A new theoretical model of human behavior was presented and tested in this research. Structural equation modeling (LISREL) was used to test the notion that living in an anomic family system would produce an internalized sense of normlessness or "egonomie" that precedes the development of problematic behavior for the individual.

The research aimed to explore the phenomenon of serial murder from a systems theory perspective. The purpose of the study was to develop an understanding of serial murder in a South African context from a family systems approach. Utilizing a family systems theoretical framework and the genogram method, the study, which was qualitative in nature, explored information about the family systems of individuals who committed serial murder via content analysis. The investigation focused mainly on emotional processes, multigenerational and relationship patterns in family systems. Information was gathered from numerous sources and included interviews conducted inter alia with individuals currently incarcerated for serial murder and their family members, and with professionals involved with such individuals; as well as information obtained from clinical observations and archival data. The results of the content analysis demonstrated considerable similarities but also differences in the organization and functioning of the family systems of individuals who committed serial murder. Importantly, the analysis shed novel theoretical light on the role of serial murder within family systems and challenged established dominant theoretical perspectives on serial murder that have emphasized linear, causal and/or individual-focused explanations. The study opened up considerable opportunities for further exploration of the phenomenon from a systemic perspective, specifically with the focus on the meaning of serial murder in relatively smaller (e.g., parent-child or peer relationships) or larger (e.g., political, cultural and societal) systems. It also provided opportunities for alternative vistas from which the phenomenon of serial murder can be viewed in terms of theoretical, definitional, typological, investigative and correctional approaches. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

This single case study was created to investigate one lesbian parented family's experiences in family, social, and educational systems to gain perspective on their overall happiness. In depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with two lesbian parents currently raising three children. After data collection and analysis, the researcher constructed six findings based on the primary research questions. The study determined that regardless of minor discrimination in the systems, the parents and their children have positive experiences in their family, social, and educational systems. The parents also offered ideas about political and social changes that would improve their lives. Overall, the study determined that regardless of negative experiences based on their sexual orientation, the parents believe that all members of the family are happy and proud of their family unit. / School of Education / Community Counseling / MS / Thesis

This dissertation examines the ways in which nineteenth-century American reformers used genteel, domestic buildings to reform defiant young girls. The Connecticut Industrial School for Girls opened in 1870 as a site dedicated to both academic education and industrial training, and founders chose the family system of structures to physically represent ideas of home and love while simultaneously demonstrating authority and power. They used the campus and its built forms as teaching tools, but they also used the seemingly beneficent environment to encourage and, at times, force new identities upon girls who were in danger of becoming delinquents. Believing girls who lived in dirty, urban conditions would become immoral and even criminal, authorities removed and relocated them into newly constructed spaces in a rural area, structures that together created a community. The site was a place for girls to grow stronger through healthy food and fresh air, education and attention. But the school also forced assimilation. Inmates were offered only one path forward and were educated under duress. The girls were casualties of a larger cultural conflict occurring in America, a battle around issues of class and environment. Their futures were placed into the hands of people who wanted to create an American population more educated, more skilled, and seemingly, more civilized. To understand this complex story, this study uses chapters that overlap in time but address different methodological approaches. Chapter One looks at nineteenth-century European precedents for the school, focusing on the ways in which reformers in England, France, and Germany originated the use of the family system to save children. Chapter Two locates the child-saving movement and family system in America, documenting early efforts at helping children through purpose-built structures and evolving educational ideology. Chapter Three examines the physical reality of the Connecticut Industrial School for Girls, documenting the ways in which authorities adapted the building plans to maintain control over inmates. Chapter Four explores the daily life of the inmates, adding people and their agendas to the structures. The study concludes with an examination of the family system in relation to institutional typologies in post-Civil War America.

