Intergenerational Theory Research Articles

Positioning Oneself Within an Epistemology: Refining Our Thinking About Integrative Approaches

Integrative approaches seem to be paramount in the current climate of family therapy and other psychotherapies. However, integration between and among theories and practices can only occur within a specific epistemology. This article makes a distinction between three different epistemologies: individualizing, systems, and poststructural. It then makes the argument that one can integrate theories within epistemologies and one can adopt practices and some theoretical concepts across theories and across epistemologies, but that it is impossible to integrate theories across epistemologies. It further states that although social constructionism has influenced much of contemporary psychological thinking, because of the divergence between a structural and a poststructural approach, constructionism looks different depending upon one's epistemological stance. Examples of integration within epistemologies and of what looks like integration across epistemologies (but is not) further illustrate these important distinctions. The conclusions reached here are crucial to our philosophical considerations, our pedagogical assumptions, and implications for both research and a reflexive clinical practice.

Intergenerational Ambivalence, Power, and Perceptions of Elder Suicide in Rural Japan

This article explores perceptions of elder suicide by older Japanese and contextualizes these perceptions within the theoretical framework of intergenerational ambivalence theory. The examples discussed show how people can use perceptions related to intergenerational relationships and changing social structures and values to create explanatory models for suicidal behavior. In the cases discussed here, high elder suicide rates are seen as a product of conflicting family values and conflicting expectations about how power should be allocated within families. Suicide is one means by which actors negotiate contradictions in the surrounding social environment, contradictions that for many Japanese appear to be consistently evident in the context of multigenerational families where communication and interaction between younger and older generations is perceived as being difficult.

Explaining Multiple Patterns of Offending across the Life Course and across Generations

Four general topics are discussed in this article. The first section uses data fromthe Rochester Youth Development Study to explore the development of antisocial careers across the life course. The second section presents interactional theory's explanation of offending. The theory recognizes that antisocial careers can begin at any point, from childhood through adulthood, and identifies causal influences associated with varying ages of onset. It then offers an explanation for changing patterns of offending. The third section presents an intergenerational extension of the theory, focusing specifically on the major pathways that mediate the impact of a parent's own adolescent antisocial behavior on the chances that his or her children will also show antisocial behavior. The final section tests key parts of this intergenerational theory using data from the Rochester Intergenerational Study. Adolescent antisocial behavior has indirect effects on a child's early delinquency, mediated by the disruption it causes to the parent's development and his or her subsequent style of parenting.

Link Among Therapist and Parent Relationship, Working Alliance, and Therapy Outcome

On the basis of interpersonal and intergenerational family theories, this study examined (a) the association between therapists' reported relationship with their parents and clients' report of the working alliance at 3 points in the therapy process (i.e., after the 3rd, 7th, and final sessions); (b) the association between clients' report of the working alliance at 3 points in the therapy process and outcome, and (c) the association between therapists' reported relationships with parents and outcome. With 20 therapist-client dyads, results indicated that the therapist-parent relationship, measured by the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire, predicted working alliance at the 3rd, middle, and final sessions of therapy. Additionally, working alliance predicted outcome. Of particular note, the results indicated that both healthy (i.e., intimacy and individuation) and less healthy (i.e., fusion and triangulation) therapist-parent relationship patterns contributed to the client's perception of a positive working alliance.

The Impact of Religious Intensification on Family Relations: A South African Example

Using the example of South African Jewish families in which the daughters became Ultra‐Orthodox, this article examines the reactions and adaptations of mothers to their daughters' religious intensification. A qualitative study in which 15 mothers and 15 daughters were interviewed found that the mothers' initial reactions were primarily positive and ambivalent, with some negative reactions, but over time the mothers became increasingly ambivalent. Overall, mothers and newly observant adult daughters made serious efforts to maintain family cohesion and relationships of mutual respect. The results are explained by the South African context, stress theory, the concept of family resilience, and intergenerational theory.

Attitudes and Family Violence: Linking Intergenerational and Cultural Theories

Drawing on intergenerational transmission and cultural (attitudinal) theories, this study examines the extent to which attitudes help explain (1) the relationship between experiencing violence while growing up and subsequent violence against one amp apose;s children and spouse, and(2) demographic differences in violence. Structural equation modeling techniques are used to examine data from a representative sample of the general population and a sample of ex-offenders. The findings indicate that experiencing violence while growing up is related to favorable attitudes towards violence against spouses. The experience of violence while growing up and attitudes are related to violence against both children and spouses. The relationship between experiencing violence while growing up and engaging in violence against spouses is mediated by attitudes. The results also suggest that men and nonwhites are more approving of violence towards spouses. However, attitudes do not account for demographic differences in violence against children and spouses.

Relation between empathy and aggression and behavior compliance among abused group home youth.

Physically abused youth are often described as more aggressive and noncompliant in comparison with normal children, despite inconclusive findings regarding the nature of behavior problems among these youth. The present study investigated whether empathy would be differentially related to aggression and behavior compliance of abused youth within the natural living context of a group home environment. As predicted, results suggest a strong, positive relationship between empathy and lower rates of interpersonal aggression and a strong positive relationship between empathy and higher rates of behavior compliance. In contrast to previous studies which support the intergenerational cycle theory of abuse, the results of this study do not support the belief that abuse results in stabilized aggression and suggests that the empathetic abused child is less likely to be aggressive and noncompliant than his/her non-empathic counterpart. The implications of these results for understanding and helping abused youth are discussed.

