Secrets in Families and Family Therapy

Secrets in Families and Family Therapy
Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton
Total Pages : 425
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0393701476
ISBN-13 : 9780393701470
Rating : 4/5 (470 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Secrets in Families and Family Therapy by : Evan Imber-Black

Download or read book Secrets in Families and Family Therapy written by Evan Imber-Black and published by W. W. Norton. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 425 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secret-keeping is a seemingly unavoidable part of human interaction, from governments to married couples. Unlike privacy, which in the West is considered a healthy characteristic of the autonomous adult, secrets are often troublesome, creating distorted perceptions and strained relationships. Secrets, moreover, are complex. They differ in significance (a surprise party versus hidden incest), in the ways they shape family relationships (who knows what about whom), in their location (between family members or between the family and society), and in their effects on individual functioning (Does the secret affect only one relationship or the overall way the individual responds to others?). Because of this complexity, secrets are resistant to simple "rules": Therapy must comprise more than opening up the secret or addressing only the context and not the content or vice versa. Therapists are confronted with the difficult task of examining their own values regarding secrecy while, at the same time, providing an effective therapeutic environment. Practical issues of individual safety, the meaning of the secret for the family, the therapist's attitude towards secrets in general and the family's secret in particular - all must be considered in order for treatment to be effective. Here, Imber-Black and her contributors offer a vast array of approaches to helping families deal with secrets involving sexuality, race, violence, parentage, substance abuse, illness, and death. The contributors explore the therapeutic, social, and political issues of secrets, while always keeping families firmly in mind. Through the many case examples, they show us how families, at first constricted by the need tomaintain secrecy, can gain strength through greater openness. Part I sets the stage by defining secrets and their often shame-bound origins. Part II examines secrets throughout the family life cycle: in couples, between parents and children, and with loss. Part III shows how addictions such as drug abuse and eating disorders are often symptoms of unhealthy secrets. In Part IV, secrets of violence and abuse are discussed. Part V offers a comprehensive look at social secrets involving sexism, heterosexism, and taboos. Part VI discusses two very charged topics: secret-keeping involving race and racism and with AIDS. Part VII concludes the book by offering a pattern for teaching and handling secrets in therapist training. This diverse cast of talented therapists provides an elastic model for treating family secrets, while compelling us to reevaluate our own thinking about secrets.


Secrets in Families and Family Therapy Related Books

Secrets in Families and Family Therapy
Language: en
Pages: 425
Authors: Evan Imber-Black
Categories: Communication dans la famille
Type: BOOK - Published: 1993-01-01 - Publisher: W. W. Norton

GET EBOOK

Secret-keeping is a seemingly unavoidable part of human interaction, from governments to married couples. Unlike privacy, which in the West is considered a heal
Bowen Theory's Secrets: Revealing the Hidden Life of Families
Language: en
Pages: 446
Authors: Michael E. Kerr
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-02-05 - Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

GET EBOOK

A much-needed update to one of the most significant family therapy theories of the past century. Murray Bowen (1931–1990) was the first to study the family in
The Secret Life of Families
Language: en
Pages: 336
Authors: Evan Imber-Black
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-08-19 - Publisher: Bantam

GET EBOOK

Secrets come in all shapes and sizes. And for families as well as individuals, they are built on a complex web of shifting motives and emotions. But today, when
Families and Larger Systems
Language: en
Pages: 244
Authors: Evan Imber-Black
Categories: Psychology
Type: BOOK - Published: 1992-06-01 - Publisher: Guilford Press

GET EBOOK

If individuals cannot adequately be understood without reference to the family system, families themselves are comprehensible only in a broader social context.
The Secret Life of Families
Language: en
Pages: 315
Authors: Evan Imber-Black
Categories: Communication in families
Type: BOOK - Published: 1998 - Publisher:

GET EBOOK

What are the consequences of keeping a family secret? When is it appropriate to tell the truth?