon an awareness of the problems inherent in the couple's attempt to define the rules of their relationship within the context of a larger system in which no rules relating to them exist. We shall outline our basic conceptual approach to the problem, offer case examples of a "fused" lesbian couple, and discuss implications for treatment.
136 citations
TL;DR: Ethical and strategic dilemmas facing the therapist are examined as are consequences of secrets in treatment, and guidelines for identifying family secrets are presented.
Abstract: Family secrets are examined in a two-part article. Part I explores the dynamics of secrets in the relational context. Terminology is proposed for different types of family secrets as well as for different roles within the relational context. Guidelines for identifying family secrets are presented, and typical patterns accompanying or underlying secrets are explored. Different stances toward secrets are discussed, with particular emphasis on ethical issues. Finally, individual and relational consequences of secrets are proposed. Part II extends this discussion to the management of family secrets in marital and family therapy. Ethical and strategic dilemmas facing the therapist are examined as are consequences of secrets in treatment. A particular therapeutic stance is recommended and illustrated with examples of both reparative and preventive applications.
136 citations
TL;DR: A life history model is proposed that uses the concepts of the "alcoholic system," family homeostasis, and the "family alcohol phase" as its building blocks.
Abstract: Research and clinical interest in the alcoholic family has tended to outpace the development of family-oriented conceptual models of alcoholism. A family development perspective has been almost totally absent, despite the chronic, longitudinal nature of alcoholism.
A life history model is proposed that uses the concepts of the “alcoholic system,” family homeostasis, and the “family alcohol phase” as its building blocks. Chronic alcoholism tends to produce distortions in the normative family life cycle. These distortions and their clinical implications are discussed, using four case histories as illustrations of the concepts proposed.
The model is also examined in the light of current research findings about the alcoholic family.
93 citations
TL;DR: Couples exhibiting the enmeshed and autistic patterns of divorce were the most difficult for mediators to work with and had the poorest postdivorce adjustment; couples exhibiting the direct and disengaged conflict patterns fared better, both in mediation and in the postDivorce period.
Abstract: An experimental mediation procedure for the negotiation of divorce settlement agreements was studied through the intensive analysis of nine completed mediation cases. The audio recordings of mediation sessions and postdivorce interviews with both of the former marital partners provided the material on which the analysis is based. Five additional couples, drawn from a similar population but who used the traditional adversarial system, provided a comparative perspective.
High levels of prenegotiation conflict and nonmutuality of the decision to divorce were negatively related to attitudes toward mediation and behavior during negotiations. The report focuses on four distinctive patterns of divorce decision-making. The typology is based on three primary dimensions: degree of ambivalence; frequency and openness of communication; and level and overtness of conflict. Couples exhibiting the enmeshed and autistic patterns of divorce were the most difficult for mediators to work with and had the poorest postdivorce adjustment; couples exhibiting the direct and disengaged conflict patterns fared better, both in mediation and in the postdivorce period. The potential importance of intercouple differences for the divorce mediation process and postdivorce adjustment are considered.
93 citations
TL;DR: The paper describes three paradoxical strategies for arranging that the parents solve the presenting problem of the child and the incongruity in the family hierarchy.
Abstract: This paper proposes that psychopathology in children can be the result of an incongruity in the hierarchical organization of the family. The parents are in a superior position to the child by the fact of being parents, and yet the problem child assumes a superior position to the parents by protecting them through symptomatic behavior that often expresses metaphorically the parents' difficulties. The paper describes three paradoxical strategies for arranging that the parents solve the presenting problem of the child and the incongruity in the family hierarchy. The therapeutic techniques described are characterized by the use of communication modalities, such as dramatizations, pretending, and make-believe, that are appropriate to children.
68 citations
TL;DR: A couple that lives in the shadow of this double-ended catastrophe may triangle in a "go-between" to bring them together if they get too far apart, or separate them when they are too close.
Abstract: Certain families experience conflict in regulating their interpersonal distance because they are afraid of separation and intimacy. A couple that lives in the shadow of this double-ended catastrophe may triangle in a "go-between" to bring them together if they get too far apart, or separate them when they are too close. Ambivalence about the couple's relationship predisposes a family member, often an in-law or child, to be recruited to this role. The "go-between" ambivalence then becomes the couple's homeostat, and symptoms are likely to appear in this individual. Implications for family therapy are illustrated through a full-length case study.