Intergenerational Theory

Various modifications to current theories of human development are suggested along with potential applications to intergen-erational programming. It is argued that a new intergenerational theory of human development should be developed that accounts for an increase in life span, contemporary societal values, and the role of environmental variables in shaping behavior. Such an intergenerational theoretical approach should be used to examine the potential developmental outcomes for specific age-group dyads engaged in programmatic activities. Implications of such an approach for research and program evaluation are also suggested.

The use of a decision‐based forgiveness intervention within intergenerational family therapy

The intervention presented here links intergenerational theory and therapy with a step‐by‐step forgiveness strategy. Forgiveness is defined from a cognitive perspective so that it can be applied within a family‐of‐origin session. In practice, the forgiveness strategy has been effective in breaking dysfunctional patterns from the past that have been carried into the new family. Long‐term effects of forgiveness are analysed through a case study that includes a six‐year follow‐up of a family‐of‐origin forgiveness intervention.

An empirical couple typology based on differentiation

Both spouses of 100 married, heterosexual couples completed the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire (PAFS-Q). A cluster analysis of the couples' scores on the four intimacy and fusion scales of the PAFS-Q produced four clusters that were meaningfully distinct in the patterns of differentiation of the wives and husbands. Couples comprising these clusters are described in terms of intergenerational theories of family interaction.

Parents' Perceptions of Their Adolescence: Implications for Parent-Youth Conflict and Family Satisfaction

This study examined the relation between parents' perceptions of "storm and stress" in their own adolescence and their current relationships with their children. A sample of 121 adolescents and their parents (106 mothers) were surveyed. Analysis indicated that over 48% of these parents viewed their adolescence as being stormy and stressful. Parents who experienced greater storm and stress as youth had more conflict in their relationships with their children and were less satisfied with their families. Implications for intergenerational theory and family intervention are presented.

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Differentiation Experienced in One's Family of Origin and Adult Adjustment

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family of origin differentiation and adult functioning. Adult functioning was examined in individual well-being, marital satisfaction, and family functioning. Perceived stress and the amount of social support were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between family of origin differentiation and adult functioning. For men, there was a significant relationship between family of origin differentiation and their present well-being and family functioning. However, the most significant relationship for the women was between stress and adjustment (individual well-being and marital satisfaction). For women, there was no relationship between family of origin differentiation and present adult functioning as measured in this study. The findings call into question the assumptions of intergenerational theories that have typically assumed that the differentiation level experienced in the family of origin have the same impact on adult adjustment for both men and women.

Abusive and Nonabusive Parents:

The purpose of this research was to investigate how groups of abusive and nonabusive parents perceived the way in which they were parented. A group of abusing (N = 153) and nonabusing (N = 141) parents were given a modified version of the Block Child Rearing Practices Report. Abusers rated their mothers as less nurturing and more restrictive as compared to nonabusers. The abusers' fathers were rated as less nurturing than the nonabusers. The data support an intergenerational theory of child abuse and suggest an emphasis should be placed on the development of nurturing skills in the prevention and treatment of child abuse.

Evaluation of an intergenerational theory of personal development: Family process determinants of psychological and health distress.

Evaluation of an intergenerational theory of personal development: Family process determinants of psychological and health distress.

Evaluation of an intergenerational theory of personal development: Family process determinants of psychological and health distress.

Evaluation of an intergenerational theory of personal development: Family process determinants of psychological and health distress.

Family measurement techniques: Personal authority in the family system questionnaire (pafs-q): A review and critique

Abstract The Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire (PAFS-Q: Bray et al., 1984a; 1984b) operationalizes aspects of current intergenerational family theory into psychometric scales for use in research and clinical practice. The scales were developed to provide a self-report measure of intergenerational family relationships as perceived by each family member. There are currently three versions of the scales for adults with children, adults without children, and for college students without children. These scales are easily administered and scored. An individual's or a group's scale scores can be compared to scale scores from nonclinical samples, summarized in the Questionnaire Manual (available from the authors), to facilitate clinical interpretation.

An evaluation of an intergenerational consultation process to increase personal authority in the family system.

This paper reports an evaluation of an intergenerational consultation process designed to help people change significant relationships in the three-generational family system. The paper first describes the theory behind the consultation process that focuses on increasing personal authority in the family system; this is followed by a description of the consultation process. Clients who participated in the consultation process were compared to clients who participated in systems-oriented psychotherapy. The results indicate that clients who participated in the intergenerational consultation reported significantly more change in intergenerational triangulation and personal authority than did the control group. There were no differences between the groups in reported change in presenting problems, satisfaction with therapy, or helpfulness of therapy. Persons who had their parents in the office for a consultation also reported significantly more change in personal authority and less intergenerational intimidation than did clients who did not have their parents in the office for consultation. Implications of these findings for intergenerational theory and therapy as well as future research are discussed.