Interdependence in Asian Families

Abstract

The Asian extended family has been characterized by the principle of ‘interdependence’ between generations in praxis. In gerontological literature, it is known as ‘generalized reciprocity’ which extends between generations. To explore the concept of interdependence further, and to examine its translation into reality within multigenerational families, a qualitative research study involving three-generation families was conducted in Singapore. The results of 30 interviews are reported from a total of 10 families. The different aspects of interdependence and its impact on the emotional components of relationships between generations will be described, within the context of a fast modernizing city. The implications of findings for policies, services and intergenerational programs conclude the paper.     

Models of Family Structure and Functioning

Professional change-agents who are concerned with modifying individual behaviour are increasingly aware of the impact of the family in inducing and maintaining personality disorders. As far as the individual's mental health is concerned, the family is the critical social context which fosters personal growth or produces disturbed behaviour. Consequently, professional attention is moving from the study and treatment of individuals in isolation to a new emphasis on work with whole families.     

Between research and revival. Emerging trends among highly religious young Catholics in Italy

Research shows that Italians’ religiosity is in constant decline. Religious literacy, individual and collective practice, participation in rituals, faith’s transmission and symbols’ sharing seem to be following a slow but inexorable downward trend. Catholic communities are being depopulated and churches are emptying out. These phenomena, already emerging in those generations born during the economic boom, seem to have a greater impact on younger generations: the decline of Catholicism as a socio-cultural phenomenon is characterising our era. Despite those general trends, young generations are not merely abandoning their faith. Even if faith has lost its social function, young Catholics in Italy often cultivate it on an individual level, between the autonomous search for their own spiritual path and the reproduction of forms of high religiosity derived from the family. In some cases, the younger generations show a renewed religiosity, stronger and more secure than that of their parents, which may sometimes involve them in a path of Catholicism’s rediscovery. The article presents and discusses results on highly religious young Catholics deriving from empirical research on intergenerational religious transmission in Italian families, which has been conducted through focus groups and in-depth interviews between 2020 and 2022.     

Are “daddy’s boys” just as rich as daddy? The transmission of values between generations

The influence of parents’ savings behaviour on that of their children has often been remarked. This paper attempts to explain this “poids d’Anchise” via a unique French dataset collected by DELTA and TNS-Sofres in 2002 (Pat€r survey), which contains both savings and subjective information for two or three generations of the same family. Parents’ and children’s risk and discounting preferences are significantly positively intergenerationally correlated. The correlation coefficients are around 0.25, so that the two preferences are nonetheless far from identical. In addition, the elasticity of children’s wealth with respect to that of their parents is around 0.22. This correlation is corrected for the influence of age on wealth, and concerns only co-existing generations, that is before the most significant intergenerational transfers have taken place. The analysis of the raw correlations with a series of explanatory variables reveals that over 40 % of this elasticity can be explained by the permanent incomes of the two generations. Each of education and preferences separately account for about 20 %, and previous intergenerational transfers for about 13 %. When permanent income is controlled for, the contribution of savings preferences is around 13 %. The transmission of preferences therefore plays a non-negligible role in the intergenerational transmission of wealth inequalities, but is far from being the most important factor.     

Kontexteffekte in Familien – Angleichung von Paaren und intergenerationale Transmission am Beispiel Religiosität

The present contribution shows conceptual and methodological approaches for the study of social context effects within families. Family members mutually constitute the social context in which family behavior and personality development take place. Social influence in families becomes evident empirically in family members’ significant similarity concerning a wide variety of characteristics. The present study focuses on intrafamily convergence with regard to religiousness. In an empirical illustration, both (a) horizontal intracouple alignment and (b) vertical intergenerational transmission processes are examined. Besides the finding that experiences during religious socialization in the parental home have a stronger impact than partner influences in adulthood, our analyses show that social context effects are more pronounced the stronger the cohesion of the respective interaction dyad is (e.g., according to measures of relationship quality).     

THE USE OF HISTORY IN FAMILY THERAPY: A BRIEF REJOINDER TO SLUZKI*

The use of history by psychodynamically oriented family therapists is often misunderstood. In place of a traditional “lifting of repression” paradigm, contemporary psychodynamic family clinicians emphasize intervening in the transmission of emotional patterning over generations in families. This model has both diagnostic and therapeutic utility for family therapists. While differences exist between this model and “systems” approaches, it is argued that integration of the two is both possible and desirable.     