63 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviews from an epistemological viewpoint the empirical literature that has attempted to assess the validity of the family theories of schizophrenia and particular attention is given to restating and extending the epistemology of pattern within which schizophrenia occurs.
Abstract: some, but not all, of the family theories of schizophrenia entail a shift from the Aristotelian/Cartesian/Newtonian epistemology of individual psychology to a systemic epistemology of pattern. Perhaps the most significant (and underappreciated) aspect of this epistemological shift pertains to etiology: The family theories of schizophrenia espoused by Bateson et al. and by Wynne and Singer do not claim that parents or families cause schizophrenia. The persistent failure of researchers to appreciate this has led to many fruitless studies that have sought to discover a causal link between the thought disorder and communication deviance of parents and the schizophrenia of their offspring. This paper reviews from an epistemological viewpoint the empirical literature that has attempted to assess the validity of the family theories of schizophrenia. Particular attention is given to restating and extending the epistemology of pattern within which schizophrenia occurs. The conventional psychiatric approaches to schizophrenia are shown to play an active role within the schizophrenic pattern.
58 citations
TL;DR: It is proposed that successful therapeutic interventions often involve changing the behavior of persons other than the identified patient but that traditional therapists have avoided the full implication of this.
Abstract: The brief, problem-focused treatment of a case of depression is described. Members of a family were seen in the treatment of a 58-year-old man suffering from depression secondary to two strokes. The identified patient did not attend any of the five sessions. Therapeutic interventions emphasized interdicting the self-defeating efforts of family members to be supportive and encouraging. It is proposed that successful therapeutic interventions often involve changing the behavior of persons other than the identified patient but that traditional therapists have avoided the full implication of this. Ethical concerns about this mode of treatment are considered.
57 citations
TL;DR: Innovative uses of the telephone by a family therapy training team, including strategic calls to the therapist; calls from the team to family members; and calls between family members are described.
Abstract: The telephone has been used as an instrument for live supervision. This article describes innovative uses of the telephone by a family therapy training team, including (a) strategic calls to the therapist; (b) calls from the team to family members; and (c) calls between family members. Case examples describing the interventions and their impact are given. Both training and therapeutic benefits are discussed.
TL;DR: Theoretic and pragmatic parallels between brief strategic therapy and a sophisticated martial art system, Aikido, and the similarities in basic principles of practice are presented.
Abstract: Building on Watzlawick's observations of certain similarities between judo and brief strategic therapy, this paper develops theoretic and pragmatic parallels between brief strategic therapy and a sophisticated martial art system, Aikido. After presenting the contextual similarities of the two conceptual systems as parallel “challenges” to the therapist and Aikidoist to effect change, the similarities in basic principles of practice are presented. The similarities in the philosophical and attitudinal positions of these conceptual systems are then delineated, followed by a case example that integrates the various concepts in the paper.
TL;DR: It was found that staying with the preferred relative was associated with a shorter stay and also that different preferred relatives had a differential effect on the duration of the hospital stay of the patient.
Abstract: The evolution of family psychiatric ward treatment is reviewed with special reference to the developments at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India. The set-up and philosophy of the Family Psychiatric Center are highlighted. Case reports are included. The effects of the patient's preference to be accompanied by a particular relative during family ward treatment was studied. The patient's preference for a particular relative was determined by means of a questionnaire. It was found that staying with the preferred relative was associated with a shorter stay and also that different preferred relatives had a differential effect on the duration of the hospital stay of the patient.
TL;DR: The use of short-term family therapy is described as a new modality for resolution of pathological grief with young children and adolescents because the unusual cohesiveness of the family was evidenced by resistance to actual or threatened separation.
Abstract: This paper describes the use of short-term family therapy as a new modality for resolution of pathological grief with young children and adolescents. These families' experience with other modalities of therapy had been disappointing. The unusual cohesiveness of the family was evidenced by resistance to actual or threatened separation. Such activities as entering individual therapy or going to school, camp, boarding school, or residential treatment wer hard to accomplish because of the difficulty with earlier grieving processes and the associated failure of decathexis of the lost person.
TL;DR: This study compared the relative effectiveness of two durations of time-limited psychotherapy with time-unlimited treatment and a waiting list control group to provide some evidence that families who received treatment fared better than those on the waiting list.
