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CONFLICT AND CO‐PARENTING: THE CONSTRUCTS OF NONRESIDENT FATHERS*
Author(s) -
Wilson Graeme B.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
family court review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.171
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 1744-1617
pISSN - 1531-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-1617.2008.00227.x
Subject(s) - nomothetic and idiographic , psychology , hostility , repertory grid , social psychology , personal construct theory , construct (python library) , developmental psychology , consistency (knowledge bases) , geometry , mathematics , computer science , programming language
Scots law constructs a co‐parental role for nonresident fathers without clarifying how this should operate in practice. Personal Construct Theory (PCT) offers a useful approach to understanding such fathers’ distinct and changing conceptions of their role. Findings are presented from a study of 17 nonresident Scottish fathers maintaining contact with nonresident children. Idiographic analysis of data from repertory grid interviews administered three times over the course of a year shows that participants perceive family situations in terms of paternal involvement, impact, emotion, or antagonism. Changes in construing following family events support the PCT understanding of hostility; implications for family services are discussed.