ERIC ED382295: Children and Families in Distress: Working Papers from a Seminar (Pretoria, South Africa, July 25-26, 1991). Research Programme on Marriage and Family Life.

233 Pages·1993·4.6 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
PS 022 297
ED 382 295
Braude, D. R.; And Others
AUTHOR
Children and Families in Distress: Working Papers
TITLE
from a Seminar (Pretoria, South Africa. July 25-26,
1991). Research Programme on Marriage and Family
Life.
Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria (South
INSTITUTION
Africa).
HG/MF-9; ISBN-0-7969-1495-8
REPORT NO
PUB DATE
93
NOTE
233p.
Human Sciences Research Council Publishers, Private
AVAILABLE FROM
Bag X41, Pretoria 0001, South Africa (R35, $10).
Conference Proceedings (021)
Collected Works
PUB TYPE
Research/Technical (143)
Reports
MF01/PC10 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Children; Coping; Divorce; *Family (Sociological
DESCRIPTORS
Unit); *Family Life; *Family Problems; *Family Role;
Family Violence; Foreign Countries; Parent Education;
*Social Change; Socialization; Social Support Groups;
Youth
*Family Crises; Family Intervention; Mediation;
IDENTIFIERS
Parenting Styles; South Africa
ABSTRACT
This collection contains papers presented at a
research seminar on children and families. The papers are:
(1)
"The Child
"Children in Transition and Crisis" (Solly Dreman);
(2)
P. Fullard);
and the Family" (Dolores M. Luiz and Josue P.
(3)
"Support Systems for Children of Divorce" (Diane Braude);
(4)
"Children and the Family in a Rural Settlement in Gazankulu" (J. C.
(5) "Paring Down the Family: The Child's Point of View"
Kotze);
(6) "The Family, Socialization and Rapid Social
(Pamela Reynolds);
Change: Transforming Notions of 'Respect' in the Social Identity of
(7) "The Nature of Parental
Township Youth" (Catherine Campbell);
Authority in the Family Life of Black South Africans" (Sylvia
(8) "Social Class Differences in Age at First Childbirth
Viljoen);
and Views on the Importance of Children: A Study of White Women in
"The Development and Evaluation of
Grahamstown" (Susan C. Ziehl);
(9)
S. de Vos);
a Situation-Specific Parent-Training Programme" (A.
(10)
"Mediation and Family Violence" (David Scott-Macnab); and (11)
"Adjustment in Children and Families: An Integrated Summary" (Solly
Dreman). Each of the papers contains references. (TY))
A**%.
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cPInts document has been reproduced as
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C Minor changes have been made to improve
HG/MF-9
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1993
Points of view or opinions stated in thiS dOCu-
rnent do not necessarily represent ofttc,a1
OERi Posnron or policy
Children and families in
00
distress: worki
tr,
papers from d
seminar
held
TiTy
on 25-26
1991
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
aja. Sxm
Y10.Y \
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."
Research Programme on Marriage and Family Life
Human Sciences Research Council
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
f)
Children and families
in distress: working papers from
a
seminar held on
25-26 jay 1991
DR Braude
C Campbell
AS de Vos
S Dreman
JPP Fullard
JC Kotze
DM Luiz
PF Reynolds
D Scott-Macnab
S Viljoen
SC Ziehl
Research Programme
on Marriage and Family Life
HSRC, Pretoria
1993
Family Life is centred within
Programme on Marriage and
The Co-operative Research
Council. The emphasis
of the Human Sciences Research
the Group: Social Dynamics
the nature of family
and dynamics of family life,
in the programme is on the structure
taking place with
the nature of the changes
disorganization and disintegration, and
family processes in society.
regard to family structure and
(revised) read at a research
publication contains the papers
As the title indicates, this
during July 1991.
seminar on children and families
and should not
publication are those of the authors
The opinions expressed in the
the Programme on
of the Main Committee of
necessarily be viewed as those
Marriage and Family Life.
AND FAMILY LIE
RESEARCH PROGRAMME ON MARRIAGE
Series editor. Ina Snyman, HSRC
ISBN 0 7969 1495 8
© Human Sciences Research Council, 1993
Printed and distributed by the HSRC, Pretoria
Available from
A Tucci / SA Snyman
I-1512C
Private Bag X41
PRETORIA
0001
Tel: [phone] / 2247
Fax [phone]
1
DEDICATION
Dr Hendrik Gert Strijdom
The late Hendrik Gert Strijdorn to whom this publication
is dedicated was born on 6
January 1937 and attended school in Citrusdal. He received
the degrees B.A., B.A.