Abstract: This study compared the relative effectiveness of two durations of time-limited psychotherapy with time-unlimited treatment and a waiting list control group. Thirty-seven families applying for treatment at a child guidance clinic were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: (a) time-limited therapy of 6 sessions within 8 weeks; (b) time-limited therapy of 12 sessions within 16 weeks: (c) time-unlimited therapy; and (d) a waiting list control group in which families waited approximately four months before beginning treatment. Outcome was assessed from multiple sources: parents, child, therapist, family interaction ratings, and missed and canceled sessions. Analysis of data provided some evidence that families who received treatment fared better than those on the waiting list. There were no consistent differences between 6-session, 12-session, and unlimited therapy. A model is proposed for the further investigation of time-limited treatment.
TL;DR: A rarely studied but important family process: how a family perceives and understands the relationships in other families it knows is delineated and specific hypotheses linking family problem-solving and interfamily perception are constructed.
Abstract: This paper delineates a rarely studied but important family process: how a family perceives and understands the relationships in other families it knows. We hypothesize that these perceptions of other families are fundamental components of a family's shared construing of its social world. Families differ in how they perceive other families, specifically, and in their approach to construing or apprehending their social world, generally. We have hypothesized that these general differences also play a crucial role in shaping the style and competence of family problem-solving. A family's approach to any problem depends upon how it construes or interprets the social context of that problem. Using these general concepts of family life, we construct specific hypotheses linking family problem-solving and interfamily perception. We describe methods for measuring both family problem-solving and how a family perceives other families. Findings confirm our major hypothesis: A family that searches for underlying and subtle patterns in a problem-solving situation will develop a more differentiated and organized conception of other families.
TL;DR: Findings from a recent study of a population of middle-class Catholic families, primarily Irish, German, and Italian, among whom alcohol-related problems are frequent and severe are suggested that massive social controls in major areas of family life are closely related to problematic drinking behavior.
Abstract: This paper presents findings from a recent study of a population of middle-class Catholic families, primarily Irish, German, and Italian, among whom alcohol-related problems are frequent and severe. To understand alcohol usage in this population, a knowledge of the historical and cultural roles of drinking in the relevant ethnic or national groups and a holistic view of contemporary family life are essential. It is suggested that massive social controls in major areas of family life are closely related to problematic drinking behavior. The delineation of cultural prescriptions regarding behaviors and attitudes directly and indirectly related to drinking patterns may contribute a significant cultural dimension to proposed models of the "alcoholic family" system.
TL;DR: A family-oriented therapy approach for the prevention of rehospitalization of adolescents and young adults with diverse diagnoses with the emphasis on overcoming the family's attempt to avoid a hierarchy in which the parents are in charge of the family.
Abstract: This paper presents a family-oriented therapy approach for the prevention of rehospitalization of adolescents and young adults with diverse diagnoses. The dilemma of the family is presented in terms of the incongruities evident in the organizational hierarchy of these families. The main premise is that if the hierarchy is corrected so that the parents are jointly in charge of the youth and the extended kin cooperate, rehospitalization can be prevented. A therapeutic strategy is presented with the emphasis on overcoming the family's attempt to avoid a hierarchy in which the parents are in charge of the family.
TL;DR: This paper illustrates with case examples the use of paradoxical procedures in a child inpatient treatment center and indications and contraindications for this type of intervention are discussed.
Abstract: This paper illustrates with case examples the use of paradoxical procedures in a child inpatient treatment center. Indications and contraindications for this type of intervention are discussed.
TL;DR: A case study of a normally functioning married couple was conducted to investigate the relation between their logic and their communication patterns, revealing paradoxical rules associated with restricted episodes in which the couple could not obtain their goal of eliminating conflict.
Abstract: A case study of a normally functioning married couple was conducted to investigate the relation between their logic and their communication patterns. Two communication theories, the Interactional View and the Coordinated Management of Meaning, were employed in an analysis of the couple's logic and communication. A triangulated methodology, consisting of interviews, written self-reports, and role-playing, was used to elicit the couple's constitutive and regulative rules. The discovery of paradoxical rules led to several propositions concerning the circular relation between communication and socially created realities. Specifically, the analysis revealed paradoxical rules associated with restricted episodes in which the couple could not obtain their goal of eliminating conflict.
TL;DR: The literature on delusions shared by families is examined from the perspective of a family therapist, the role the disorder plays in defining the continuum of functional/dysfunctional shared familial beliefs is described, and a case example demonstrating that folie à famille may be underreported is presented.
