Abstract
How do clinicians view stepfamilies? The history of clinician’s perspectives is presented beginning with early attempts (first wave) to shape stepfamilies as nuclear families. The second wave of stepfamily clinicians proposed developmental modes that were more flexible and create, moving beyond reconstituting the nuclear family. A third wave of clinicians is creating therapeutic approaches including psychoeducation. Stepfamily characteristics are presented in the chapter: stepfamilies begin after many losses and changes as well as differing expectations, they are more structurally complex, children are members of two households, etc. Papernow’s model of the stepfamily life cycle is presented (i.e., fantasy, immersion, awareness, mobilization, action, contact, and resolution) as is Visher and Visher’s model of eight stepfamily tasks that must be addressed before stepfamilies can establish their own stepfamily identity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adler-Baeder, F., Robertson, A., & Schramm, D. G. (2010). Conceptual framework for marriage education programs for stepfamily couples with considerations for socioeconomic context. Marriage and Family Review, 46, 300–322.
Afifi, T. D., & Schrodt, P. (2003a). “Feeling caught” as a mediator of adolescents’ and young adults’ avoidance and satisfaction with their parents in divorced and non-divorced households. Communication Monographs, 70, 142–173.
Aldous, J. (1990). Family development and the life course: Two perspectives on family change. Journal of Marriage and Family, 52, 571–583.
Anderson, J., & White, G. (1986). An empirical investigation of interactive and relationship patterns in functional and dysfunctional nuclear families and stepfamilies. Family Process, 25, 407–422.
Arranz Becker, O., Salzburger, V., Lois, N., & Nauck, B. (2013). What narrows the stepgap? Closeness between parents and adult (step)children in Germany. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75, 1130–1148. doi:10.1111/jomf.12052.
Batchelder, M. L. (1995). Adolescents’ adaptation to structural changes in family relationships with parental divorce: A combinatorial model. In T. Kindermann & J. Valsiner (Eds.), Development of person-context relations. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Baxter, L. A., Braithwaite, D. O., & Nicholson, J. (1999). Turning points in the development of blended families. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16, 291–313.
Berger, R. (1995). Three types of stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 24, 35–50.
Berger, R. (1998). The experience and issues of gay stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 29(3/4), 93–102.
Bernstein, A. (1994). Women in stepfamilies: The fairy godmother, the wicked witch, and Cinderella reconstructed. In M. Mirkin (Ed.), Women in context: Toward a feminist reconstruction of psychotherapy (pp. 188–213). New York: Guilford Press.
Bernstein, A. (1999). Reconstructing the Brothers Grimm: New tales of stepfamily life. Family Process, 38, 415–429.
Bernstein, A. (2006). Re-visioning, restructuring, and reconciliation: Clinical practice with complex postdivorce families. Family Process, 46, 67–78.
Braithwaite, D., Olson, L. N., Golish, T. D., Soukop, C., & Turman, P. (2001). “Becoming a family”: Developmental processes represented in blended family discourse. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 29, 221–247.
Bray, J., & Kelly, J. (1998). Stepfamilies: Love, marriage, and parenting in the first decade. New York: Broadway.
Browning, S., & Artelt, E. (2012). Stepfamily therapy: A 10-step clinical approach. Washington, DC: APA.
Burgoyne, J., & Clark, D. (1984). Making a go of it: A study of stepfamilies in Sheffield. Boston: Routledge and Kegan.
Burt, M., & Burt, R. (1996). Stepfamilies: The step by step model of brief therapy. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Burt, M. (Ed.). (1989). Stepfamilies stepping ahead. Lincoln, NE: Stepfamily Association of America.
Carter, E. A. (1988). Counseling stepfamilies effectively. Behavior Today, 19, 1–2.
Cartwright, C. (2003). Therapists’ perceptions of bioparent-child relationships in stepfamilies: What hurts? What helps? Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 38(3/4), 147–166.
Coale Lewis, H. C. (1985). Family therapy with stepfamilies. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies, 4, 13–23.
Crohn, H., Sager, C. J., Rodstein, E., Brown, H. S., Walker, L., & Beir, J. (1981). Understanding and treating the child in the remarried family. In I. R. Stuart & L. E. Abt (Eds.), Children of separation and divorce: Management and treatment (pp. 293–317). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.
Crosbie-Burnett, M. (1989). Impact of custody arrangement and family structure on remarriage. Journal of Divorce, 13, 1–16.
De’Ath, E. (1997). Stepfamily policy from the perspective of a stepfamily organization. In I. Levin & M. Sussman (Eds.), Stepfamilies: History, research, and policy (pp. 265–280). New York, NY: Haworth.
