略论现代中西婚姻基础

现代社会中西的婚姻基础各有不同．中国的婚姻以生育为基础,西方的婚姻以性爱为基础,中国婚姻重家庭责任,西方婚姻重个人感情,两种婚姻模式各有利弊？它们应该相互借鉴、相互融合。     

Family Therapy in the Forbidden City: A Review of Chinese Journals From 1978 to 2006

This article provides a glimpse into the development of family therapy in China, by reviewing family therapy articles written in Chinese and published in journals in China that are not, therefore, readily accessible to the international community. A content analysis of journals published between 1978 and 2006 revealed 199 family therapy articles in 109 Chinese journals. Most of the studies were conducted by psychiatry or medical professionals, and were based on general systems theory or a systemic family therapy model. The articles focused on the promotion of family therapy theories and interventions in China, but did not specify the application of theory to specific clientele or symptoms. After the year 2000, a threefold increase in the number of family therapy publications was noted. These papers included the introduction of additional theories, but did not include critical assessment of the applicability of Western family therapy models to Chinese families. The researchers noted an absence of articles that identified Chinese approaches to family therapy, and a paucity of papers on gender, professional reflection, and the therapy process. The article concludes that there is room for improvement in the quality of family therapy publications in China, and that gains may be made by interdisciplinary collaboration among academics and practitioners.     

The Voices of Therapists and Children Regarding the Inclusion of Children in Family Therapy: A Systematic Research Synthesis

In 1970, Nathan Ackerman challenged the field of marriage and family therapy to actively involve young children in the family therapy process. How has the field of marriage and family therapy responded to his challenge? Using a systematic research synthesis to review and critique the non-empirical and empirical literature in the area of children in family therapy, the author discovered that the field of marriage and family therapy has not responded to Ackerman's challenge in the way he may have hoped for nearly three decades ago. A summary of the literature's findings is provided and recommendations for future research, as well as implications, for the field of marriage and family therapy are discussed.     

中晚期青少年的个人规划及其与亲子、朋友沟通的关系

采用未来取向问卷（中文版）、亲子沟通和朋友沟通问卷调查了1741名高中生和大学生,从探索和投入两个方面考察了中晚期青少年个人规划的基本特点以及亲子沟通、朋友沟通与个人规划的关系。研究发现：青少年对未来教育的探索和投入水平高于未来职业和婚姻/家庭;从青少年中期到晚期,个体对不同领域的探索与投入遵循不同的发展模式;女青少年对未来教育的投入更多,而男青少年对未来婚姻/家庭的探索和投入更多;城市青少年对未来教育的探索和投入更多,而农村青少年对未来婚姻/家庭的投入更多。亲子沟通对中晚期青少年成就领域的规划具有较大影响,且影响大于朋友沟通,而朋友沟通对青少年未来婚姻/家庭规划的影响更大     

Design as a Tool for Family Evolutionary Guidance

This article begins by describing the impact of systems science on the field of marriage and family therapy, discussing that systems concepts are broadly disseminated but have become diluted. The author describes the educational program at a marriage and family therapy graduate institute where students utilize social systems design in their research projects as well as their work with clients. The article outlines the specifications of the Idealized Systems Design (ISD) teaching system, its relationship with the larger institution, as well as its purposes and systemic functions. Application of ISD to the field of marriage and family therapy is emphasized, demonstrating its use in helping facilitate individual, family, and community health as a research tool as well as a set of intervention tools for the practicing therapist.     

A Summary Report of the Cost-Effectiveness of the Profession and Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy

This purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the cost-effectiveness research for the profession and practice of marriage and family therapy. Studies based on four sources of data were considered: (1) a western United States HMO covering 180,000 subscribers; (2) the Kansas State Medicaid system with over 300,000 beneficiaries; (3) Cigna, a large Unites States health insurance benefits management company with more than nine million subscribers; and (4) a marriage and family therapy training clinic in the western United States serving approximately 300 individuals and families a year. Results from the studies support the potential for a medical offset effect after couple or family therapy, with the largest reduction occurring for high utilizers of health care. The studies also show that covering family therapy as a treatment option and marriage and family therapists as a provider group is not associated with significantly higher treatment costs. An application of cost-effectiveness methodology to medical family therapy is also considered.     