Hons., M.A. (cum laude) and PhD. consecutively
at US, UP, UNISA and Rhodes
University. After a few years as a social worker and probation
officer, he joined the
Bureau for Educational and Social Research (later HSRC)
in 1964.
He spent the rest of his working life in the Institute for Sociological
Research and at
different times headed the Division: Criminological Research,
the Division: Family
Research and the section for research
on alcohol and other drugs. At the time of his
sudden death on 9 March 1992 he
was manager of the Division: Social Care and
Social Security, and programme
manager for the HSRC Co-operative Research
Programme on Marriage and Family Life.
It was in relation to the latter
programme that Henert Strijdom made his biggest
contribution although his earlier work and publications
on victimology, recreation,
divorce and other family matters made him well
known throughout South Africa.
The co-operative programme
was launched by means of an exploratory study in the
early 1980s as well as several workshops which
culminated in publications identifying
gaps in research but simultaneously setting guidelines for family research.
The fine
way in which the programme has developed since then is
a tribute to him.
Dr Strijdom took the initiative in organizing the
visit of Prof. Dreman of Israel and the
seminar on children and families, the
papers of which form the basis of this
publication. It is therefore dedicated to his
memory, to his
wide interests, the support he
gave to his colleagues, his
unfailing enthusia3m and
energy and his goodwill to all
around him. No research on
any aspect of the family can be
undertaken without taking notice of his contribution
to this
field.
He is sorely missed.
r-
Contributors to seminar
Ms Diane R Braude
School Social Worker: South African Board of
Jewish
Education, King David Primary School, Victory Park,
and private practitioner in
social work
Qualifications - M.A. (Soc. Sc.) (RAU)
Specialization - Adult, child and family counselling and
therapy
Dr Catherine Campbell
Lecturer: Dept of Psychology, UN
Qualifications - M.A. (Res. Psy.) (UN); M.A. (Clin. Psy.)
(UN); Ph.D. (Bristol)
Specialization - Social psychology
Prof. Anna S de Vos
Associate Professor: Dept of Social Work, RAU
Qualifications - M.A. (Social Work) (US); D.Litt.
et Phil. (RAU)
Specialization - Family enrichment and
programme evaluation
Prof. Sally Drennan - Director: Centre for Family Life
Research and Counselling,
and Head of M.A. Clinical Psychology Programme,
Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev, Israel
Qualifications - M.A. (Psy.) (Hebrew University,
Jerusalem); Ph.D. (Psy.) (Hebrew
University, Jerusalem)
Specialization
Family therapy
Prof. Josua PP Fullard
Head: Dept of Psychology, UPE
Qualifications - Drs. Phil. (Amsterdam); D.Phil.
(UPE)
Specialization
Clinical health psychology
Dr Edwin W Harvey
- Director. Family and Community Care, Dept of National
Health and Population Development
Qualifications - M.A. (Social Work) (UPE); D.Litt.
et Phil. (Sociology) (UNISA)
Specialization
Community development in family welfare
Prof.
Kotze - Head: Dept of Anthropology,
RAU
Qualifications
- M.A. (US); D.Litt. et Phil. (RAU)
Specialization - Family systems and family
socio-economics
Prof. Dolores M Luiz
- Professor: Dept of Psychology, UPE, and Director:
Psychology Clinic, UPE
Qualifications - M.A. (UPE); D.Phil. (UPE)
Specialization - Family stress and child development
Sociology (UNIN)
Prof. Samuel R Motshologane - Associate Professor: Dept of
M.A. (UNIN); M.A. (Syracuse University, USA)
Qualifications
Family sociology and sociology of work
Specialization
Professor: Dept Social Anthropology, UN
Prof. Eleanor M Preston-Whyte
Qualifications - Ph.D. (UN)
Specialization - Family and kinship, especially female-headed families
of Social
Dr Pamela F Reynolds - Senior Lecturer and Head of the Dept
Anthropoloy, UCT
of
M.Ed. (Harvard University); M.Litt. (Anthropology) (University
Qualifications
Delhi); Ph.D. (UCT)
and
Specialization - Ethnography of childhood - studies of cognition, labour
healing
Prof. David Scott-Macnab - Professor of Law: UD-W
Qualifications - LLB., LL.M. (UN), FAArb (SA)
Specialization - Mediation
Dr Andrew D Spiegel - Dept of Social Anthropology, UCT
Anthropology)
Qualifications - M.A. (Social Anthropology) (UCT); Ph.D (Social
(UCT)
Specialization - Domestic dynamics
Prof. Anna F Steyn - Chairperson: Dept of Sociology, RAU
M.A. (US); D.Phil. (US)
Qualifications
Family sociology; group dynamics
Specialization
Prof. Sylvia Viljoen - Head: Dept of Sociology, UNISA
Qualifications - M.A. (Sociology) (UNISA); D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology) (RAU)
Specialization - Family counselling and women's affairs
Dr Susan C Ziehl - Lecturer: Rhodes University
Ph.D. (Sociology) (University of Neuchatel, Switzerland); Ph.D.
