Family Alliance Research Articles

THE PURITAN PARADIGM OF ENGLISH POLITICS, 1558–1642

ABSTRACTTraditionally puritanism has been treated as a religious phenomenon that only impinged on the world of that ‘secular’ politics to a limited extent and mainly in relation to church reform. Such an approach, however, is to employ a misleadingly narrow definition which ignores the existence of a much more all-embracing puritan political vision traceable from the mid-sixteenth century. First clearly articulated by some of the Marian exiles, this way of thinking interpreted the Bible as a manifesto against tyranny whether in church or state. Under the successive regimes of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I, puritans can be found who continued to judge the actions of government by the same biblical criterion, which also helps to explain among other things their prominence in opposing unparliamentary taxation. Puritan ideology itself was transmitted down the generations partly via a complex of family alliances, underpinned by teaching and preaching, and this in turn provided a basis for political organization. Moreover, the undiminished radical potential of puritanism is evident from responses to the assassination of Buckingham in 1628. Given these antecedents the subsequent resort to Civil War appears less surprising than historians often claim.

The Family Alliance Assessment Scales: Steps Toward Validity and Reliability of an Observational Assessment Tool for Early Family Interactions

We present the first steps in the validation of an observational tool for father-mother-infant interactions: the FAAS (Family Alliance Assessment Scales). Family-level variables are acknowledged as unique contributors to the understanding of the socio-affective development of the child, yet producing reliable assessments of family-level interactions poses a methodological challenge. There is, therefore, a clear need for a validated and clinically relevant tool. This validation study has been carried out on three samples: one non-referred sample, of families taking part in a study on the transition to parenthood (normative sample; n = 30), one referred for medically assisted procreation (infertility sample; n = 30) and one referred for a psychiatric condition in one parent (clinical sample; n = 15). Results show that the FAAS scales have (1) good inter-rater reliability and (2) good validity, as assessed through known-group validity by comparing the three samples and through concurrent validity by checking family interactions against parents’ self-reported marital satisfaction.

Il Lausanne Trilogue Play clinico: dallo studio dell'intersoggettivitŕ nella famiglia alla valutazione clinica nella psicoterapia con genitori e figli

- Interest to adopt the intersubjectival optical, regarded by some researchers as having a motivational evolutionary function for the individual and the species (Stern, 2004; Liotti, 2008). Encourage the family to participate in intersubjective experience, based on the sharing of feelings, intentions and meanings - through a structured game like Lausanne Trialogue Play (LTP) - can observe and assess the family alliances analyzing the interaction and coordination of the family. Starting from these considerations, the authors propose in this work the LTP application in clinical context, building an appropriate way for the context in which it is applied. This procedure has allowed us to analyze the distribution of family alliances in a clinical family sample and the possible connection of family functioning in the presence of symptoms in their children. The work hypothesis is that the LTPc can offer advantages in the evaluation process of the family and also in the therapeutic process.

Frequency, severity, and evolution of split family alliances: How observable are they?

Split alliances (within-family differences in the emotional bond with the therapist) were studied in 19 U.S. and 21 Spanish families using the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA; Friedlander, Escudero, & Heatherington, 2006). Examining individual family members’ scores on the corresponding self-report and observational Emotional Connection to the Therapist SOFTA scales, the authors identified mild, moderate, and severe split alliances. In both samples, self-reported splits occurred frequently and with almost all of the therapists. Although clients’ observed interactions with the therapist often mirrored their self-reports, family members’ perceptions of the therapeutic bond were generally more discrepant than their behavior suggested. The majority of families that dropped out had a moderately or severely split alliance in at least one session.