Degarmo, D. S., & Forgatch, M. S. (2007). Efficacy of parent training for stepfathers: From playful spectator and polite stranger to effective stepfathering. Parenting: Science and Practice, 7, 331–355.
DiFonzo, J. H., & Stern, R. C. (2013). Breaking the mold and picking up the pieces: Rights of parenthood and parentage in nontraditional families. Family Court Review, 51, 104–118.
Edwards, R., Gillies, V., & McCarthy, J. R. (1999). Biological parents and social families: Legal discourses and everyday understandings of the position of stepparents. International Journal of Law, Policy, and the Family, 13, 78–105.
Emery, R. E. (2012). Renegotiating family relationships: Divorce, child custody, and mediation (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Erera-Weatherly, P. I. (1996). On becoming a stepparent: Factors associated with the adoption of alternative stepparenting styles. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 25, 155–174.
Ganong, L., & Coleman, M. (1987). Effects of stepfamilies on children: A comparison of two literatures. In K. Pasley & M. Ihinger-Tallman (Eds.), Remarriage and stepparenting: Current research and theory (pp. 94–140). New York: Guilford.
Ganong, L., & Coleman, M. (1989). Preparing for remarriage: Anticipating the issues, seeking solutions. Family Relations, 38, 28–33.
Ganong, L., Coleman, M., Fine, M., & Martin, P. (1999). Stepparents’ affinity-seeking and affinity-maintaining strategies with stepchildren. Journal of Family Issues, 20, 299–327.
Ganong, L., Coleman, M., Fine, M. A., & McDaniel, A. K. (1998). Issues considered in stepparent adoption. Family Relations, 47, 63–72.
Ganong, L. H., Coleman, M., & Jamison, T. (2011). Patterns of stepchild-stepparent relationship development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 396–413. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00814.x.
Ganong, L., Coleman, M., Jamison, T., & Feistman, R. (2015). Divorced mothers’ coparental boundary maintenance after parents re-partner. Journal of Family Psychology, 29, 221–231. doi:10.1037/fam0000064.
Ganong, L., Coleman, M., & Mapes, D. (1990). A meta-analytic review of family structure stereotypes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 52, 287–298.
Ganong, L., Coleman, M., Markham, M., & Rothrauff, T. (2011). Predicting post-divorce coparenting communication. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 52, 1–18.
Gennetian, L. A. (2005). One or two parents? Half or step siblings? The effect of family structure on young children’s achievement. Journal of Population Economics, 18, 415–436. doi:10.1007/s00148-004-0215-0.
Gerlach, P. (2001). Building a high-nurturance stepfamily. Philadelphia: Hibris Corporation.
Gibson, D. M. (2013). Ambiguous roles in a stepfamily: Using maps of narrative practices to develop a new family story with adolescents and parents. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35, 1–13.
Gold, J. M. (2010). Helping stepfathers “step away” from the role of “father”: Directions for family intervention. Family Journal, 18, 208–214.
Gold, J. M., & Adeyemi, O. (2013). Stepfathers and noncustodial fathers: Two men, one role. The Family Journal, 21, 99–103.
Goldner, V. (1982). Remarriage family: Structure, system, future. In J. C. Hansen & L. Messenger (Eds.), Therapy with remarried families (pp. 187–206). Rockville, MD: Aspen.
Goldstein, H. S. (1974). Reconstituted families: The second marriage and its children. Psychiatric Quarterly, 48, 433–440.
Hans, J., & Coleman, M. (2009). The experiences of remarried stepfathers who pay child support. Personal Relations, 16, 597–618.
Higginbotham, B. J., Miller, J. J., & Niehuis, S. (2009). Remarriage preparation: Usage, perceived helpfulness, and dyadic adjustment. Family Relations, 58, 316–329.
Higginbotham, B. J., & Skogrand, L. (2010). Relationship education with both married and unmarried stepcouples: An exploratory study. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 9, 133–148.
Hofferth, S., Pleck, J., Stueve, J., Bianchi, S., & Sayer, L. (2002). The demography of fathers: What fathers do. In C. Tamis-LeMonda & N. Cabrera (Eds.), Handbook of father involvement (pp. 63–90). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Kaplan, L., & Hennon, C. B. (1992). Remarriage education: The personal reflections program. Family Relations, 41, 127–134.
Kelley, P. (1996). Family-centered practice with stepfamilies. Families in Society, 77, 535–544.
Leslie, L. A., & Epstein, N. (1988). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of remarried families. In N. Epstein, S. E. Schlesinger, & W. Dryden (Eds.), Cognitive-behavioral therapy with families (pp. 151–182). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Mahoney, M. M. (1997). Stepfamilies from a legal perspective. In I. Levin & M. Sussman (Eds.), Stepfamilies: History, research, and policy (pp. 231–248). New York, NY: Haworth.
