Women's experience and perceptions of the salient elements of healthy functioning families

The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study was to investigate selected women's perceptions of the salient elements of mentally healthy families and to observe how gender ideologies, particularly heterosexual power differentials, were incorporated into these definitions. The study was based on feminist epistemological propositions and was supported theoretically by the Family Life Cycle Perspective and methodologically by Naturalistic Inquiry. This inquiry paradigm is characterized by an emergent design and employs procedures which emphasize social meaning over empirical validity and which avoid hierarchical research processes.;Twenty-two female participants, born between 1935 and 1955 and representing five heterosexual family structures, were interviewed and responded to six open-ended questions about their family experiences. From these data, each participant generated their own behavioral criteria of healthy families.;Data analysis was inductive, generative, constructive, and subjective; that is, analysis originated in the data, and new constructions of meanings used by the participants were sought. Data were also subjected to verification; participants' criteria of healthy family functioning were compared for differences to existing, predominantly male, theories.;Participant categories of healthy functioning families paralleled a priori models of family health in the following areas: (a) Characteristics of healthy parenting, (b) characteristics of healthy spousal relationships, (c) characteristics of healthy individuals in healthy families, and (d) communication. Most notable was the importance of individuality within the context of relationship. Family structure was found to be a less salient variable affecting women's definitions of family health than socioeconomic and political community mileu.;Outside the family therapy paradigm, but consistent with the feminist literature, participants identified gendered stereotypic roles as antithetical to healthy individuals and healthy family functioning. This conceptualization represented the only unanimously held view of family health incorporating gender ideology, although others were discussed. Participants were not in consensus regarding issues of head of house designation or the best spousal structure (heterosexual as opposed to others). In order to aide overt discussion of dysfunctional family power arrangements, a Gendergram was developed as a therapeutic tool. Similar to a genogram, a Gendergram explicates abusive power relationships.