Clinical and psychodiagnostical ways in
assessing these phenomena are discussed.
Chapter II considers main areas in family life and their possible effect in causing
and prolonging disturbances in the personality of individual family members.
First section deals with problems the family meets when one of its members has
some mental disorder.
Numerous investigations in the field have demonstrated very different factors
weighting down the situation in such family. These investigations also showed how
diverse and contradictory are family reactions to this situation.
Considering all these reactions a general theory ()
generalizing these reaction is suggested. It suggests that after meeting Приложения
situation> a family has to take a sequence of important choices. Every of these
choices decides what will be the way for the further development of the family: 1.
rather disintegrative one; 2. rather integrative one; or 3. unstable - an unstable
balance between integratiye and disintegrative forces in the family. It is highly
important that the consequent choices in this sequence are interconnected. If a
family steps a foot in one direction it .increase the necessity to go also next steps in
the same direction.
An original program and experience in education and consulting mental ills
families is discussed.
The second section deals with rather neglected but in our opinion very
important problem. The concept assesses how precise, detailed,
full, psychologically true is an image of a family on itself. Functions of the < self -
image> in developing family structure, taking everyday and general decision was
shown.
The structure , development and functioning, main characteristics of image> are considered. Three types of family depending on how much developed is
the family are described: family with highly developed reflexive self-
image, families with stereotyped self-image and families with unreflective primitive
self-image.
It was shown that a reason for retarding the development of the self-image in a
family can be a psychological resistance stemming of some hidden conflicts. But in
fact this is only one of numerous other possible causes. There are also a lot of other
handicapping factors - psychological family surrounding, obligation-directed role
system within a family, low-level culture in the family etc.
The family self-image is shown to be important precondition predisposing a
family to very broad spectrum of disturbances in its structure and functioning. The
point is that most of family dysfunction described within different streams of family
psychotherapy suppose that family is not able to observe itself, recognize some
aspects of its life and therefore is defenseless against them. So, such very known
family disturbances like (J. Haley), unconscious reinforcement
(Azrin, Master), , etc. can persist only under condition of
some (family is not able to notice them). It is shown in this chapter
that this is most typical for families with a rather underdeveloped
.
Ways and experience of investigating, diagnosing and development of the family
self-image and its therapeutics outcomes are discussed.
Important component of family self-image are so called
(close to - Ferreira (1966), Glick Kessler (1980)). They are
some idea of family members about family life, personality of its members,
interrelations that are supposed to be evident. New ways in investigation of these
and of their interconnection with family disorders are described.
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The third section deals with the family communication. The main idea is that all
ample literature of the topic deals only with communication channel: - it is with
communication stages that follows after the decision to communicate some message
to another family member is taken. Our idea is that the most important stage is
what happens before - the of communication channel, it is the stage
when the decision to still is not taken. In fact a family member
takes this decision by committing some mental experiment in his mind. He 1. has to
recognize a situation (a problem) as one which requires to send a message to
involved family member (a communication event), 2. tries to image the whole event
(how the message will be given by him and accepted by another side), 3. what
change in situation and what further consequences it is going to bring.
During this stage the whole event is , the very possibility of it is
regarded, the content and ways of communication are shaped. This of
communication event is an individual , shaping both
mutual expectation and ways in which these expectations are precised. So, just on this
stage important prerequisites of the success or failure of a communication are laid.
So, we tried to demonstrate prospects of investigating and considering in therapy
of these zero - stage processes.
To investigate these processes we have proposed the concept of deficit>. It means that considering any family problem we have to answer - stage question: would have been able to facilitate the solution of the problem?>. After answering this
question reasons are regarded for which the very idea of communication does not
emerged. If it emerged then how went on the
in the mind of the family member, how this experiment facilitated or stopped the
communication, how it regulated way and content of a message, how a member of a
family reacted to its own decision that communication is impossible.
A lot of clinic cases are considered showing ways how a communication deficit
can be analyzed in different situations.
The fourth section considers ways in which the family solves its integration and
re-integratron problems. Three main mechanism are examined: problem- solving in
the family , and emotional identification mechanisms.
Family problems are most important engine for a family to develop its structure.
Ways family chooses to solve these problems are decisive in predicting what impact
will these problems have upon its structure and functioning. Early family therapist
(like Bell and Bowen) stressed this family ability to define and solve its problems in
a rational and effective way and also it ability to resist factors pushing it to irrational
ways in solving family problems. Later development in family therapy seems to loss
these approach and to stress views of the family. Despite of this
in this section we try to show how promising this neglected approach can be also for
modern psychotherapy. We have developed the concept of special cognitive roles in
the family.
598
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They are ones which develop in it when it arrives a problem and tries to solve it.
Problem solving behavior within the family usually is followed by. development of a
special cluster of cognitive roles. This cluster can be observed when family discusses
its real or artificial (test) - problems. The interrelation between the structure of
these cognitive roles and effectiveness of family problem solving was examined. On
this bases the idea of a rather strong boundary between clusters of cognitive roles
in the family and its usual permanent roles is presented. Such boundary is supposed
to be the main structural precondition for effective problem solving and re-
integrating a family.
Ways in which structural prerequisites for this can be created are discussed in
this section. Clinical experience affecting families is surveyed.
Another important structure in integrating and re-integrating a family are
emotional identification between members of a family. Relations of sympathy,
emotional attraction, attachment, affection in the family can be highly important but
also highly choose, capricious.
They are also highly sensitive to any incongruence between ones emotional
(often unconscious) preferences, expectations, needs, on the one side, and a real
personality and behavior of other family members, on the other. So, in this chapter
a method is presented to analyze these emotional expectations of family members to
each other and to check the reactions that arise if the expectations are not met. The
experience in using this method in family therapy is referred.
The nest section deals with the family role system. Concept of
(inflicting) role is discussed. It is shown that the concept has to be supplemented by
concept of . The latter means a family role that actually are not
played by any family member but is highly possible to be actualized under some
special conditions producing . These condition are surveyed and
it is shown that every single of them is important for to survive.
This is important elaborating methods counteracting these roles. The ways to deal
with the are discussed.The chapter III considers methods of the
family diagnosis and family therapy. To-day a lot of family assessment measures,
coding and rating schemes,self-report scales and questionnaires has been developed.
Ample surveys referring them are published (H. Grotevant, C. Carlson, 1989). So the
main aim of this book was to discuss the philosophy of assessment and to evaluate
possible approaches.
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