A Compulsive Buying Case: A Qualitative Analysis by the Grounded Theory Method

This study analyzed a case of compulsive buying based on the grounded theory method. The client was a 24 year-old female Korean student who showed compulsive buying and excessive credit card use. The family therapy was performed between March 2001 and May 2004 in Korea. This study used the software “Atlas.ti,” producing 121 open codings and seven axis categories which included the following: (1) communication issues with friends or family members, (2) sibling relationships, (3) mother’s parenting, (4) interparental relationships, (5) mother’s communication style, (6) stress, and (7) compulsive buying and credit card use. This study presented the graphical network among these categories in order to show the effectiveness of family therapy.This work was supported by the Soongsil University Fund.     

Cerebral lateralization of language in deaf and hearing people

In Experiment 1 neither hearing nor prelingually deaf signing adolescents showed marked lateralization for lexical decision but, unlike the hearing, the deaf were not impaired by the introduction of pseudohomophones. In Experiment 2 semantic categorization produced a left hemisphere advantage in the hearing for words but not pictures whereas in the deaf words and signs but not pictures showed a right hemisphere advantage. In Experiment 3 the lexical decision and semantic categorization findings were confirmed and both groups showed a right hemisphere advantage for a face/nonface decision task. The possible effect of initial language acquisition on the development of hemispheric lateralization for language is discussed.     

Minuchin's structural therapy for Vietnamese Chinese families: A systems perspective

Structural therapy is a popular approach to working with families, but there are both assets and liabilities in applying it when working with various cultures. An illustration of this is presented in a case study of an Indo-Chinese family. The use of specific techniques of structural therapy, as advocated by Minuchin, is examined in the context of the clients' own cultural values. The importance of understanding the cultural background, in this case through Taoist philosophy, is stressed in the summary of findings provided.The author is indebted to Dr. Gerald D. Erickson for his support and guidance in the production of this paper and in the field of clinical work with families.Helen (Yuen) Ko, M.S.W., C.S.W., is affiliated with the Association of Chinese Community Service Workers, and is in private practice at 53 Meadowbank Road, Islington, Ontario M9B 5C7, Canada. Reprint requests should be directed to the author at that address.