Family Exploration: The Contribution of Stability and Change Processes

Building upon the redefinition of exploration as a family process, this study analyses how the processes of family stability and change may favour exploration by members of multiple family relational contexts. Sixty non-clinical family triads (mother, father, child) participated in an experimental observational study and were video-recorded while playing in different interactive configurations. The children (37 females and 23 males) were 4-5 years old (M = 55 months). The mothers' ages ranged from 29 to 45 (M = 38) and the fathers' ages ranged from 29 to 46 (M = 39). All the parents were employed and were living together. All participants were Caucasians of Italian nationality. Using the Triadic Interactions Analytical Procedure (TIAP), the family morphostatic processes and the family morphogenetic processes were analysed in relation to the family members' exploration. Data analyses showed that family stability continual construction (morphostasis) and family change (morphogenesis) involve different interactive and relational dynamics (chi A(2)(8) = 13.84, p > .05; CFI = .97, TLI = .94, SRMR = .06), even if they are intertwined processes (p < .001). Both morphostatic and morphogenetic processes were correlated to the level of exploration showed by family members (respectively r = .32, p < .05, and r = .59, p < .001), even if the morphogenetic processes had a stronger relation with family exploration (z = 1.85, p (one-tailed) < .05).