Date of Award

1991

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art

First Advisor

Raphael J. Becvar

Second Advisor

James Dorman

Third Advisor

Michael Kramer

Abstract

This study explored the hypothesis that married couples have ways of relating to each other which are peculiar to their relationship; and that other couples operate under the same or similar patterns of relating.

"Patterns in family relationships are often referred to as dances." (Lerner, 1990). Dances are determined by the music played, the manner of dress or costume, physical movements, and the tempo or beat (Chujoy & Manchester, 1967). Family dances are also recognized by physical interactions or movements, appearance or dress, and the beat of family messages. The family dance model will use names of dances such as waltz, tango, ballet, and others to conceptualize how a family operates.

The data gathered to explore this family dance theory consists of in-depth case studies of ten married couples who were selected at random and interviewed by the researcher; observation based on clinical exposure over several years; and a questionnaire designed to elicit responses to provide information concerning family background.

Information about other approaches or models used to classify family behavior was investigated and will be compared with the family dance model. The areas of comparison are the Olson circumplex model, the Beavers model, and the McMaster model.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the family dance model and compare it to other models which have been proved to be viable methods of recognizing and describing family behaviors. It is hoped that the findings will support a conclusion that the family dance model could also be a useful tool to describe and classify family behaviors.

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