Alcohol abuse in families remain a serious problem in South Africa. Early exposure to dysfunctional family patterns may contribute to juvenile offending. Such an exposure will be detrimental to children’s development and may create emotional problems for them. It would appear that certain factors contribute towards juvenile delinquency such as divorce among parents, single parent families, unemployment of parents, family violence, substance abuse and poverty. The researcher was motivated to undertake this study as she observed in the field of Social Work that nearly all juvenile offenders were exposed to alcoholism in their families of origin. The question arised whether there is a relation between alcohol abuse in the family system and juvenile delinquency. The goal of this study was to explore the extent to which alcohol abuse in the family system may contribute towards juvenile delinquency and imprisonment. The researcher conducted a qualitative study through which the goal of the study has been achieved. Further research in this field is recommended to prevent the effect alcohol abuse may have on the family system. / Dissertation (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work / unrestricted

Exposure to parental alcohol use disturbs important family relationships and may influence self-differentiation and triangulation, especially among siblings. The sibling relationship provides a foundation for future relationships, yet researchers know little about how parental alcohol abuse influences the sibling relationship. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological inquiry was to explore the influence of parental alcohol abuse on triangulation and self-differentiation in the sibling relationship in families of origin. Purposeful sampling and semistructured, face-to-face interviews were used to gather information from 12 self-identified adult children of alcoholics to explore triangulation and self-differentiation among siblings. The research questions guided the study to help reveal how triangulation and self-differentiation among siblings is influenced in their family of origin by parental alcoholism. Twelve audio-recorded interviews were manually transcribed and coded for themes using a categorization system based on word repetitions, key terms, and metaphors. Family systems theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Member-checking, detailed descriptions and audit trials were used to determine the trustworthiness of data. Sibling relationships in an alcohol-focused family system were found to be volatile and stressful, resulting in triangulated relationships and a distorted sense of self. The results of this study may add to the current body of literature on the alcohol-focused family system, and the associated recommendations may inform treatment modules with targeted interventions designed for siblings. Such interventions would result from a proposed shift in the current treatment focus on the identified client to a more family system based approach to treatment.

THESIS TITLE Dealing with a child's illness through family system ABSTRACT The aim of the Master's thesis Dealing with a child's illness through family system is to create a work focusing on the subjective perception of the difficulties of managing a child's illness in a family. The thesis is of theoretical and empirical nature. The theoretical part describes theoretical solutions, opinions of individuals and research conducted regarding the matter of ill children, the psychology of illness, family and the family system. The empirical part consists of qualitative research focused on the family's subjective experience of the situation. The data was collected using the methodology of in-depth semi-structured interviews decoded utilizing open code. The data was analyzed using principles of multiple casestudies and inspired by phenomenological research design.The research output is casuistry describing concrete ways and possibilities of how the family can cope with the difficult situation. The goal of a casuistry is to shed some light onto the issue of having a ill child in the family in order to better understand the situation and empathy needed from the family network and professionals involved. One of the main findings of the thesis is that a mother plays a key role in the process of managing an illness. She...

