Family Process 1962-1969

This is a personal recollection of the first 8 years of Family Process, the volumes published under the first Editor, Jay Haley, and strongly influenced by the Mental Research Institute at Palo Alto, of which Haley was a member. The later influence of the group's "double bind" hypothesis of schizophrenia is explored. Some ideas about the influence of theory on practice are suggested. Several examples of experiments in the social setting of family work are picked out of these volumes because of their influence on later programs. Finally, the essay offers a retrospective appreciation of the influence of Gregory Bateson on the mood of "revolution" forecast in the opening years of Family Process.     

The reinforcement of disagreement in a small group

The present studies were conducted to determine whether differentially reinforcing decisions of a three-person group can modify how often individuals will disagree in making a decision. The results indicate that disagreement is likely to occur more often in groups where reinforcement in achieving a decision is made contingent on disagreement as compared with groups where reinforcement is not contingent on this interaction. Some methodological, theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.