Beyond the Couple: A Qualitative Analysis of Successful In‐law Relationships in Iran

• Published in: Family process 2019-12, Vol.58 (4), p.936-953
• Main Authors: Cheraghi, Mona, Mazaheri, Mohammad A., Motabi, Fereshteh, Panaghi, Leili, Sadeghi, Mansoureh S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Blood; Classification; Coherence; Daughters; Divorce; familia de origen; familias iraníes; Families & family life; Family law; Family of Origin; Family relations; Family Relations - psychology; Family Triad Model; Fathers; Female; Grounded Theory; Humans; Intergenerational Relations; In‐Law Relations; Iran; Iranian Families; Male; Marital relations; Marital Success; Marriage; Marriage - psychology; Modelo triádico familiar; nostredad; parentesco político; Parents & parenting; Primacy; Qualitative Research; Quantitative analysis; Sociocultural factors; Success; We‐ness; Women; éxito conyugal; 伊朗家庭; 原生家庭; 姻亲关系; 婚姻成功; 家庭组合模型; 我们意识
• ISSN: 0014-7370; 1545-5300
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12389

In‐laws can play a significant role in the success or failure of marriages around the world. In the Middle East, recent quantitative research indicates that having trouble with in‐laws is a major predictor of divorce in Iran. To explore this further, we undertook a qualitative (grounded theory) analysis of in‐depth interviews with 17 Iranian daughters‐in‐law, five sons‐in‐law, three mothers‐in‐law, three fathers‐in‐law, and three expert family clinicians. Emergent concepts, themes, and coding categories were consistent with a Family Triad Model (FTM) of successful marital and in‐law relationships, wherein each spouse must (a) form we‐ness with their partner, (b) establish flexible boundaries between themselves and their families of origin, and (c) join their in‐laws. A higher‐order core category suggested that optimal couple and family functioning depends on the coherence or balance of these functions across the triadic role components of spouse, child‐in‐law, and family‐in‐law (or family‐of‐origin). In the changing cultural context of Iran, where blood relations have traditionally held primacy over marital relations, such triadic coherence appears crucial to marital success, at least from the perspective of many women. Our FTM results also highlight the importance of taking in‐laws into account when planning educational, preventative, or clinical interventions. Resumen Los parientes políticos pueden desempeñar un papel importante en el éxito o en el fracaso de los matrimonios de todo el mundo. En el Oriente Medio, investigaciones cuantitativas recientes indican que tener problemas con los parientes políticos es un indicador principal de divorcio en Irán. Para analizar esto con mayor profundidad, realizamos un análisis cualitativo (teoría fundamentada) de entrevistas detalladas con 17 nueras, 5 yernos, 3 suegras y 3 suegros iraníes, y 3 clínicos familiares especializados. Los conceptos emergentes, los temas y las categorías de codificación coincidieron con un modelo triádico familiar de relaciones políticas y conyugales armoniosas, en las cuales cada cónyuge debe (a) formar una nostredad con su pareja, (b) establecer límites flexibles entre ellos mismos y sus familias de origen, y (c) unirse a sus familiares políticos. Una categoría de orden superior sugirió que el funcionamiento óptimo de la pareja y la familia depende de la coherencia o el equilibrio de estas funciones en todos los componentes de los roles triádicos de cónyuge, yerno o nuera y familia po