Circulating endothelial cells are a potential biomarker for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with and without von Hippel Lindau (VHL) syndrome

5098 Background: VHL is a primary cause of inherited RCC and 60% of sporadic clear cell RCCs have mutations in the VHL gene. RCCs often remain asymptomatic for long intervals. Diagnosis during presymptomatic screening has the potential to improve overall outcome. Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) are a potential biomarker for monitoring angiogenesis. Mature CECs are thought to be shed from existing vessels while circulating endothelial progenitors (CEPs) are thought to be derived from bone marrow. We sought to assess the potential of CECs and CEPs as markers of RCC in pts with VHL and sporadic RCC. Methods: Batch analysis of PBMCs obtained from consenting pts with sporadic or VHL associated RCC, VHL (without RCC), and normal volunteers (NV) was performed FACS analysis was performed using a panel for four antibodies including CD45, CD31, CD146, and CD133. CECs were defined as CD45-, CD31+ and CD146+, and CD133-. CEPs had the same phenotype but were CD133+. Results: RCC pts have higher CECs, CEPs and CEP/CEC ratio as compared to NV (p<0.05 for each comparison). Additionally, these 3 parameters were similar in NV and pts with VHL without RCC. However pts with VHL and RCC had significantly higher CEP/CEC ratio and CEP values than pts with VHL without RCC. (p<0.05 for each comparison) (Table). Conclusions: CECs are a potential biomarker for RCC in pts with sporadic RCC. These data suggests that CEPs and CEP/CEC ratio may represent a screen that may allow for the early detection of RCC in VHL pts. Larger studies will be needed to validate these findings. Supported by VHL Family Alliance (Joyce Graff Director) the DF/HCC Kidney Cancer SPORE P50CA101942, and the ASCO YIA. Average CEC (cells/ul) Average CEP (cells/ul) Average CEP/CEC RCC (n=10) * 2.36 2.08 1.97 NV (n=17) 0.45 0.21 0.61 VHL (without RCC) (n=13) 0.54 0.19 0.67 VHL (with RCC) (n=6) 3.16 2.91 2.76 * includes pts with VHL and RCC (n=6) and pts with sporadic RCC (n=4). No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Génesis del II Imperio Británico y ocaso del universalismo español: la doble vertiente del conflicto de Nootka (1790)

The Nootka-Sound affair is a great opportunity to analyse international relationships during the first phase of the French Revolution as well as the emergence of the contemporary concept of colonialism. The Spanish Monarchy and its long-established family alliances within the House of Bourbon had to face a new diplomatic environment in which Great Britain and revolutionary France had a dominant role. To understand those changes and the way in which different political powers adapted to them, we will consider the two principal parties involved. For this purpose, we will focus mainly on the Spanish and the British ambassadors’ correspondence following a new approach.

Interparental Incongruence in Differential Treatment of Adolescent Siblings: Links With Marital Quality

This study examined longitudinal links between incongruence in mothers’ versus fathers’ differential treatment of adolescent‐age siblings and parents’ marital quality. Multilevel models including 200 families, over four waves, spaced across 6 years tested whether youth perceptions of incongruence in differential intimacy and conflict predicted trajectories of mothers’ and fathers’ reports of marital conflict and satisfaction and vice versa. Analyses showed that changes in interparental incongruence covaried longitudinally with changes in marital quality and that these linkages became stronger over time. These results extend previous cross‐sectional research with younger children and are consistent with theories regarding family alliances and coparenting. Discussion focuses on the reciprocal relations between incongruence in parenting and marital quality as an important aspect of family systems.

How do therapists enhance family alliances? Sequential analyses of therapist-client behavior in two contrasting cases.

To identify alliance-related behavior patterns in more and less successful family therapy, the authors intensively analyzed two cases with highly discrepant outcomes. Both families were seen by the same experienced clinician. Results showed that participants' perceptions of the alliance, session impact, and improvement at three points in time were congruent with the families' differential outcomes and with observer-related alliance behavior using the System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances. In this measure, therapist behaviors contribute to the alliance and client behaviors reveal the strength of the alliance on four dimensions: Engagement in the Therapeutic Process, Emotional Connection with the Therapist, Safety within the Therapeutic System, and Shared Sense of Purpose within the Family. In the poor outcome case, observer ratings and self-reported alliance scores revealed a persistently "split" alliance between family members; this family dropped out midtreatment. Only in the good outcome case did the clients follow the therapist's alliance-building interventions with positive alliance behaviors; sequential analyses showed that therapist contributions to Engagement significantly activated client Engagement behavior, and therapist Emotional Connection interventions significantly activated client Emotional Connection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Family Alliance Stability and Change From Pregnancy to Toddlerhood and Marital Correlates

