THE DECONSTRUCTION OF THE LOVE AND LOGIC DISCIPLINE MODEL AND FOUCAULT'S NOTION OF POWER By RAYMOND M. FARAG Bachelor of Science , Sterling College Sterling, Kansas 1971 Master of Science ' Western State University Gunnison, Colorado 1978 Specialist in Education Wichita State University Wichita, Kansas 1992 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOROFEDUCATON July, 1996 COPYRIGHT. by RAYMOND M. FARAG JULY 1996 · ii THE DECONSTRUCTION OF THE LOVE AND LOGIC DISCIPLINE MODEL AND FOUCAULT'S NOTION OF POWER Dissertation Approved: Dean of the Graduate College iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the contributions of the members of my dissertation committee: my thanks to Dr. Restine for her passion for research that uncovers new meanings and applications; my gratitude for Dr. Englehardt's grace, stature and encouragement; Dr. Hwu for his gentle urgings to write every day; and Dr. Reynolds who challenged my paradigms without demeaning my beliefs. This educational journey would • r have been more difficult without the support of these academic mentors. As vital as the guidance of my academic advisors has been, the completion of this study would not have been possible without the love, support, and patience of my family. My wife Sue, and children Michael, Michelle, and Matthew have encouraged, supported, and endured, these past years. I will always· be indebted. Finally, I wishJo acknowledge my debt to the nine participants who opened their lives and experiences enabling this study to become a reality. The love, patience and professionalism are inspiring. They have enriched my life by allowing me to better understand theirs. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION . 1 Overview .............................................................. .. ......... .. .. 1 Introduction.. 2 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................... 5 Research Questions .....................•................................................ 6 Assumptions uf the Study . 7 Organization of the Study . • . 7 Limitations of the Study. 8 Background of theStudy . 9 Summary ................................................................................ 12 Definitions of Terms ..... , ....................... ,..................................... 12 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................................... 14 Deconstruction.. 15 School and Parental Discipline is a Form of Power ............................... 17 School and Parental Authority Increases the Use of Power . 18 School Discipline is the Result of Complex Relationships That Are Power Laden ............................................................................. 19 Power That Is Shared Leads to Strengthened Human Relationships ............ 20 Framing the Issue of Power and School Discipline.. 23 The Perspective of Foucault on Power .............................................. 25 Foucault: Power in the School Setting ............................................... 28 Foucault on Relationships ............................................................. 32 Discipline Techniques in Schools . 34 Parental Discipline Techniques ....................................................... 38 Philosophy of Love and Logic ....................................................... 40 Love and Logic: Parent/Child Relationships ........................................ 45 Love and Logic Tips ................................................................... 46 Model Similar to Love and Logic . 48 Summary ................................................................................ 49 III. RESEARCH PROCEDURES ............................................................ 51 Design ................................................................................... 51 Discourse Analysis ..................................................................... 52 Qualitative Research and the Long Interview ....................................... 53 The Study Participants ................................................................. 55 Procedure ............................................................................... 58 Method of Analysis .................................................................... 60 Summary ............................................................................... 61 V Chapter Page IV. DATA ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 63 Participant Portraits . 65 Themes ................................................................................. 72 Family and School Background ...................................................... 74 The Choice of the Love and Logic Model ........................................... 77 The Difficult Child . 83 More Cooperation Needed for the Changing Student Population . 97 Using the Newly-Acquired Techniques ............................................. 93 The Association Between Foucault and Love and Logic ......................... 100 Summary .............. ·................................................................ 104 V. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS •........................ ·............................ 107 Findings: Purpose of the Study ..................................................... 107 Findings: Assumptions of the Study................................................. 112 Unexpected Findings .............................................._. .................. 114 Findings: Discipline Issues .......................................................... 116 Conclusions ............................... ; ............................................ 117 Suggestions for Research ............... : ........................................... 118 Implications ............................................................................ 119 Reflections ............................................................................. 121 REFERENCES ............................................................................... 123 APPENDIXES ......... : ..................... '.... ·... ·.......................................... 136 APPENDIX A--DEMOGRAPIIlC INFORMATION ........................... 136 APPENDIX B--QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENTS .......................... 138 APPENDIX C--QUESTIONS FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS : ....... ~ .................................................... 139 APPENDIX D--STANDARD ETHICS PROTOCOL CONSENT FORM .... 140 APPENDIX E-- SAMPLE OF LONG INTERVIEW ............................ 142 VITA IRB APPROVAL vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Pseudonyms for Participants . 57 2. Participants' Experience with Love and Logic . 57 vii 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Overview In a democratic society, the issue of personal freedom and restraint of behavior are ' continuously in conflict. No greater emotional area of this debate occurs than in the arena of parental and school discipline techniques. The role of power arid control in the selection and use of parental and school discipline plans is the essence of this study. In addition, few debate that appropriate and effective discipline designs are a necessity. However, the concern resides in the ability to utilize such plans that are not power and control laden. This study deconstructs power, control, and the Love and Logic discipline model in the effort to find a discipline model that is effective yet consistent with democratic ideals. To effectively explore the role of power and control in discipline issues, the work of Michael Foucault is thoroughly examined. Along with this analysis the discipline model of Love and Logic is deconstructed to determine its consistency with the research of Foucault. The questions that this study deals with concern the role of power and control in discipline matters. 1. Is Love and Logic a significant departure of past discipline models? 2. Why do individuals choose to utilize the Love and Logic design? The conjecture of this study deals with the role of power and control in relationships and how authority increases the use of power and control. This study examines how Love and Logic relates to the use of power and control in parental and 2 school discipline models. Individuals are interviewed who utilize the Love and Logic techniques. The interviews are used to determine their motivation for their choices and also to determine if Love and Logic affected their concepts of power and control in relation to their children and students. As these issues are explored, it becomes essential to examine the issue of punishment. Introduction One might ponder whether punishment is a viable alternative in a society which tolerates wide variations in behavior. If one of the tasks of schools and parents is to prepare children to become citizens of such a society, perhaps wide varieties of classroom behavior should be encouraged. Schools, however, constitute communities in a way in which our societies cannot. In liberal societies all members are not unified by shared purposes or conceptions of the general good. Each member has a private conception of good and pursues it individually. Varieties of behavior are tolerated, in part, because people who pursue different purposes or conceptions of the good have to do things differently in order to achieve their respective purposes (Brough & Strine, 1987, p. vii). The notion of a school is only coherent in terms of a unifying purpose: the achievement of teaching and learning. Because schools have