Two Gay Men Seeking Two Lesbians: An Analysis of Xinghun (Formality Marriage) Ads on China’s Tianya.cn

China has an estimated 30 million gay population, many of whom marry unknowing heterosexual partners due to family and societal pressure. Some pursue an alternative by entering Xinghun, also known as formality marriage or fake marriage, between a gay man and a lesbian. Such relationships are asexual and formulated solely for familial, social, and reproductive purposes. Analyzing 150 Xinghun ads posted on Tianya.cn, this is an exploratory study of an unique relationship behavior, to shed light on the lived experiences of this traditionally voiceless minority group. The qualitative theme analysis found that the ads emphasized some traits that are consistent with traditional Chinese values such as filial piety, compatibility, and traditional gender roles. The ads also showed the advertisers negotiating ways for their private sexual identity and public social identity to coexist. On the one hand, clarity in one’s sexual orientation and the commitment to one’s same-sex relationship was offered and sought after as a desirable trait; on the other hand, the advertisers emphasized that they did not live the stereotypical gay lifestyle and that they were private about their sexual preference. The ads illustrate the existence of a subculture of Chinese gays and lesbians, trying to cope with heteronormative social and cultural expectations, and to negotiate between the public and the private, between sexual activities and sexual identity, and between “playing gay” and “being gay.” Future research directions are discussed.     

Socialization toward a career as a marriage and family therapist: How is our profession doing?

To date, marriage and family therapy does not have formal socialization programs at the undergraduate level. Socialization activities may include career classes, advising, providing internships, or actively recruiting the most talented and qualified students. These socialization activities may also aid in the recruitment of minority students. A survey of the accredited programs revealed that most programs do not have formal opportunities for the faculty to interact and discuss therapy as a career option. While most programs have at least one faculty member who teaches undergraduates, this contact alone is not very good in terms of socializing students into choosing therapy as a career option. While there are some valid concerns about undergraduates, marriage and family therapy as a distinct discipline may benefit from actively recruiting the best students.     

Creating Internships in Marriage and Family Therapy: A Collaboration Between a Training Program and an Offender Reentry Facility

The literature on clinical internships in marriage and family therapy is limited in the discussion of the development of clinical sites as well as the benefits and challenges experienced by students and programs. This article focuses on the development of a marriage and family therapy internship in an offender reentry facility. The process of how students are referred and trained, the rewards and challenges of their work, and the supervision experience are described. The purpose is to inform marriage and family therapy programs about a potential resource for training students.     

Marital Therapy Caught Between Person and Public: Christian Traditions on Marriage

This article addresses a crisis in marital therapy caught between concern for individual well-being and marriage as a social institution. Marital therapy would be enriched by conversation with three models of marriage: Roman Catholic subsidiarity theory, Protestant covenant view, and liberation theology and corresponding languages of social goods, covenant, and mutual responsibility. The authors urge therapists to see marriage as private and social at the same time and to help couples explore the meaning of marital commitment, the connection between personal well-being and marriage's wider social goods, and the dynamics of shared power and radical mutuality in marriage.     

Engaging families in therapy: A pilot study

Engagement is reviewed as a central component of marriage and family therapy and presented as a viable means of assessing the nature and outcome of therapy. A tentative model containing six differentiated engagement categories is described and documented with clinical data and case examples. Conclusions drawn indicate engagement has merit as a construct for evaluating marriage and family therapy and as a means of generating process hypotheses in research. Recommendations to validate, refine and revise the model are posited and further research relative to engagement is advocated.James P. Trotzer, Ph.D. is Professor of Counselor Education at the University of Visconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, marriage and family therapist in private practice     

A Study of Men and Women from Different Sides of Earth to Determine If Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus in Their Beliefs About Love and Romantic Relationships

This study contributes to the literature on gender differences (and similarities) in relationship beliefs by comparing men and women on several relationship beliefs, by comparing men and women from two different cultures (North America and China), and also by examining gender differences in more than 1 subculture within the American sample. In the American sample (n = 693; 73.3% White, 11.7% Black, 8.5% Hispanic/Latino; 80% of middle or higher social class), men, as compared to women, were more willing to marry without love, scored higher on the idealization component of a romanticism scale, were more ludic and agapic but less erotic and pragmatic in their love styles, and were less likely to view emotional satisfaction as important to the maintenance of marriage. Although men were also more agapic than women in the Chinese sample (n = 735; Asian ethnicity), the other gender differences found in the Chinese sample were different from those found in the North American sample: Chinese men were more romantic (particularly in the belief that love can overcome any obstacle) and storgic than Chinese women, but less likely to believe in destiny or fate concerning love. Chinese men were also more likely than Chinese women to view physical pleasure as important for maintaining marriage. Overall, culture explained more variance than did gender in love beliefs. In general, the Chinese had both a more idealistic and a more practical approach to love than did the Americans. Gender differences and similarities did not vary across subcultures within the American culture, although main effects for race/ethnicity and social class were found for a few relationship beliefs.     

