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The Advance of Poststructuralism and Its Influence on Family Therapy
Author(s) -
Dickerson Victoria C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12087
Subject(s) - postmodernism , family therapy , narrative , positivism , narrative therapy , sociology , bureaucracy , meaning (existential) , epistemology , psychoanalysis , psychology , aesthetics , psychotherapist , political science , politics , law , literature , philosophy , art
Postmodernism began to influence family therapy very early in the 1980s with articles referencing postmodern ideas, focusing on meaning and multiplicity. With the appearance of narrative therapy on the scene in the 1990s there was a shift toward poststructural thinking, which refined the movement and politicized the clinical work. Even with a bit of a backlash, whether because this was a new idea or it somehow threatened a positivistic culture, a poststructural view has continued to have effects on family therapy. This article explores the variety of influences: the expansion of narrative ideas, the innovation of Madsen's collaborative helping, and also more nuanced effects. I argue that a poststructural view has effectively changed how many family therapists think and may also be subtly influencing how they might work.