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A Structural Approach to the Single‐Parent Family
Author(s) -
WELTNER JOHN S.
Publication year - 1982
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/j.1545-5300.1982.00203.x
Subject(s) - problem solver , psychology , unit (ring theory) , emphasis (telecommunications) , epistemology , sociology , social psychology , computer science , telecommunications , philosophy , mathematics education , computational science
Although the single‐parent family is becoming a predominant family structure, there is a surprising scarcity of articles discussing its typical problems or detailing specific therapeutic approaches. This paper attempts, first, to list some core problems encountered by all single parents and, second, to present a sequence of therapeutic approaches geared toward dealing with these problems. Structural theory, with its emphasis on subsystems, generational boundaries, and organizational patterns, provides a framework for viewing the built‐in vulnerabilities of the single‐parent family unit. Minuchin's (3) emphasis on generational boundaries and the problem of enmeshment underlies the theoretical and therapeutic approach presented here. I have drawn heavily on Haley's (2) idea that the therapist must be an authority, a problem‐solver, and a teacher. Finally, the emphasis on creating new organizational patterns is most thoroughly explored in Aponte's (1) discussions of “underorganized families” (many of whom are single‐parent families).