can generate tremendous conflicts about loyalty and boundaries (Golish, 2000, p. 137). One of the key factors is the barrier that separates the original family members from the stepfamily members. This division between the two families is caused by the lack of shared family experiences, role uncertainties and differences in family practices (Caughlin et al., 2000, p. 116). More specifically, couples are likely to fight with one another due to their feelings of insecurity about their roles in the marriages and the families. They may adopt a hostile stance towards their stepchildren because they fear that the latter will undermine the strength of the new marriage. At the same time, couples as parents also have a stronger attachment to their own children than their new spouses, thus engendering feelings of insecurity or frustration on the part of the spouse. Moreover, each parent's struggle to deal with their feelings towards their own children and stepchildren can create friction in the marriage. Finally, some couples in blended families will also have to deal with the adverse interventions of former spouses through conflicts over the children (Banker & Gaertner, 1998; Kelley, 1992).
In order to resolve these types of marital and family crises, families of all types rely on psychotherapy. For many decades, family therapy theory had been primarily governed by the concepts of family systems and structures. The concept of family systems is instrumental in illuminating the interconnections between family members, which extend the focus beyond the individual. However, this theoretical concept has its limitations. Most importantly, it is premised on an oversimplified and static view of families as "rigid, geometric arrangements of people" (Freedman & Combs, 1996, p. 1). Essentially, this perspective fails to acknowledge the dynamic quality of family relationships that are constantly changing in response to the individuals in...