Allegiance or Alienation : Beziehungen zwischen geschiedenen Vätern und ihren Eltern in den USA

Abstract

The present study deals with the relationships between different generations in the U. S. and refers to the<br />connections between divorced fathers and their parents as an example. It pursues the question, in which<br />way divorced fathers shape the relationships with their parents and under which conditions these<br />relationships are most supportive in overcoming the divorce, namely in an way that the relations between<br />three generations on the fathers side are upholded. The study is based on a interpretative scheme which<br />was developed in a analysis of 65 families of divorce in Germany.<br /><br />From the analysis of qualitative in depth interviews with 13 divorced fathers from the state of New York<br />emerged four contrasting patterns of interpretation which are based on different meanings of<br />intergenerational relationships. Each of this pattern is a result of the interchange between two dimensions<br />of meanings which underly the general interpretation of intergenerational relationships. On the one hand,<br />members of different generations reflect the institutional character of their relationships within the model<br />of the traditional family and assign varying degrees of significance to it ("institutional meaning"). On the<br />other hand, their interpretations reflect the patterns of distance regulation between the generations<br />established in the family over the course of its history ("meaning of family history"). General rules for<br />current and future actions arise from the interaction of these meanings which we call the social logic of<br />intergenerational relationships.<br /><br />The relationships between the generations can contribute most to overcome the divorce, if the divorcee<br />assesses himself as emotional and economic independent from his parents, but can also be sure, that he<br />can rely on parental support if necessary.