This paper presents a longitudinal study of the development of family interactions from pregnancy to toddlerhood, and their link to parents’ marital satisfaction. The participants consisted of 38 non referred primiparous families. We used an observational setting, the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), to evaluate the family alliance, namely the interactive coordination between family members. Families played a virtual interaction with a doll at the 5th month of pregnancy, and then played with the child at 3, 9 and 18 months. Results show that for 30 families, the quality of family interactions is the same at every point of measurement whereas for 8 families, there is a significant decrease of quality of interactions from pregnancy to 18 months. Those families are paradoxically the ones with the highest self-reported marital satisfaction. Implications of the results are discussed.

Exploring Triangulation in Infancy: Two Contrasted Cases

Two contrasted father-mother-infant interactions are observed longitudinally during trilogue play. They illustrate the contribution of recent research to the exploration of triangulation in infancy: namely, the infant's capacity to handle triangular interactions and share her affects with her two parents, and the way that this capacity is recruited in functional versus problematic alliances. It is likely that an infant under stress when interacting with one parent will protest at that parent and also at the other. Such is the case when, for example, the father acts intrusively while playing with his baby. The infant is then driven to avert and turns to the mother. The regulation of this dyadic intrusion-avoidance pattern at family level depends on the family alliance. When coparenting is supportive, the mother validates the infant's bid for help without interfering with the father. Thus, the problematic pattern is contained in the dyad, and the infant's triangular capacities remain in the service of her own developmental goals. But when coparenting is hostile-competitive, the mother ignores the infant's bid or engages with her in a way that interferes with her play with her father. In this case, the infant's triangular capacities are used to relieve the tension between the parents. The importance of tracing family process back to infancy for family therapy is discussed.

The development of the family alliance from pregnancy to toddlerhood and children outcomes at 18 months

This paper presents a longitudinal study of the development of family interactions from pregnancy to toddlerhood. Family interactions are increasingly acknowledged as a predictive factor for children's psychopathological outcomes. We used an observational setting, the Lausanne Trilogue Play, to evaluate the ‘family alliance’, namely, the quality of interactive coordination between family members. Families participated at the 5th month of pregnancy, and at 3- and 18-months after birth. The sample (N=39) consisted of non-referred primiparous families. Results show that (i) family alliance is stable during the first two years for most families: the quality of prenatal interactions between parents and a baby doll is thus predictive of the subsequent interactions with the actual child; (ii) there are links, but only a few, between family interactions and children outcomes reported by parents. Methodological issues (observation versus self-reported questionnaires) are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play: A New Observational Assessment Tool of the Prenatal Co-Parenting Alliance.

The goal of this study is to present a new observational assessment tool, the prenatal Lausanne Trilogue Play situation (LTP). Expectant parents were asked to role play their first meeting with their baby using a doll, and the videotaped interaction was subsequently coded. Scores were correlated with measures of the couples' marital satisfaction as well as the postnatal family alliance 3 months after the baby's birth. Results showed that the prenatal co-parenting alliance was positively linked to both fathers' marital satisfaction as well as to the postnatal family alliance at 3 months. Thus, the prenatal LTP allows for assessment of the prenatal co-parenting alliance at the interactional level. It predicts the place the parents will afford their baby after birth and can contribute to methods of clinical assessment and prevention.