A Place at the Table: Integrating Diet and Nutrition into Family Therapy Practice

Most schools of family therapy directly or indirectly recognize that personal qualities of the therapist influence therapy process. If personal qualities of therapists are associated with therapy process, it seems plausible that there would be some interaction between their personal relationships and therapy process. The present study examines the relationship between emotion management at home and emotion management at work to job satisfaction and marital satisfaction of marriage and family therapists. Results suggest that men and women experience a different interaction between emotion management, relationship satisfaction, and job satisfaction.     

Save the young--the elderly have lived their lives: ageism in marriage and family therapy

The paucity of literature addressing mental health issues concerning geriatric populations represents the perpetuation of ageist practices and beliefs in the field of marriage and family therapy. The purpose of this study was to assess whether client age and clinical training relate to the evaluation of couples who present for conjoint therapy. Written vignettes describing two couples, one older and one younger, who report issues involving the absence of sexual intimacy, increased frequency of arguments, and increased use of alcohol were evaluated by practicing marriage and family therapists, therapists-in-training, and individuals with no clinical background. It was hypothesized that respondents' views would vary in connection with the age of the couple and with the three levels of participant training. Results indicate that client age and participant training are associated with perceptions of individual and couple functioning. Our findings suggest that the relational and mental health concerns experienced by elder couples are not perceived as seriously as are identical concerns experienced by younger couples. Contrary to our expectations the observed differences between views of the two age conditions did not significantly differ between levels of participant training. Training and experience in marriage and family therapy may not significantly mitigate vulnerability to age-discrepant views.     

Increasing Marital Intimacy: Lessons from Marital Enrichment

Both marriage and family therapists and family life educators work to increase marital intimacy. In this study the effectiveness of two marriage enrichment programs was assessed with implications for practicing therapists. Participants were randomly assigned to an Adventure or ACME (Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment) treatment group or to a control group. Marital intimacy was assessed before and after treatment. Findings demonstrated that both enrichment groups had a statistically significant increase in marital enrichment. Suggestions for adopting adventure-based interventions for traditional therapy are discussed.     

Discussions of Diversity in a Classroom: A Phenomenological Study of Students in an MFT Training Program

Discussions about diversity, particularly race, gender, religion and spirituality, and sexual orientation, in marriage and family therapy courses can generate emotional responses in students and professors that vary from shame to anger. These discussions are necessary to help students understand diverse families as well as how one’s biases can affect his/her clinical work. Our qualitative study consisted of phenomenological interviews, which focused on discussions of diversity by six students from a marriage and family therapy program. Findings revealed that the ability of students to be aware of and discuss their reactions to these discussions is complex and influenced by their families of origin, their perceptions of other students, their views of the professor, and their race. Teaching implications are discussed in light of these findings.     

Narcissistic Vulnerability in Marriage

Many couples who seek therapy with issues around money, work, sex or children are actually dealing at a deeper level with problems of narcissistic entitlement, vulnerability to emotional injury, or defenses that protect against perceived attacks upon a fragile self. This paper considers the concept of narcissism as it relates to marriage and family issues and suggests some important ingredients in treating a narcissistically vulnerable relationship.     

Negotiating an Open Marriage in Couple Therapy

Open marriages as arrangements between married couples to explore sexual and emotional intimacy with partners outside the marriage have been documented in research in other countries. This paper focuses on two case examples of couples seen in therapy to negotiate an open marriage. This is a new therapeutic trend in India, driven by various social and cultural changes. The therapeutic processes and the key challenges in working with couples in open marriages are outlined. Implications for couple therapy practice in the Indian socio-cultural context are explored.     

Using story as metaphor,legacy, and therapy

While stories have been a part of our lives for generations, we are becoming more aware of the power and variety of their uses. Stories can be used metaphorically within families or in therapy, as historical legacy to provide a confirmed existence, or as a part of the therapeutic technique. Stories can be found most easily in transitions or relationships, and humor should be kept as a part of storytelling.Jeanne R. Williams, MS, is a licensed marriage and family therapist who is in private practice with The Family Center, 607 Ingleside Ave., Athens, TN 37303. Reprints should be requested through this address.