Bereavement Research: An Historical Introduction

Early research in the field of bereavement and widowhood was often problem generated and focused on intrapersonal issues such as health consequences. More recent research has emphasized that, to understand the grieving individual, we must also understand the social context in which the bereavement occurred and in which recovery must progress. This introduction traces the historical development of theory, empirical research, and methodology in the field, and places current developments in perspective. The papers in this issue underline the complexity of the bereavement phenomenon, and the need for conceptual perspectives with which to understand the cultural, socioeconomic, interpersonal, and physiological determinants of grief, mourning, and recovery.     

Amicable divorce

Traditional marriage viewed divorce as a deviant phenomenon based on the commission of a fault by one partner against the other, leaving the aggrieved partner feeling resentful and the allegedly guilty party feeling guilty. Changing attitudes toward marriage now see divorce as an appropriate consequence of personal growth and change, no longer implying that one partner is at fault. No-fault divorce promotes amicable attitudes between the ex-partners. They may remain friends with one another and with their common old friends and separate new friends and partners. They typically remain coparents, sharing the decisionmaking authority and financial responsibility for their children and providing their children with two alternate homes as equitably as possible.     

Knowledge and Women's Interests: Issues of Epistemology and Methodology in Feminist Sociological Research*

This analysis focuses on feminist methodology in the field of sociology by surveying the techniques used in recent research concerning gender-related topics as well as feminist analyses of epistemological assumptions underlying the conduct of inquiry. In addition to the critique and reformulation of standard research practice, feminist methodology involves the development of innovative methodological approaches, including visual techniques, conversational and textual analysis, and analysis of spontaneous events. Linked to the development of innovation is the feminist analysis of the epistemological assumptions which underlie different ways of knowing. These principles of feminist knowledge include (1) the necessity of continuously and reflexively attending to the significance of gender relations as a basic feature of all social life, including the conduct of research; (2) the centrality of consciousness-raising as a specific methodological tool and as a “way of seeing;” (3) the need to challenge the norm of “objectivity” that assumes a dichotomy between the subject and object of research; (4) the concern for the ethical implications of research; and (5) an emphasis on the transformation of patriarchy and the empowerment of women.     

Reclaiming the Emotional Aspects of the Therapist-Family System

The shift from first to second order cybernetics has made the concept of the therapist-family system part of the everyday discourse of family therapy. In spite of this shift, there is little focus in family therapy literature on the emotional aspects of the therapist-family system. Relevant process concepts available to us at present, such as induction or accommodation, are poorly defined and inadequate. Three reasons for the neglect of the emotional aspects of family therapy are explored. They are, firstly, more recent theoretical and technical directions, secondly, the politics of gender and thirdly, the enduring difficulty of working with and writing about our own and families' powerful emotions. Finally, following a case example, some psychoanalytic concepts are described and discussed. It is possible that concepts such as counter-transference and projective identification may enrich family therapists' understanding of what is happening within the therapist-family system.