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Helping Couples Fulfill the “Highest of Life's Goals”: Mate Selection, Marriage Counselling, and Genetic Counseling in United States
Author(s) -
Stillwell Devon
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of genetic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1573-3599
pISSN - 1059-7700
DOI - 10.1007/s10897-015-9853-5
Subject(s) - genetic counseling , selection (genetic algorithm) , public health , human genetics , psychology , medicine , family medicine , genetics , nursing , biology , computer science , artificial intelligence , gene
This article traces the history of modern genetic counseling to mate selection and marriage counselling practices of the early‐20th century. Mate selection revolved around a belief that human heredity could be improved and genetic diseases eradicated through better breeding. Marriage counselling, though interested in reproduction, was also concerned with the emotional and psychological well‐being of couples. These two practices coalesced most obviously in the work of well‐known geneticist Sheldon Reed. Even as marriage and genetic counselling diverged in the post‐WWII period, vestiges of these practices remain in contemporary counseling experiences with family planning and genetic screening programs. Emphasizing points of continuity between “positive” eugenic ideologies and modern genetic practices elaborates the diverse origins of genetic counseling. It also exposes how genetic counselors have become involved in genetic enterprises beyond standard clinical settings, and prods at key issues in the interaction between genetic science and social values.