Malia, S. E. C. (2005). Balancing family members’ interest regarding stepparent rights and obligations: A social policy challenge. Family Relations, 54(2), 298–319.
Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2000). “Swapping” families: Serial parenting and economic support for children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 111–122.
Markham, M., & Coleman, M. (2012). The good, the bad, and the ugly: Divorced mothers experiences with co-parenting. Family Relations, 61, 586–600.
McGraw, L., & Walker, A. (2004). Gendered family relationships: The more things change, the more they stay the same. In M. Coleman & L. Ganong (Eds.), Handbook of contemporary families: Considering the past, contemplating the future (pp. 174–191). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Messinger, L. (1976). Remarriage between divorced people with children from previous marriages: A proposal for preparation for remarriage. Journal of Marriage and Family Counseling, 2, 193–200.
Michaels, M. L. (2006). Stepfamily enrichment program: A preventive intervention for remarried couples. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 31, 135–152.
Mills, D. (1984). A model for stepfamily development. Family Relations, 33, 365–372.
Nicholson, J., & Sanders, M. (1999). Randomized controlled trial of behavioral family intervention for the treatment of child behavior problems in stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 30(3/4), 1–23.
Nicholson, J., Sanders, M., Halford, W. K., Phillips, M., & Whitton, S. W. (2008). The prevention and treatment of children’s adjustment problems in stepfamilies. In J. Pryor (Ed.), The international handbook of stepfamilies (pp. 485–521). New York: Wiley.
Papernow, P. (1993). Becoming a stepfamily. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Papernow, P. (1995). What’s going on here? Separating (and weaving together) step and clinical issues in remarried families. In D. K. Huntley (Ed.), Understanding stepfamilies: Implications for assessment and treatment (pp. 3–24). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Papernow, P. (2013). Surviving and thriving in stepfamily relationships: What works and what doesn’t. New York: Routledge.
Pasley, K. (1987). Family boundary ambiguity: Perceptions of adult remarried family members. In K. Pasley & M. Ihinger-Tallman (Eds.), Remarriage and stepparenting: Current research and theory (pp. 206–224). New York: Guilford.
Peek, C., Bell, N., Waldron, T., & Sorell, G. (1988). Patterns of functioning in families of remarried and first-married couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 48, 767–775.
Pryor, J. (2015, September). Research and social policies on children of divorced and repartnered parents in New Zealand: Suggestions for Japan. Presented at the conference Toward a Better Future for Children and Adults in Stepfamilies: What Social Policies Are Needed for Separated and Repartnered Families? Tokyo, Japan.
Purswell, K. E., & Dillman Taylor, D. (2013). Creative use of sibling play therapy: An example of a blended family. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8(2), 162–174.
Ransom, J. W., Schlesinger, S., & Derdeyn, A. P. (1979). A stepfamily in formation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 49, 36–43.
Sager, C. J., Brown, H. S., Crohn, H., Engel, T., Rodstein, E., & Walker, E. (1983). Treating the remarried family. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Slattery, M. E., Bruce, V., Halford, W. K., & Nicholson, J. M. (2011). Predicting married and cohabiting couples’ futures from their descriptions of stepfamily life. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 560–569.
Troilo, J., & Coleman, M. (2012). Nonresidential fathers’ identities after divorce. Family Relations, 61, 601–614.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1979). Stepfamilies: A guide to working with stepparents and stepchildren. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1982). Stepfamilies in the 1980s. Conciliation Courts Review, 20, 15–23.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1985). Stepfamilies are different. Journal of Family Therapy, 7, 9–18.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1988). Old loyalties, new ties: Therapeutic strategies with stepfamilies. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1990). Dynamics of successful stepfamilies. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 14(1), 3–12.
Visher, E. B., & Visher, J. S. (1996). Therapy with stepfamilies. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Visher, E. B., Visher, J. S., & Pasley, K. (1997). Stepfamily therapy from the client’s perspective. Marriage and Family Review, 26, 191–213.
Wald, E. (1981). The remarried family: Challenge and promise. New York: Family Service Association of America.
Weaver, S. E., & Coleman, M. (2010). Caught in the middle: Mothers in stepfamilies. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 305–326.
Whiteside, M. F. (1982). Remarriage: A family developmental process. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 4, 59–68.
Whitton, S. W., Nicholson, J. M., & Markman, H. J. (2008). Research on interventions for stepfamily couples: The state of the field. In J. Pryor (Ed.), The international handbook of stepfamilies (pp. 455–484). New York: Wiley.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ganong, L., Coleman, M. (2017). Clinical Perspectives on Stepfamily Dynamics. In: Stepfamily Relationships. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7702-1_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7702-1_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-7700-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7702-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)