Qualifications
(Sociology) (Rhodes)
Household profiles
Specialization
7
Foreword
In July 1991 Prof. Sony Dreman, a clinical psychologist from
the Ben-Gunon
University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel,
was a guest of the HSRC Research
Programme on Marriage and Family tile, and inter alia led
a seminar on children
and families. He read the introductory
paper at this seminar and subsequently
wrote the concluding paper in which he discussed the
nine other papers
presented at the seminar, in the light of
current theory on children and families.
All 11 of these papers have been revised and
constitute the contents of this
publication.
As its number indicates, this publication is the ninth
in the series of publications
under the Co-operative Programme
on Marriage and Family Life. The
programme was established in 1986 and its management committee
has
approved just more than 30 research projects
to date. The projects that have
been completed and published
as reports cover inter alia such broad subjects
as family policy and family structures as well as
more circumscribed subjects
such as the children of divorce, domestic
violence and family therapy.
Through the reports, the research results
emanating from our projects are
disseminated and we believe that the working
papers, with their bird's eye view
of a number of these projects, will be
a useful publication for sociologists and
others in social science fields.
Dr Ina Snyrnan
Manager: HSRC Research Programme
on Marriage and Family Life
Contents
Page
Children in transition and crisis
Solly Dreman
1
The child and the family
Dolores M Luiz &
II
Josua PP Fullard
17
Support systems for chilcren of divorce
Diane Braude
53
IV
Children and the family in a rural settlement
in Gazankulu
JC Kotze
75
Paring down the family: The child's
point of view
Pamela Reynolds
107
VI
The family, socialization and rapid social change:
Transforming notions of 'respect' in the social identity of
township
youth
Catherine Campbell
119
VII
The nature of parental authority in the family
life of
black South Africans
Sylvia Viljoen
143
VIII
Social class differences in age at first childbirth
and
views on the importance of children:
A study of white
women in Grahamstown
Susan C Ziehl
157
IX
The development and evaluation of
a situation-specific
parent-training programme
AS de Vos
177
Mediation and family violence
X
David Scott-Macnab
201
XI
Adjustment in children and families:
An integrated summary
Solly Dreman
215
9
Children In transition and crisis
I
Children in trctnsition and
crisis
Say Dreman
Abstract
This paper examines children's coping and
adjustment in the face of transition
or crisis from an interactional point of view. Neither individual
characteristics,
nor interpersonal or situational factors,
are sufficient to explain children's long-
term adjustment. It is rather the interaction between
individual characteristics
together with changing interpersonal and
situational influences which are
necessary to understand coping and adjustment
over time. Research and
clinical observations
are presented to support this thesis.
Introduction
in our examination of children's adjustment
we will present an interactional
model which views adjustment
as occurring within a framework of multiple
feedback mechanisms between the individual
and interpersonal and situational
factors. This is in contrast to models of
family pathology (e.g. Haley, 1977) which
view individual psychopathology
as resulting mainly from disturbed external
factors of an interpersonal
nature, or models of trauma which view traumatic
reactions to be "the result of
an external event with no characteristic
population and few identifiable risk factors"
(see Martini et al., 1990:75). It also
differs from intrapsychic models such
as psychoanalytic theory (e.g. Freud,
1936) which perceive disturbed behaviour
as a residue of unresolved
unconscious conflicts within the individual.
We, on the other hand, propose
that adjustment is
a dynamic process which involves an ongoing interplay of
intrapersonal, interpersonal and situational
components or "nested contexts"
(Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The present
paper attempts to examine human
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