Premium
Family estrangement: parents and children who ‘lose touch’
Author(s) -
Jerrome Dorothy
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-6427
pISSN - 0163-4445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6427.1994.00793.x
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , independence (probability theory) , family life , life history , social relationship , social life , social psychology , sociology , gender studies , social science , ecology , statistics , mathematics , biology
Evidence of emotional distance between elderly parents and their adult children is taken from an anthropological study of ageing and family life. Two case studies drawn from a series of life history interviews illustrate the complex relationship between personal development, family relationships, culture and social structure. Unsatisfactory relationships are explained in terms of changing psychological needs through the life course, the cultural emphasis on independence and related values, the feminine tilt in family life, and the structure of in‐law relationships. The complex interplay of these factors has implications for therapy with families experiencing estrangement.