Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of The Internal Family Systems Model Applied To Remarried Couples Of Stepfamilies In Different Stages Of Adjustment, Susan Marie Carter

Dissertations

Problem. Stepfamilies are becoming the largest family type in the United States. This has significant implications for understanding the complications of remarriage and providing clinical interventions that support the adjustment process of stepfamilies. The Internal Family Systems Model, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, asserts that an individual's personality is multiple naturally, and that there are interactions within the individual that have significant impact on their external systems. In applying the IFS model to the study of stepfamilies, this present study identifies the IFS maps of the partners of remarried couples active in stepfamily interaction and to determine how this IFS …

An Assessment Of Marital Satisfaction In Stepfamilies Toward An Integration Of Three Conceptual Models Of Relationship Satisfaction, Lorie Ann Hamel

Dissertations

Problem. Much more is known about determinants of marital satisfaction in first marriages than remarriages. Although the stepfamily is a dominant and unique family type, it lacks its own theoretical framework from which to investigate factors that contribute to marital satisfaction and stepfamily success.

Method. This study evaluated marital satisfaction in stepfamilies in light of the contextual, problem-solving, and investment models of relationship satisfaction. A questionnaire developed to assess marital satisfaction in stepfamilies using variables from the three conceptual models with the Kansas Marital Scale as a global measure of assessment was sent to 660 stepfamilies selected from the mailing …