Parent‐Child Value Similarity: The Role of Zeitgeist

Reporting a study of German 2‐child families, the article focuses on a neglected issue in value transmission studies: contemporaneous societal context. Parent‐child value similarity depends not only on family characteristics but also on zeitgeist, the modal value climate of a society. To evaluate the role of zeitgeist in value transmission, differences in parent‐child value similarity between families agreeing and disagreeing with the zeitgeist are studied, focusing on a core value of modern societies: hierarchic self‐interest. Results show a weak general zeitgeist effect. A family’s relative position vis‐à‐vis the societal value climate, however, is shown to strongly influence intergenerational similarity in hierarchic self‐interest, families distant from the zeitgeist showing a much higher intergenerational value similarity than families close to the zeitgeist.     

Continuity and change in work-life balance choices

This paper explores the ways in which the work-life balance choices made by heterosexual couples differ in different generations, how such choices are gendered, and the extent to which 'individualization' provides an adequate conceptualization of the effects of social change on heterosexual couples. It argues that processes of individualization need to be seen in the context of changing social institutions, and that it is the de-institutionalization of 'the family' and the life course that is leading to a de-gendering of work-life balance choices. The paper draws on findings from a restudy of the family and social change and a study of the gender dimensions of job insecurity both of which were carried out in the same geographical location. The studies provide evidence of generational change in work-life balance choices and increasing occupational differentiation between heterosexual partners. This leads to a situation where increasingly choices are made which blur gendered boundaries and which has been made possible by a process of de-institutionalization of the male breadwinner family. Our findings support the contention that processes of individualization are more apparent amongst younger than older generations and that, because of changes external to the family, there is more negotiation and pragmatism amongst younger generations about work-life choices.     

Families in Later Life: A Decade in Review

Later-life families encompass the legal, biological, romantic, and kin-like relationships of persons ages 65 and older. Research on older families has flourished over the past decade, as population aging has intensified concerns regarding the capacities of families to care for older adults and the adequacy of public pension systems to provide an acceptable standard of living. Shifting patterns of family formation over the past half-century have created a context in which contemporary older adults' family lives differ markedly from earlier generations. Decreasing numbers of adults are growing old with their first and only spouse, with rising numbers divorcing, remarrying, forming non-marital romantic partnerships, or living single by choice. Remarriage and the formation of stepfamilies pose challenges and opportunities as older adults negotiate complex decisions such as inheritance and caregiving. Family relationships are consequential for older adults' well-being, operating through both biological and psychosocial mechanisms. We synthesize research from the past decade, revealing how innovations in data and methods have refined our understanding of late-life families against a backdrop of demographic change. We show how contemporary research refines classic theoretical frameworks and tests emerging conceptual models. We organize the article around two main types of family relationships: (1) marriage and romantic partnerships and (2) intergenerational relationships. We discuss how family caregiving occurs within these relationships, and offer three promising avenues for future research: ethnic minority and immigrant families; older adults without close kin (“elder orphans”); and the potentials of rapidly evolving technologies for intergenerational relationships and caregiving.     

Factors Influencing Family Business Continuity in Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Most of the research on family business continuity is based in the western world. Continuity of family business is affected by social and cultural factors on one hand and on the stage of growth of the economy on the other. This paper focuses on the continuity concerns with reference to (1) the Eastern context and (2) the developing economy’s context, by studying Indian family businesses, with (3) specific focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Data were collected from SME business families using a questionnaire. The impact of various factors was examined on the family, the business and the inductee. This empirical study validates some of the drivers of effective succession identified so far in the literature. It sharply identifies the variables that can be more relevant and can directly affect the outcome in terms of positive impact on the business, family and the inductee. The findings of the study will be of great help in successful succession planning for the growth and development of SMEs that contribute significantly to economic growth.     

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CONSULTATION WITH RANCH AND FARM FAMILIES: AN EMPIRICAL FAMILY CASE STUDY

There is a paucity of marriage and family therapy literature addressing therapeutic consultation with farm and ranch families. This article describes a case study in which several Marital and Family Therapy approaches were used to consult with a ranch family. It also provides empirical data showing in which of five treatment phases changes occurred. Two generations, including four couples from an extended family, participated in family consultation over 42 months and completed assessments six times. Statistical results and clinical impressions confirm that the five-phase consultative process resulted in significant improvements in family satisfaction with adaptability and family strains levels and positive movement in seven other areas.     

