Search Results

Incestuous families : an ecological approach to understanding and treatment

Author

Maddock, James W.

Title

Incestuous families : an ecological approach to understanding and treatment / James W. Maddock, Noel R. Larson.

Format

Book

Edition

1st ed.

Published

New York : W.W. Norton, ©1995.

Description

xv, 441 pages ; 24 cm

Other contributors

Larson, Noel Ruth Weber.

Notes

"A Norton professional book." Includes bibliographical references (pages 405-428) and index. Inscribed by authors to William Seabloom.

Contents

• The incest phenomenon
• An ecological perspective
• Family sexuality in ecological perspective
• Sexual abuse in the family system
• The revelation of incest
• Systemic assessment of incest
• Structuring family treatment
• Boundaries and structural issues in family treatment
• Resolving perpetrator / victim interaction patterns in family treatment
• Marital therapy in incestuous families
• The social ecology of incest treatment
• The evaluation of incest treatment.

Summary

The term "ecological" captures the complexity of working with incestuous families. The functioning of these families can be fully understood only with reference to the relationships of family members to each other, to their families of origin, and to their social environment. Intrafamilial sexual abuse reflects problems of gender, family structure, interpersonal processes, and cultural influences, as well as personality distortions arising from individual development. Therefore, the ecological approach to treatment works to creatively rebalance the relationships of family members to each other and of the family to the larger community, while simultaneously restructuring certain aspects of individual members' sexuality and personality. These concepts and principles form the basis of a comprehensive theoretical model that is applied throughout the book in specific techniques and detailed case illustrations. The authors compellingly demonstrate that a major goal of therapists dealing with incest should be to assist in the repair of fractured families as well as the healing of individuals as family members. Fulfilling this goal requires sensitivity, compassion, and flexibility on the part of the therapist, and a willingness to envision positive possibilities for all members of the family.

Subject headings

Ecopsychiatry. Incest victims--Rehabilitation. Ecological family therapy. Incest.

Kinsey subjects

Incest. Incest treatment.

ISBN

039370193X 9780393701937