M.Ed. / The reconstructed family is not a new phenomenon. In the past it occurred when a spouse died but nowadays it can be largely be attributed to divorce or the marriage of an unwedded mother. The result is that more children grow up in reconstructed families. Hardly any research has been done and little information is available about the child's involvement in such a family ...

Stepfamilies are the fastest growing family type in America. Unfortunately, our society holds unwarranted negative attitudes about and negative stereotypes of stepfamilies and stepfamily members. Research indicates that stepfamilies are not an inherently dysfunctional or deficient type of family. On the contrary, stepfamilies can be as healthy as nuclear families, and they can produce emotionally healthy individuals. Healthy stepfamilies, however, are often different in the roles of family members and the quality of interactions between members. It is this difference between stepfamily functioning and the normative nuclear family expectations of society that appears to perpetuate negative stereotypes of stepfamilies.Some evidence suggests that counselors hold negative stereotypes of stepfamilies. As s-:ich it is likely that they will diagnose and treat stepfamilies from an inappropriate nuclear family model, perceiving stepfamilies to be more pathological than they are and, in treatment, attempting to fit stepfamilies into roles and relationships inappropriate for healthy stepfamily functioning. No research to date, however, has examined whether counselors' attitudes about stepfamilies affect diagnostic and treatment decisions.This dissertation conducted a national survey of counselor attitudes about stepfamilies. It examined three areas where counselor bias may affect service delivery: judgments regarding stepfamily health, diagnostic decisions, and treatment decisions. It found that counselors appear to generate differential ratings of family health and differential diagnostic impressions on the basis of family interaction style (healthy nuclear family versus healthy stepfamily) and on the basis of family label (nuclear family versus stepfamily). These differential ratings and impressions favor a nuclear family style combined with a nuclear family label in comparison to other family style and label combinations. Additionally, the Parent-Child relationships in a nuclear family that acts like a healthy stepfamily were rated to be more in need of treatment and more important to treatment than in other family styles.The results of this study suggest that experienced counseling psychologists may express bias against stepfamilies and against nuclear families that function outside a traditional nuclear model. They appear to use the traditional nuclear family as a standard against which other family interaction styles and types are found lacking. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Stepfamilies are shown by existing research as having multiple problems unique to this type of family, some of which include role ambiguity, role strain, role captivity, increased stress and adjustment problems in children. Stepparents are portrayed as evil, abusive and wicked in the media, literature or film, while stepchildren are variously portrayed as victims, naughty and manipulative. These popular perceptions of stepfamilies appear to be shaped by myths or dominant narratives which serve to shape stepfamily member's experience of and roles in the reconstituted family. Drawing on the work of postmodernism, social constructionism and the narrative theorists this study will expose those dominant narrative or myths which shape the experience of two stepfamilies. Using an emergent design, the experiences of these two families is described in an attempt to highlight some of the implications such an approach holds for both further research and psychotherapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Stepfamilies are shown by existing research as having multiple problems unique to this type of family, some of which include role ambiguity, role strain, role captivity, increased stress and adjustment problems in children. Stepparents are portrayed as evil, abusive and wicked in the media, literature or film, while stepchildren are variously portrayed as victims, naughty and manipulative. These popular perceptions of stepfamilies appear to be shaped by myths or dominant narratives which serve to shape stepfamily member's experience of and roles in the reconstituted family. Drawing on the work of postmodernism, social constructionism and the narrative theorists this study will expose those dominant narrative or myths which shape the experience of two stepfamilies. Using an emergent design, the experiences of these two families is described in an attempt to highlight some of the implications such an approach holds for both further research and psychotherapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)