Queenship and Political Power in Medieval and Early Modern Spain (review)

Reviewed by: Queenship and Political Power in Medieval and Early Modern Spain Ivan Cañadas Earenfight, Theresa , ed., Queenship and Political Power in Medieval and Early Modern Spain ( Women and Gender in the Early Modern World), Aldershot, Ashgate, 2005; hardback; pp. xxviii, 240; 12 b/w illustrations; RRP €45; ISBN 075465074X. In gathering the ten essays in this collection, Theresa Earenfight aims to correct a tendency to see 'Spanish history … as peripheral to European history', a tendency which explains the absence of a body of scholarship comparable to that dealing with such monarchs as Elizabeth I (p. xiii). Yet, as Earenfight contends: 'Spanish royal women … exercised considerable legitimate authority more often, more publicly, and more directly than queens elsewhere in Europe' (p. xiii). She defines the concept of 'queenship', for the purposes of this collection, as 'a repertoire of collective norms, institutional structures, and strategies for participation within the public political sphere of monarchy that included, but was not limited to, governance' (p. xvi). Ambitious in scope, the collection spans the period from the twelfth century to the end of the seventeenth century. It also presents a range of approaches to history, from the study of relatively regional affairs focusing on records of legal disputes, to art history, and to matters of imperial rule and succession. The book is divided into three sections: 'The Practical Limits of Partnership', 'Practising the Politics of Religion', and 'Representing the Politics of Queenship'. There is, perhaps predictably, a great deal of overlap, which the editor's best efforts to group material separately could not overcome. Joseph F. O'Callaghan's essay, 'The Many Roles of the Medieval Queen: Some Examples from Castile', sets a benchmark, as it goes beyond the particular to provide a social framework for an entire age. O'Callaghan's historical touchstones are two texts by Alfonso X ('the Wise'), the Espéculo and the Siete partidas – specifically, how these two works helped to define gender-norms, particularly matters of female sexual conduct in the royal household and its environs. Ultimately designed to ensure the maintenance of the royal – read 'male', 'kingly' – bloodline, and to stamp out the incidence of scandal, Alfonso X's deliberations shed light on the restrictions placed upon Spanish royal women throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Earenfight's own contribution, 'Absent Kings: Queens as Political Partners in the Medieval Crown of Aragon', is another highlight. It examines the reign of Jaume II, and the role of his wife, Blanca of Naples, as his lieutenant – a precursor of the later position of regent. Earenfight's examination of the peculiarities of [End Page 158] that reign is underscored by a well-developed theoretical argument about the 'corporate character' of 'monarchy' in the late-medieval period, which makes the very term 'monarchy' – with its connotations of absolutism – downright misleading (p. 33). She also draws attention to the composite nature of many such realms, in reality made up of disparate, superficially integrated regions under the nominal command of a ruler. She describes the Crown of Aragon as 'a far-flung federative realm', which, at different times, included not only the various territories along the eastern coast of modern Spain, but also Mallorca, Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia (pp. 33-37). Also of interest is the examination by Núria Silleras-Fernández of Maria de Luna's role in suppressing conflict among the leading families in the Kingdom of Valencia at the turn of the fifteenth century. Silleras-Fernández sheds light on the avenues open to a queen to shape policy – while power officially rested in the hands of her ruling husband. Maria de Luna appealed to spiritual values – through self-representation as a devout woman – and to the temporal power of the Church in the form of the Pope, with whom she corresponded concerning the cause of peasant manumission – as well as by nurturing a network of family alliances. There are instances, however, where the collection's overall object of demonstrating the range of queenly authority, and female contributions to royal decision-making, may test the reader's credulity. Jorge Sebastián Lozano's essay, 'The Construction of Isabel of Portugal's Image', which focuses primarily on some...

Non‐verbal behavioural patterns in trilogue play transitions and family alliances

This case study focuses on non‐verbal behaviour in father–mother–infant triads. Analyses were done on transitional moments during which the partners exchanged an active role for a participant–observer role, or vice versa. Transitions are known to be crucial moments for revealing familial transactional mechanisms. Our sample was comprised of six non‐clinical families, characterized by different types of functional or problematic alliances (which is the degree of coordination between the partners). Our methodology included micro‐analysis of body and gaze formations, facial expressions, and so on. Data were analysed using the research package ‘THEME’ for the detection of hidden patterns. Different types of non‐verbal patterns were found, which may be prototypes corresponding to the different types of alliance. The patterns of the families with high alliances had a more elaborate construction and were more efficient for the concluding of transitions than the patterns of families with low alliances, which were either elementary or laborious.

