ABSTRACT
The main objective of the present study is to establish the effects on the family of one of the adult dyad working away from home for a large part of each year, either in regular small periods of a fortnight or so, or for much longer periods at a time. A secondary aim is to see if Personal Preservation (PP) or Survival theory can explain the findings of that study. Fully to understand what those effects are one must be able to appreciate the views of the actors involved in this particular scenario. PP theory holds that individuals act thoughtfully on the basis of their view (or their constructs, or their natural attitude, whichever term is preferred) of the ambient environment; that is the society in which those same individuals live and work. That we act thoughtfully, even if our thinking and decision making is below the level of deliberate cognitive effort, in our reactions to our environment is the antithesis of the positivistic views which regard human behaviour as innate uncontrollable responses to the ambient environment and society. There is a world of difference between someone deciding to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from too bright a light, and the thoughtless reflex expansion of the iris in the eye under the same circumstances.
