Describes development of theory of solidarity among parents and children during adult family life course. Reports on four stages in theory's development: taxonomy of six dimensions of intergenerational family cohesion; revision of theory informed by empirical tests; translation of elements of revised theory into structural equation model; and…

Presents four possible alternatives for handling intrafamily confidentiality, and evaluates the alternatives in accordance with Kitchener's ethical principles. Concludes that confidentiality exists for the benefit of the client, and when that benefit ceases to exist or is overridden by other factors, alternatives to absolute confidentiality must…

Notes that Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is not only a masterpiece of modern literature but also a work that exemplifies many ideas of structural family therapy. Examines how Kafka's novella embodies concepts such as parentified children, enmeshment, intergenerational boundaries, coalitions and triangles, structural dysfunction, and…

Discusses three central foci that have influenced direction of contemporary sociological scholarship on fatherhood issues in North America. Foci discussed include commentaries on meaning and changing nature of cultural images of fatherhood, efforts to conceptualize and study social psychological dimensions of fatherhood, and empirical studies that…

Presents theory to explain why fathers remove themselves from children's lives after divorce. Bases theory on potential for change in salience of man's identity as father postdivorce. Propositions and hypotheses are derived from symbolic interaction and identity theories. Defines and interrelates concepts of identity, saliency, commitment, and…

Considers death of child and bereaved parents. Examines nature of solace, reviews literature on inner representation of the dead, examines ways parents find solace connected with interaction with inner representation, explores shared inner representation as significant element in social support, discusses solace in terms of psychosocial meaning of…

The mother's reaction to the disclosure of sexual abuse is often dramatic and her particular type of response in turn affects the daughter's coping mechanisms to deal with the abuse and the disclosure. The type of symptoms developed are thus considered in part dependent on the mother's reaction. Mothers of children who have been sexually abused…

Explores some of the difficulties children of alcoholics experience in separating from their homes. Describes relationship fantasies used by adolescents to work through unresolved feelings about their families. Discusses the nature of these fantasy types: nurturance, self-sufficiency, incompetence, perfectionist, revenge, and…

Summarizes most widely supported findings concerning grandparents' transactions with their children and grandchildren, spotlighting areas for which there is little information (general demographic information, political behavior, and asset transfer from well-off elders to their descendants). Includes assessment of theoretical and methodological…

Presents case summary involving survivors of suicide of 17-year-old child. Includes two therapists' comments on working with issues and dynamics described. One therapist suggests seeking entry into the family system through the father's difficulties. Another therapist recommends using the "Gandhi technique" or the intervention used by…

Examines parricide, the killing of one's parents, and its relationship to a history of child abuse. Presents profiles of parricide, considers the secrecy of child abuse, describes the psychology of parricide, discusses psychological abuse and emotional death, and examines the "child's voice." Stresses need for effective programs to…

In 1896, Sigmund Freud stated that early childhood seduction caused hysteria in his female patients. He later recanted his original finding and claimed that the reports of abuse he heard from his patients were not descriptions of real events, but his patients' expressions of unconscious childhood wishes. The theory of the Oedipal complex gave…

Discusses the unique challenges in sex education faced by adoptive families. Suggests that social workers can support parents by facilitating family communication on topics related to sex and identifying community resources that can be helpful. (JAC)

Describes different roles and socialization activities of male and female children in an Afghanistan household. Stresses the implications for adolescent behavior and marital relationships of mothers' influences on children of both sexes. (GC)

Gestalt psychotherapy is presented as a synthesis of a number of psychological traditions. Two particular techniques are described in detail: the empty chair technique which is a strategy that focuses on the parents' internalized object relations which are played out between themselves and with their children and the Gestalt experiment. (Author)