Present and Future Family Image of Adolescents:

An Analysis with Kinetic-Family-Drawing, Family Image Method, and Semantic Differential Method

Abstract

　　This study examined present and future family images of adolescents by using three methods: Kinetic-Family-Drawing, Family Image Method, and Semantic Differential Method. The present family is defined as the family in which a youth has grown up and the future family is defined as the family which the youth might make after she/he marries in the future.

　　The following two hypothese were made :

　　(1) A circle type would be the form of the healthy family system. The circle type is one of the regular polygons in the family image method.

　　(2) There would be a large difference in the family-image between men and women, in particular for the father image in their future family. Subjects were 209 undergraduate university students (101 men and 108 women).

　　In the Kinetic-Family-Drawing, the subjects drew two pictures representing their present and future family images. In the Family Image Method, so-called “the circle type” is regarded as standard type.

　　Eight groups were made from the circle type and were compared with each other. In the Semantic Differential Method, the subjects rated 12 pairs of adjectives in rank order from 1 to 7.

　　The main results obtained are as follows:

　　1. The circle type is a form of healthy family system having a family circle image.

　　2. There was a difference in the family image between men and women. However, the father images in the future family were not different. Based on the results, we suggest that if the family system is evolved like other life systems, the circle type of family is the best form in evolution.