What determines whether stepfamilies remain together? What helps
stepfamilies overcomes the difficulties of remarriage and become
mutually supportive family units? How can mental health professionals
better support this development? This book brings both clarity and depth
to the unique and complex dynamics of remarried families. Patricia
Papernow draws on interviews with over 100 stepfamily members,
up-to-date research, a solid theoretical framework, and an empathic
clinical sensibility to present an insightful model of stepfamily
development, the Stepfamily Cycle. This details account of the sages of
forming a lasting, cohesive group is richly illustrated by stepfamily
members' own stories.
Becoming a Stepfamily describes the developmental challenges involved
in building nourishing, reliable relationships between stepparents and
stepchildren, in the newly married couple, and between different family
groups who must learn to live together in a remarried family. Papernow
discusses the factors that influence the pace and ease of development,
and she provides four full length case studies illustrating the varied
paths through the stepfamily cycle to the successful remarried life.
The author offers therapists, clergy, school personnel, and others
involved with stepfamilies a range of effective interventions, including
preventive, educational, and clinical approaches. She provides practical
guidance for helping family members deal constructively with the
differing attachments of children to their biological parents and
stepparents, assisting stepparents as they cope with feeling excluded
from the powerful biological parent-child bond, and guiding biological
parents torn between their spouse's need for intimacy and privacy and
their children's needs for support and attention.