Abstract: Over the last century there have been reports in the psychiatric journals of an unusual disorder, folie a famille, yet the syndrome has been neglected by family theorists. In this paper the literature on delusions shared by families is examined from the perspective of a family therapist. The role the disorder plays in defining the continuum of functional/dysfunctional shared familial beliefs is described, and a case example demonstrating that folie a famille may be underreported is presented.
TL;DR: Several literary moments that may help the professional who is working with chronic illness, dying, and bereavement to have a broader appreciation of the subtleties of these human experiences are explored.
Abstract: Literature invites us to enter into the human dilemma in a manner that is different from but no less penetrating than clinical observation. The writer's craft uncovers realities other than the statistically measurable and objective. In languages far from the strictly literal and closer to indirection, symbolism, and aesthetics, the literary artist probes imagination and consciousness. He presents us with transcripts of conversations replete with intonations, and we thereby become privy to motivations and inner thoughts. The artistry of a piece of fiction, autobiographical essay, poem, or drama propels us into empathetic relationships. We feel with the emotions of the involved dramatis personae; we witness their interactions; we experience their points of view. And by such participation, we, the readers, come to perceive and even refine our own. Themes of chronic illness, dying, and bereavement are certainly not alien to literature. This paper explores several literary moments that may help the professional who is working with these issues to have a broader appreciation of the subtleties of these human experiences.
TL;DR: A small group design is presented, part of a two-year training program in family therapy, using video playback to enhance self-awareness, emphasizing the staging of gradually increased risks from general exercises to more specifically personal foci.
Abstract: This paper presents a small group design, part of a two-year training program in family therapy, using video playback to enhance self-awareness. Congruence among multiple channels of communication enhances therapist effectiveness; the visual mode has unique advantages in identifying incongruence. Details of the design are described, emphasizing the staging of gradually increased risks from general exercises to more specifically personal foci. The concurrent building of an atmosphere of safety is essential for risk-taking.
TL;DR: The use of cotherapists in family therapy is explored with particular attention to the unique ways in which this form of therapy can aid the therapeutic process.
Abstract: The use of cotherapists in family therapy is explored with particular attention to the unique ways in which this form of therapy can aid the therapeutic process. A basic cotherapy transactional pattern is described, and a number of techniques specifically for use in cotherapy with families and couples are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors discuss the potential positive and negative effects of this new and highly controversial custody decision by reviewing relevant research and theoretical concepts.
Abstract: Joint custody, an increasingly popular custody decision, allows both divorced parents to share equally the rights and responsibilities of child-rearing following their divorce. The authors discuss the potential positive and negative effects of this new and highly controversial custody decision by reviewing relevant research and theoretical concepts. Suggestions for further research are offered.
TL;DR: The use of paradoxical interventions to change the resistant behaviors of community home residents who were formerly institutionalized in state hospitals and in state schools for the retarded for an average of 27 years are described.
Abstract: This paper describes the use of paradoxical interventions to change the resistant behaviors of community home residents who were formerly institutionalized in state hospitals and in state schools for the retarded for an average of 27 years. The paradoxical interventions were used following prior therapeutic failures using more traditional behavioral approaches. Seven brief case studies are presented describing the problem, the paradoxical intervention used, reactions to the intervention, follow-up information, and an explanation of the intervention. Some of the paradoxical interventions used include: prescribing the resistance, symptom, or system; reframing; restraining change; reversals; and rituals. Explanations of these interventions are given based upon general systems theory.
TL;DR: The author develops and organizes specific convening methods and exemplifies these methods for clinical application from strategic family therapists, including Haley, Selvini Palazzoli, and Watzlawick.
Abstract: Specific strategies for assembling or convening significant and often reluctant family members for family therapy seem undeveloped in the literature. The author develops and organizes specific convening methods and exemplifies these methods for clinical application. Methods adopted from strategic family therapists, including Haley, Selvini Palazzoli, and Watzlawick, are presented.
TL;DR: The authors' frequency analysis of most living family therapy theorists using the Social Science Citation Index yielded a definite increase in frequencies over the last ten years and considerable differences in frequencies among various theorists.
Abstract: Our frequency analysis of most living family therapy theorists using the Social Science Citation Index yielded a definite increase in frequencies over the last ten years and considerable differences in frequencies among various theorists.