Visions in monochrome: families, marriage and the individualization thesis

This paper takes issue with the way in which the individualization thesis--in which it is assumed that close relationships have become tenuous and fragile--has become so dominant in 'new' sociological theorizing about family life. Although others have criticized this thesis, in this paper the main criticism derives from empirical research findings carried out with members of transnational families living in Britain whose values and practices do not fit easily with ideas of individualization. It is argued that we need a much more complex and less linear notion of how families change across generations and in time.     

Gender across family generations: change in Mexican American masculinities and femininities

How do conceptions of gender – attitudes, expectations, and behaviours – change from generation to generation in Mexican American families? The notion of gender as socially constructed allows for the possibility of change, yet existing studies documenting change provide insight into why gender changes occur but do not sufficiently describe how this process happens. Based on interviews with three-generation Mexican American families in California, this article finds that reflection on natal family experiences and intergenerational family communication – autobiographical stories, lessons, and advice – are mechanisms that shift masculinity, femininity, and gender relations. Men use their natal family dynamics to rethink male dominance in favour of improved familial and romantic relationships whereas women consider their biographies and cross-generational advice to challenge patriarchy and become more educated and assertive. Families are crucibles of social change: reflection on natal family experiences and communication that crosscuts family generations actualise and initiate paradigm shifts about gender.     

Psychotherapy with Gay and Lesbian Families: Opportunities for Cultural Inclusion and Clinical Challenge

Many gay men and lesbians are making decisions to have children, either through pregnancy, adoption, or by blending their families. These families may seek psychotherapy for help with dynamic issues which confront all families from time to time. This article presents a context for clinicians to deepen their understanding of cultural and clinical aspects of gay and lesbian parenting. This context will be discussed through the application of concepts frm self psychology within the framework of narrative theory in order to validate gay and lesbian family experiences by through the creation and understanding of their family narratives.     

Every Object Tells a Story

ABSTRACT

The article considers objects and stories within the homes of Pakistani Heritage families who came from Pakistan to the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. The research team particularly explored the relationship between objects and family stories and timescales. Part of the research process involved an ethnographic inquiry exploring the stories told by the families. An exhibition was constructed from these stories and a website. The experience of migration, of the resettling of people and objects produced new kinds of stories in relation to objects, as families moved across national and transnational spaces. I highlight how a nuanced understanding of timescales can help illuminate studies of home cultures of migrant families. Notions of place and space are disrupted when possessions are left behind, and language is all there is left to recreate lost objects in old spaces. Longer timescales can be attached to objects that appear valueless when actual objects are lost or in transit. By making the timescales a focus for discussion, actual stories and experiences of families making that transition can be more readily heard. Home cultures can be understood in this context as “traveling” and subject to transformation and disruption.     

From Detention Camps of Thailand to Freedom in the Foothills of North Carolina: One Family’s Remarkable Story

In the 1980s, a number of Hmong families relocated from Thailand detention camps to the United States. This research explores one such family. The family became the key informant in snowball sampling for a larger, ongoing study. Following a series of interviews, qualitative narrative life stories were created and themes of family preservation, survival, and perpetuation of Hmong culture began to emerge. Importantly, parental concerns about how to keep the family intact despite different levels of acculturation surfaced during the process. The purpose of this research was to examine one family’s attempts to preserve the oral history of the Hmong culture and to promote understanding across generations and community members from different cultural backgrounds. The interviews gave the family a forum to expose and discuss their secret journey along with their sacrifices and triumphs. Significantly, the sense of urgency to blend the Hmong and American cultures was profound.     

A FAMILY SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CRISIS REACTIONS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

This article presents a systemic orientation to the conceptualization and treatment of crisis reactions in college students. Crisis reactions are explained as an expression of and a "solution" to the dilemma of feeling the need to both achieve for, and remain overinvolved with, the family system. It is proposed that this dilemma occurs in the context of enmeshed systems in which unfulfilled aspirations from prior generations are transmitted to the student in crisis. Based on this conceptualization, a treatment approach that incorporates the use of strategic and structural interventions within a predominantly family of origin framework is provided.     

Adoption and Family Therapy

The aim of this article is to sensitise family therapists to adoption. A major assertion of the paper is that adoptive families are different from biological families. The family therapy context is a natural framework for examining these issues, as adoption affects and alters both birth and adoptive families, and adoption‐related problems occur within the context of the extended family system. The differences between intra‐racial (socially‐motivated) and inter‐racial adoptions are discussed, as well as the differences between closed and open adoptions. The study of families affected by adoption provides a model for other family forms, such as stepfamilies, foster families and families who form through new birth technologies.