title: Oppositional children and their families: an adaptational dance in space and time.
abstract: A conceptual map is proposed in which oppositional behavior is seen as an adaptational struggle within a context of interpersonal and intrapsychic spheres of family systems. Preservation of self is viewed as inherent in all childhood psychological symptomatology, and oppositionalism serves as a prime survival strategy, aimed at navigating the conflictual forces of connectedness and individuation and regulating the progression, through time, of the family life cycle.
authors.affiliation: Center for Psychological Services and Clinical Studies, St. John's University, Jamaica, N.Y., USA.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mones
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005192:Family Health; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D008297:Male; D009341:Negativism; D013598:Systems Theory; D009626:Terminology as Topic