ABSTRACT
A systemic approach to families during divorce and remarriage essentially allows a focus on the whole family interactional system during the processes of transition and change, rather than emphasising the effects on the individual members as elements of the system in transition, although these are not necessarily precluded. Beals (1979) considers that the concept of emotional attachment is a cornerstone of family systems perspective, and points out that compensatory mechanisms maintain the balance of emotional forces in the family; and he instances physical and emotional distance, or emotional conflict between individuals, and child focus. He argues that children in child-focused families, whose parents are considerably emotionally invested in them, are highly relationship-oriented and less task-oriented, and are therefore likely to have more difficulty in coping with parental divorce or separation.
