This is a slightly edited version of a chapter to appear in a forthcoming book. It is a beginning attempt at codification of existing tools and techniques and is therefore nonexhaustive. The authors welcome feedback from readers concerning omissions and information on new techniques, references, and applicability to therapeutic settings.
The patriarchal Hispanic family structure characterized by macho dominance in marital decision making is a myth which prevails in social science literature. This myth, which is perpetuated and disseminated through impressionistic essays, is very compatible with the "social deficit" model of Hispanic family life and culture. Our conclusion—based on an intensive analysis of four major studies on marital deci sion making within Mexican and Chicano families—is that the available data fail to substantiate the hypothesis of Mex ican and/or Chicano male dominance in marital decision making.
A critical review of the theoretical and outcome studies on family therapy with delinquents is presented. Assessment of the theoretical developments reveals that families of delinquents may be distinguishable from other families by their interactional sequences and processes. The available outcome studies within the field indicate that family therapy is viable for interventions with this population, with behavioral, structural, strategic, and communication approaches receiving the most support, but more specific and robust evidence is still needed. Trends in the research and critical issues are identified and used to provide suggestions for future research and practice.
A framework for assessing multiple levels of the family system by using multiple methodologies is proposed in this paper. This approach for measuring family phenomena is referred to as Multisystem-Multimethod (MS-MM) family assessment. Ideas from systems theory, measurement theory, and clinical application are used to describe the measurement strategy. A clinical case example is offered illustrating one way in which a MS-MM procedure can be implemented with families. Several currently available assessment tools are utilized to assess the individual, marital, and family levels of the family system. This diversity of measurement techniques provides convergent and divergent information within and across system levels. An MS-MM procedure has the capacity to assess the wholistic qualities of systems as well as specific issues within the boundaries of particular family subsystems.
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