Amith Ben-David

Between War and Peace: Interactional Patterns of Couples under Prolonged Uncertainty.

Abstract As part of a larger prospective study of Israeli and Palestinian families during the peace process, qualitative analysis of data from a subsample of 30 couples was conducted. Couples were classified by frequency of communication about the situation, topics most often discussed, degree of consensus on major issues, emotional role differentiation, and changes in relationship. Based on these classifications, couples were mapped on a multidimensional grid. The plot revealed a variety of interactional patterns in couples under prolonged environmental stress. Couples who reported a deterioration of their relationship had more disagreements regarding the meaning of the peace process and its consequences for the family, and were more concerned with economic issues or the situational ambiguity. Partners with a stronger ideological orientation tended to agree more often and to report an increase in cohesiveness. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed in terms of the constructivist view o...

Culture and gender in marital therapy with Ethiopian immigrants: a conversation in metaphors

Israel is a country which has absorbed more than half of its population during its first 44 years of existence. Recently, the trend has been to move away from the “melting-pot” ideology and favor the philosophy of “unity in diversity.” The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the issue of marital therapy in the context of immigration, family loss, and different cultural traditions in the Ethiopian community living in Israel. A story of marital therapy is recounted in which the continuity and expansion of customs is used. This provided a sense of familiarity in therapy to demonstrate culture and gender-sensitive therapy and illustrate possible guidelines for therapeutic collaboration.

Do we have to teach them to be culturally sensitive? The Israeli experience

The authors studied cultural sensitiveness among students of first-, second- and third-year social work education in Israel. Students were screened for prejudice and for cultural sensitivity. Results show that social work education in Israel does not orient students towards reducing prejudice or enhancing their cultural sensitivity. A weak relationship between prejudice, cultural sensitivity and gender appears during the third year of studies. Some implications for curriculum building and social work practice in Israel are discussed.

Ethiopians and the Hmongs : A comparative study in cultural narrative from a family therapy perspective

Abstract There is a growing recognition that family therapy has an obligation to meet the unique needs of ethnic minorities within a given population by offering services which arc culture-sensitive. This becomes even more critical when the minority clients are governed by fundamentally different cultural ethos from those that drive the dominant culture. The United States and Israel (each an embodiment of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-cultural society) offer interesting possibilities for a comparative study. The Ethiopians in Israel and the Hmong in the United States are two distinct cultural entities whose unique needs necessitated that the professionals question the efficacy of the existing therapy methods. The article has two overlapping themes. Firstly, it explores some basic characteristics which the two groups share in common and as such validate the case for a comparative study. Secondly, it offers guidelines for creative culturally-grounded narrative approaches.

How do they (participants) understand our (researchers) intentions? a qualitative test of the curvilinear assumptions of the adaptability items of the faces iii

Abstract Subjects were interviewed in an in-depth fashion as to their understanding of the adaptability items of the regular FACES III and two alternate versions. A qualitative analysis of the interviews indicate that participants may not be understanding the items as intended by the researchers. An alternate version of the items enhanced the curvilinear properties of the adaptability dimension.

East Meets West: A View from Soviet Student Newcomers to Israeli Society

This paper investigates the attitudes held by young student newcomers to Israel from the former Soviet Union about the different groups that comprise Israeli society. Young newcomers are a product of the education of the former Soviet regime and the Jewish community. They were interviewed soon after their arrival in Israel and after they have been in contact with Israeli society, especially through their contacts in the universities and through the media. Results show that young newcomers categorize Israeli society in terms of social distance in three groups, ranging from those most like them to those most different. Ethiopian Jews and Arabs are relegated to the same group, despite the fact that the Soviet newcomers share a common experience of immigration with the Ethiopians.

Family therapy in israel: A review of therapy done under unusual circumstances

Major issues affecting family therapy practice in Israel are discussed. Issues making family therapy in Israel unique include historical topics such as the legacy of the Holocaust, the emergence of the family therapy movement from the cradle of the kibbutz; and more recent events such as constant wars, the specter of terrorist threat, and coping with the everyday pressures of life in Israel—stress, loss, and bereavement. Future trends in family therapy in the Israeli context include the peace process and the adjustment it requires from families living in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. The advent of peace and normalization will force family therapists to grapple with issues until now not given the attention they require by a country always on the brink of war, including family violence, feminist issues and patriarchal family orientations, single-parent families, and cultural diversity.