Inledning: En utlandstjänstgöring i försvarsmaktens regi är ingen enskild angelägenhet för den försvarsanställde utan påverkar hela familjen. Det finns forskning som visar att när föräldern lämnar ett barn för militär utlandstjänstgöring, är barnets mående och förmåga att hantera en period av separation till stor del beroende på hur barnet har det för övrigt. Utifrån förförståelse och tolkning av tidigare forskning, undersöks möjligheterna kring hur det gestaltar sig för dessa barn att leva ett liv tillsammans med pappa efter militärt utlandsuppdrag. Går relation att reparera helt, återanknytas och återgå till de roller som familjesystemet en gång haft, eller utgör det större komplikationer? Frågeställningen är hur gestaltar sig möjligheten för unga vuxna att leva ett liv tillsammans med pappa efter militärt utlandsuppdrag? Metod som har använts för genomförandet av semistrukturerade intervjuer är kvalitativ metod, där sex respondenter varav fyra män och två kvinnor har deltagit. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats med tematisk analys med induktiv ansats. Det som beskrivs är det fenomen som undersöks; respondenternas tankar, upplevelser och känslor kring den egna subjektiva erfarenheten och dess mening i deras livsvärld. Resultatet knyts till tre huvudteman; separation från föräldern, systemets påverkan av utlandsuppdrag och återanknytning med föräldern samt åtta underteman som sammanfattningsvis redogör för respondenternas subjektiva upplevelse. Respondenterna upplever en avsaknad av dialog och kommunikation mellan pappa och den hemmavarande föräldern i anslutning till pappas utlandsuppdrag som militär. Respondentens upplevelse är en brist på öppenhet i dialogen, vilket har reglerat och undantryckt dennes dåvarande känsla, fantasi men även åsikt om det militära uppdrag och verksamhet pappan deltog i. Separationen har berört respondenterna varierande, men en generell uppfattning är att det uppstått anknytningsbrott. Respondenterna menar även att pappans beslut att åka på militärt utlandsuppdrag har påverkat hela familjesystemet. Rollförändringar och friktioner har uppstått och pappans roll till övriga familjemedlemmar har förskjutits och respondenternas roll som barn i familjen har behövt revideras. Diskussion tar upp de relationella problemen som är följder av tidigare anknytningsskador och anknytningsbrott. Återupprättad kommunikation med pappa möjliggör att återanknytningen förbättrar relationen, samtidigt som behovet av en ökad förmåga hos pappan till känslomässig bearbetning är en förutsättning för förändring. När kommunikationen i vuxen ålder förbättrades fick respondenten möjlighet att uttrycka de känslor som varit förknippande med separationen och livet utan pappa, vilket tycks ha haft en läkande effekt på relationen och anknytningen till pappa. / Introduction: An overseas service in the defense forces is no single concern of the defense staff, but affects the entire family. Research shows that when parents leave the children for military service abroad, the child's mood and ability to cope with a period of separation greatly depending on how the child’s life is in general. Based on the understanding and interpretation of previous research, this study will see into how it’s manifested for these children to continue to live a life with their father after military foreign missions. Is it possible for the relationship to repair completely, re-attach and return to the roles that the family system once had, or is there more complications? Question: How is life portrayed for young adults to live with their father after his military missions abroad? Method used in this research for carrying out semi-structured interviews are qualitative approach, where six respondents, three men two women participated. The collected data were analyzed with thematic analysis with inductive approach. What is described is the phenomenon; respondents' thoughts, experiences and feelings about their own subjective experience and its meaning in their life. The results are linked to the three main themes: separation from the parent, the impact of military missions abroad to the system and re-attachment with the father. There are also eight sub-themes that collectively describe the respondents' subjective experience. Respondents perceive a lack of openness in the dialogue and communication between their father and themselves regarding the subject of the father's international assignment as military. The separation has touched the respondents in varied way, but the general opinion is that respondents also believe that the father's decision to go on military assignments abroad affected the entire family system, not least, the role changes and frictions that arise as a consequence.  Discussion: The relational problems are consequences of previous attachment failures. Repairing the communication to their father enables re-attachment, which can improve the relational difficulties between the father and the young adult. When communication in adulthood increased the respondents had the opportunity to express the emotions associated with the separation that can act as a healing effect on the relationship and association with their father.

Sixty-six people who had recently experienced the death of a parent or a spouse completed a questionnaire packet to assess their current grief symptomatology and some characteristics of the relationships within their family. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire 4-5 weeks after the death and then again six months later. The present study compared two competing models to explain whether the grief process affects the characteristics of relationships within the family system or that family characteristics affect the experienced grief symptoms.

This qualitative and quantitative study focused on exploring hospice patient’s perceptions of family support. Family support was conceptualized as which family member they expect to receive support from, types of support provided, frequency of support, family communication about medical illness, and type of support that is perceived to be most helpful. Fifteen partcipants between the ages of 70 to 98 were interviewed using purposive sampling. Findings showed that although participants found both physical and emotional support helpful, more than half reported perceiving emotional support as the most helpful. Recommendations for social work practice and research were discussed.