The lived experiences of stepparents in reconstituted families: promotive and protective factors
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Date
2024
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
How reconstituted families (also known as stepfamilies) are perceived by society today is attributed largely to what has been shown in the media. Throughout many of our childhoods, we have seen how media (television and books) have negatively portrayed reconstituted families. Negative images of reconstituted families were depicted through much-loved fairy-tale books (and movie franchises) such as ‘Cinderella’, ‘Snow White’, and ‘Hansel and Gretel’. These specific childhood tales have led to the coined term ‘wicked stepmother’ and have bolstered stereotypical ideas of the reconstituted family. These stigmatised views and perceptions of reconstituted families influence the level of support blended families receive, and thus, in return, also affect their family well-being. The researcher became interested in the lived experiences of stepparents within a reconstituted family and wanted to know what promotive and protective factors contributed to their family wellbeing. The study aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of stepparents within reconstituted families. The theoretical framework that was used is Bowen’s family systems theory because it allowed the researcher to study the interconnectedness of family members, including how a stepparent influences the family as a whole and conversely.
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Keywords
Family, Promotive factors, Protective factors, Reconstituted family, Stepchild, Stepparent