Implications of Parent-Child Boundary Dissolution for Developmental Psychopathology

Gain a better understanding of parent-child boundaries and the mechanisms for their dissolution The breakdown of appropriate generational boundaries between parent and child can threaten the child's psychological development. Implications of Parent-Child Boundary Dissolution for Developmental Psychopathology: Who Is the Parent and Who Is the Child? explores this covert and oftentimes ignored form of emotional abuse, discussing in detail the various ways it can manifest. This revealing text comprehensively examines how the burden of meeting the emotional needs of the parent interferes with the child's healthy development. The boundary dissolution patterns of role reversal, enmeshment, psychological control, and triangulation are closely examined with an eye toward providing appropriate strategies for dealing with the problem. Implications of Parent-Child Boundary Dissolution for Developmental Psychopathology is separated into four sections to focus extensively on every aspect of the problem. The first section discusses definitions, concepts, and methodological concerns of the phenomena, including a consideration of the child's developmental responses to boundary dissolution. The second section explores the empirical research concerning boundary dissolution within the family system, and includes intriguing information on the actual mechanism that passes the pattern of role reversal on to the following generation. The next section closely examines boundary violations within high-risk families, with a focus on those undergoing divorce. The final section concentrates on cultural contexts of boundary dissolution and includes a look at the perception of familial responsibility and its effects on Bosnian youths. This one-of-a-kind resource is extensively referenced, and provides a solid foundation to inspire a new generation of theory, research, and clinical work. Implications of Parent-Child Boundary Dissolution for Developmental Psychopathology examines: - a multidimensional model of boundary dissolutionwith supporting research - a comprehensive review of published literature in the areas of attachment theory, developmental capacities of the infant, child-rearing practices, and parental beliefs - the theoretical background supporting the construct of boundary dissolution - the boundary disturbance patterns of enmeshment and control - the relationships between interparental conflict, parental responses to children's emotions, and representations of role reversal and vulnerability in children's family drawings - the 'spill over' effect of marital conflict - role reversal in high-risk families - children's rejection of one parent over another in custody disputes - post-war adjustment of Bosnian adolescents - psychological control in individualist and collectivist groups - representations of parents and children in twentieth century American novels Implications of Parent-Child Boundary Dissolution for Developmental Psychopathology is crucial reading for researchers and clinicians who deal with families and psychopathology and is of particular interest to graduate students in clinical child psychology, child and family studies, social work, and developmental psychology.

Patricia K. Kerig

- About the Contributors - Introduction: Contributions of the Investigation of Boundary Dissolution to the Understanding of Developmental Psychopathology and Family Process (Patricia K. Kerig) - CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES - Revisiting the Construct of Boundary Dissolution: A Multidimensional Perspective (Patricia K. Kerig) - Conceptual and Clinical Dilemmas in Defining and Assessing Role Reversal in Young Child-Caregiver Relationships (Shana M. Bellow, Neil W. Boris, Julie A. Larrieu, Marva L. Lewis, and Ashley Elliot) - BOUNDARY DISSOLUTION IN THE FAMILY SYSTEM - The Developmental and Adaptational Implications of Generational Boundary Dissolution: Findings from a Prospective, Longitudinal Study (Anne Shaffer and L. Alan Sroufe) - Antecedents of Boundary Disturbances in Families with Young Children: Intergenerational Transmission and Parent-Infant Caregiving Patterns (Nancy Hazen, Deborah Jacobvitz, and Laura McFarland) - Family Processes and Children's Representations of Parentification (Kim Leon and Duane Rudy) - Interparental Conflict as Intrusive Family Process (Kay Bradford and Brian K. Barber) - BOUNDARY DISSOLUTION IN HIGH-RISK FAMILIES - Redefining the Parent-Child Relationship Following Divorce: Examining the Risk for Boundary Dissolution (Tara S. Peris and Robert E. Emery) - Is It Alienating Parenting, Role Reversal or Child Abuse? A Study of Children's Rejection of a Parent in Child Custody Disputes (Janet R. Johnston, Marjorie G. Walters, and Nancy W. Olesen) - CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON BOUNDARY DISSOLUTION - Role of Filial Responsibility in the Post-War Adjustment of Bosnian Young Adolescents (Gregory J. Jurkovic, Gabriel P. Kuperminc, Tamara Sarac, and Deborah Weisshaar) - Psychological Control, Maternal Emotion and Cognition, and Child Outcomes in Individualist and Collectivist Groups (Duane Rudy and Linda Citlali Halgunseth) - Vulnerable Adults, Resourceful Children: Generational Boundary Dissolution as a Theme in Twentieth Century American Novels (Nancy D. Chase) - Index - Reference Notes Included