Connected Disconnections Negotiating family separation, membership and conflict: A discourse analysis Paul Michael Galbally A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctorate in Applied Psychology School of Health and Social Care University of Essex Year of Award (2021) Table of Contents Connected Disconnections Negotiating family separation, membership and conflict: A discourse analysis ..................................................................................................................................................... List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... iii Declaration ............................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. v Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. vii Thesis Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Aim Statement ................................................................................................................................ 1 Background and rationale ............................................................................................................... 2 Interdisciplinary approach .............................................................................................................. 4 Tensions around understanding family ........................................................................................ 10 Thesis Structure ............................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 1 - Literature Review ............................................................................................................... 14 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 14 What is a family? ............................................................................................................................... 14 Challenges to nuclear thinking .......................................................................................................... 19 Why is it so hard to leave the nuclear family behind?...................................................................... 24 How do families construct membership? ......................................................................................... 27 How does language present family to the social world? .................................................................. 35 Defining parental conflict.................................................................................................................. 39 Conflict post-separation .................................................................................................................... 41 Separated parents within a context of family therapy ..................................................................... 42 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 2 –Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 48 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 48 Philosophical approach ..................................................................................................................... 48 Research design ................................................................................................................................ 50 Sampling ............................................................................................................................................ 53 Data collection stage 1 ...................................................................................................................... 56 Data collection stage 2 - The semi-structured Interview .................................................................. 58 Data collection stage 3 - Family map ................................................................................................ 61 Data analysis stage 1 ......................................................................................................................... 64 i Ethical considerations ....................................................................................................................... 67 Reflexivity .......................................................................................................................................... 68 Adherence to principles of quality in qualitative research ............................................................... 70 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 72 Chapter 3 – Findings ............................................................................................................................. 74 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 74 Data analysis part 2 ........................................................................................................................... 74 The discursive field of heteronormativity and nucleocentricity ....................................................... 82 Stage 1 - Experiences of pain ............................................................................................................ 90 Stage 2 – Perceiving transgressions .................................................................................................. 93 Stages 3a and 3b - Counterfactuals ................................................................................................ 100 Stage 4 - Ontological insecurity ...................................................................................................... 104 Stages 5 and 6 - Moving on and the re-formation of family ........................................................... 110 Family Separation Model ................................................................................................................ 115 Kate’s experience – A case study of family separation ................................................................... 118 Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 127 Chapter 4 – Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 129 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 129 RQ1: How do separated parents talk about and define family? .................................................... 130 An explanation of separation shifting to a chosen family structure ........................................... 132 RQ2: Does parental conflict affect family membership? ................................................................ 136 Post-separation family configurations ........................................................................................ 139 RQ3: How do the portrayals of separated families within society impact the lived experience? .. 143 How does nuclear family bias impact re-formed families? ........................................................ 145 Managing the stake of being a separated but ‘proper’ family ................................................... 147 RQ4: What are the implications of this research on practice within family therapy? ................... 150 Implementing thesis findings into practice ................................................................................. 152 Proposed treatment model ........................................................................................................ 154 Reflexive considerations ................................................................................................................. 155 Critical evaluation of strengths and limitations .............................................................................. 158 Directions for future research ........................................................................................................ 161 Thesis Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 163 Key Findings and Contributions .................................................................................................. 163 Concluding Discussion ................................................................................................................. 164 References .........................................................................................................................................