Variations in fathers’ discourse on fatherhood and in family alliances during infancy

The aim of this pilot study is to analyse the discourse of fathers of toddlers concerning fatherhood and the link between some particularities in the discourse and family alliance. The sample consists of 13 Swiss first time fathers (5 fathers of girls and 8 of boys). In order to evaluate the paternal discourse, the fathers were given a semistructured interview, which was later analysed using the research package Alceste. The family alliance, i.e., the degree of coordination among the partners when executing a task together, was assessed through the Lausanne Trilogue Play (Fivaz-Depeursinge & Corboz-Warnery, 1999). The main results indicated an interesting link between classes of paternal discourse grouped around the following themes “affective relationship”, “daily routine” and “educational goals”, and the family alliance (defined in two major categories; functional and problematic alliances). Finally, clinical perspectives on links between paternal representations and family functioning at an interactive level are discussed.

Counselling in multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes: from individual experience to general guidelines

Counselling of patients and closely related family members has to take a central place in management of hereditary diseases, like multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes including von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. In the strategy of health care, preventive medicine such as periodic clinical examination of families at-risk needs a high priority, because in general it is assumed that continuity in attendance is cost-effective. Counselling has to be based on individual medical experience of the doctor, adjusted to common guidelines and the findings in the family. Information leaflets, appropriate outpatient departments and an extensive network of specialists will facilitate continuity in care. Flow diagrams involving practical guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow up need to be applicable and after adjustment, should be accepted generally. Specially trained paramedics for counselling are required as a network that will guarantee periodic clinical examination and secure optimal prevention. Such paramedics will coordinate nationwide multidisciplinary guidance, and organize preventive and emergency cure for these patients. They will be supervised by expert clinicians in the field, and collaborate with specialists for social and psychological issues, patient organizations and clinical genetic centres. All of these professionals are responsible together for providing patients with up to date clinical information (via newsletters, Internet, etc.). Recently, in the Netherlands, a project was initiated to guarantee continuity in care and study the delivery of care. In order to realize this plan, funding has to be provided in the current research programme. In a future system support has to be obtained on a continuous base, preferably by the government and health care insurers and supervised by the national institute for health care.

Descripción de la enfermedad de von Hippel-Lindau en tres familias españolas

To describe disease evolution and clinical follow-up of 10 patients in three Spanish families. Patients were contacted through the von Hippel-Lindau Family Alliance (VHLFA). Compilation of medical reports and patient interviews were carried out in May of 2001. This is a retrospective study of a case series. Family history was suggestive of von Hippel-Lindau disease in two of the families. A 'de novo' mutation is described in the third family. The mean patient age is 30.8 (range: 15-53). The age of presentation was < 30 in 9 patients. In 8 of the patients, eye involvement was the first VHL presentation. 7 patients currently have hemangioblastomas of the CNS. Most patients are not participants in management protocols for the coordinate care of their various VHL lesions. 6 patients had documented pancreatic involvement and 3 patients had renal cancer. Clinical screening for occult pheochromocytomas were performed in 5 patients. 4 were deceased from VHL-related complication. Genetic studies had been performed in 4 of the 6 survivors. Disease progression in our series is similar to that previously described for other families. Diagnosis was delayed in two of the families. Suboptimal patient management may have contributed to the high morbidity and mortality.

