The family-illness intermesh: Theoretical aspects and their application

Abstract

Illness analysis, according to one aspect of the Parsons deviance framework, proposes dysfunction to the family system and society. Largely accepted for many years, there are important deficiencies of the conceptualization which are not present in another theoretical stance. This latter formulation focuses on adaptive responses of families to stress and can be envisioned as adding an emphasis on mutuality of family-illness encounters. It is offered as a tool for theoretical enrichment which can supplement the original framework, broaden the analytic base and be applied in clinical settings by practitioners in medical and therapy fields who wish to investigate positive versus negative consequences of the family-illness intermesh.