The conflict cycle in the case of an adolescent in crisis

This is an extension of a previous paper describing a conflict cycle in families and therapy consisting of four steps: (1) the dispute; (2) blaming; (3) shame, guilt, or denial; and (4) reparation, reconciliation, or retaliation. The focus is on a single case of a 15-year-old male with a gender identity disorder in addition to a conduct disorder. He is an adopted child living in a small community in the southern United States. Conflict is illustrated from several perspectives in a single interview with the family and over the length of contact over a nine-month period: (1) between the adolescent and parents, (2) between the adolescent and community, (3) between the parents, and (4) between the Good Self and the Bad Self of the adolescent. The thesis is that the conflict cycle is an organizing principle helpful to therapists working with families to make assessments and plan interventions.This paper is an expanded and edited version of a presentation by the senior author in San Diego, California, on November 12, 1988, at the Western States Conference of the American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry.     

Using a threat of divorce for maintaining family homeostasis within families in extreme distress (FED)

This paper describes a phenomenon of using a threat to divorce by families in extreme distress (FED) as a way of maintaining family homeostasis; that is, using a threat to divorce but never really implementing it. By relating to processes, such as social exchange and attachment, that often take place in the decision-making of divorce, we try to understand why those families choose to use the threat, thereby explaining this phenomenon. Using components of defining family boundaries, excitement and power struggle, we are thus able to better understand the existence of the phenomenon among FED.     

Stories and metaphors as interventions with headache sufferers

Stories and metaphors can serve as an effective intervention with chronic headache sufferers. Stories and metaphors can serve as an effective intervention with chronic headache sufferers. The aim of the intervention is to promote sufferers' self confidence, increased resiliency, improved communication with others in the family, and the identification of previous promises, pledges, or commitments made to others in their family system.     

Marital crisis and therapy in their social context

The objective in this paper is to analyze the macro-social trends regarding divorce in Israel and their implications for family therapy. Four macro-social aspects are discussed: legal aspects, demographic trends, single-parenthood, and remarriage. Family therapy strategy must take into account the particular problems of the different varieties of Israeli families, especially the needs of the children, who have no less a stake in the therapy's success than their parents.     

No regrets: Custodial mothers' accounts of the difficulties and benefits of divorce

This study examines the accounts of 80 divorced single mothers in order to consider various emotional processes involved in the mothers' postdivorce family reorganization. A qualitative analysis was conducted on written responses to an open-ended question. Concerns tended to center around how the divorce had affected the children as well as various difficulties associated with single parenting. Loss and guilt on the part of many mothers was tempered by positive attributions about how divorce actually gave way to greater personal happiness, better parent-child relationships, and more rewarding lives. Focusing on the benefits of divorce appeared to be an important means of coping with many of the problems inherent in single parenting. Implications for treatment are discussed from an ecological perspective which emphasizes the therapist's role in helping mothers to create contexts of support.This research was funded in part by grant number 9103 from the Women's Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.     

Wild (powerful) women: Restorying gender patterns

This paper addresses the use of the stories to help redefine gender expectations in relationships, creating a more active, powerful female voice. In particular, the popular bookWomen Who Run With the Wolves by Claudia Pinkola Estes is examined in context of other literature about women. Case examples demonstrating the application of such stories to marriage and family therapy are included.     

Family therapy in israel: A review of therapy done under unusual circumstances

Major issues affecting family therapy practice in Israel are discussed. Issues making family therapy in Israel unique include historical topics such as the legacy of the Holocaust, the emergence of the family therapy movement from the cradle of the kibbutz; and more recent events such as constant wars, the specter of terrorist threat, and coping with the everyday pressures of life in Israel—stress, loss, and bereavement. Future trends in family therapy in the Israeli context include the peace process and the adjustment it requires from families living in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The advent of peace and normalization will force family therapists to grapple with issues until now not given the attention they require by a country always on the brink of war, including family violence, feminist issues and patriarchal family orientations, single-parent families, and cultural diversity.The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Israel Charny, Yael Geron, Tzipi Glick, Ruth Malkinson, Judith Wertheimer, and Susan Zeidel.     

Trust and the collection,selection, analysis and interpretation of data: A scientist’s view

Trust is a critical component of research: trust in the work of co-workers and colleagues within the scientific community; trust in the work of research scientists by the non-research community. A wide range of factors, including internally and externally generated pressures and practical and personal limitations, affect the research process. The extent to which these factors are understood and appreciated influence the development of trust in scientific research findings.