Apion et Praejecta : hypothèses anciennes et nouvelles données

New papyrological data invite reexamination of two aspects of the career of Apion, consul Ordinarius for 539. The first is Apion's age at the time of his consulate : if — as one may infer from P.Oxy. LXIII 4397 — he was under his mother's guardianship (tutela) in the years 542-543, he was named consul at the age often or eleven. The second point of interest is the existence among Apion's heirs of a woman bearing the same name as the niece of Justinian (Praejecta). Thus, even though the reconstruction suggested by E. Stein has been put into question by the publication of new papyri, its central element, that is the hypothesis of an imperial family alliance, still stands.

Effects of marital conflict on subsequent triadic family interactions and parenting.

This study examined marital conflict's indirect effects on children through disruptions in family alliances and parenting. Forty married couples were observed interacting with their 6-8-year-old sons after pleasant and conflictual discussions. After conflictual discussion, fathers showed lower support/engagement toward sons, and coparenting styles were less democratic. Couple negativity was correlated with family negativity, regardless of the topic of discussion, which suggests continuity in the affective quality of the two family subsystems. Mothers' marital satisfaction moderated families' responses to the experimental manipulation. The results provide stronger evidence than previously available of a causal link between conflict and disrupted parenting. Further research is needed to identify which conflict-related disruptions in parenting influence the development of children's problems.

Modernity at the Edge of Empire: State, Individual, and Nation in the Northern Peruvian Andes, 1885-1935

Modernity at the Edge of Empire: State, Individual, and Nation in the Northern Peruvian Andes, 1885-1935. DAVID NUGENT. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press, 1997; xiv + 404 pp. Reviewed by MARC EDELMAN Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York In the 1960s and 1970s social scientists spilled much ink arguing whether Latin America was or capitalist. This was not simply an academic polemic. If Latin America were feudal, as Marxists and modes-of-production enthusiasts maintained, the bourgeoisie was a progressive class that, with peasant and working-class support, would usher in the next stage of history, capitalist democracy. If, on the other hand, Latin America was already capitalist, as dependency theorists argued, the bourgeoisie could only be a reactionary bulwark of the status quo, to be overthrown in the struggle for socialism. With the end of the Cold War, the debate seems quaint and arid. That it could take place at all, however, reflected not just the political effervescence of the period, but a troubling empirical reality: well into the twentieth century much of Latin America, particularly in rural zones, was in the grip of caudillos or regional strongmen. Even if these local seigniorial regimes were immersed in market relations, they looked feudal in their rigid ethnic- and estate-based stratification, coercive labor relations, and customs of domination and deference. The entire feudalism discussion would have been much richer, however, if its participants had engaged in the kind of careful analysis that David Nugent undertakes in his extraordinary investigation of the Chachapoyas region in northern Peru. In late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Chachapoyas, an elite claiming descent from Spanish conquistadors dominated the town and the surrounding department of Amazonas. Self-defined or aristocratic family alliances feuded with each other for control of the regional space and government. Elsewhere in Latin America such groups often derived wealth and power from control of farmland and commerce. In Chachapoyas - with little fertile soil and separated from Lima and the Pacific by the nearly impassible canyon of the Maranon River the primary source of riches was holding government office, which permitted access to tax revenues, contracts and licenses, patronage appointments, road tolls, and assorted forms of graft and outright extortion. Casta rule depended on claims about the natural right of white aristocrats to rule mestizos and Indians and on the ability to persecute and humiliate competitors. Casta leaders frequently assaulted, imprisoned, and murdered opponents; at times they staged ceremonies of public degradation in which enemies would be forced to render abject apologies and promise future obeisance. Simultaneously, however, casta officials had to represent political life in terms of republican principles, individual rights, and constitutional guarantees. While this was in part a concession to the central state in Lima, intended to secure non-interference with local casta domination, it was also a way of demonstrating the ruling group's power. As in other authoritarian regimes, the capacity to proclaim publicly as true what everyone knew to be false was a demonstration of potency. Ruling castas were hardly as invulnerable as their repression and shaming of enemies might suggest. Supporters in outlying areas were undependable, since their motivation for allying with a ruling casta was to increase their own wealth, rather than channel it to their political patrons. …