Illness, family theory, and family therapy: I. Conceptual issues.

This article examines and clarifies controversies about the concept of illness in the field of family therapy. We contend that illness, as traditionally understood in all cultures, is a relational, transactional concept that is highly congruent with core principles of present-day family theories. Family therapists need not buy into a biotechnical, reductionistic reframing of illness as disease. Rather, it is more appropriate to conceptualize and work with illness as a narrative placed in a biopsychosocial context. Such a narrative includes how shared responsibility for coping and for finding solutions can take place, without becoming involved in disputes about causal models.

Guided imagery of female sexual assertiveness: turn on or turn off?

To test the effect of female sexual assertiveness on the subjective sexual arousal and emotional responses of 138 male undergraduates, subjects, randomly assigned by blocks, listened to audiotaped guided imagery of either a male or a female initiating a sexual invitation and a male or a female being assertive during coitus. Contrary to the claims of the "new impotence," men in the traditional male role experienced more disgust, fear, and anger and tended to experience less sexual arousal and more sadness. Whereas, men imagining women initiating sex and being coitally assertive experienced more surprise and enjoyment. These data were discussed as reflecting a new egalitarianism. More research is needed to distinguish between partisan claims of "new impotence" and "new egalitarianism."