Show Remarriage Causes Conflicts Family emotional conflict created by remarriage is one of the nation's leading social according to a University of Utah education professor who has devised a new approach to understanding and solving the growing ELLIOTT Landau suggests the use of a series of wall-size charts to graphically illustrate the emotional interaction of the troubled Going one step beyond current models of social and psychiatric the method helps the family to with the aid of a their case major problems and new ways of coping with each The Utah educator believes the approach will be particularly useful for conceptualizing the problems of those in which the children are the natural offspring of only one of the A lone parent children are usually jealous of the new family and fearful or their own status in the reorganized Particularly critical periods occur between ages 3 to 7 and in early says Noting that many parents seek professional help without telling the the U professor adds that each family member involved in the conflict should participate in understanding and solving RATHER THAN being a do-it-yourself the new approach is prescribed for individual families at the discretion of a psychiatrist or social Under professional the troubled family discusses their and constructs the called the Family Interaction The professional analyzes the grid with the and either suggests solutions or helps the individuals reach family member has pledged individual commitment to the program of behavioral the professional makes a periodic assessment to determine if the plan is families should cultivate openness and share their perceptions of each Landau For if children playing one parent against the the family must isolate this problem and mutually agree to end When a child persists in the undesirable the natural parent should reprove him and ask him to settle his grievance with the stepparent Landau is currently teaching a class designed for social workers and second-marriage He reports that at least one family has posted its grid on a wall at where everyone can see SOME this may be the first time a family has talked openly about its he The U educator believes that by utilizing graphics in problem the helping professions can better assist parents in reaching workable solutions to family GRID isn't a solution in but rather a methodology for reaching the It simply adds a new dimension to existing he |