E-ISSN : 2733-4538
In the previous studies, the family differentiation(the family system's interaction pattern) was conceptualized as an uni-dimension, which was balance of separateness and connectedness. However, when separateness and connectedness are considered as two extremes of the uni-dimension, the concept of family differentiation levels cannot be elaborated. Thus, in the present study, the family differentiation are separated by two independent dimensions involving separateness and connectedness. Separateness refers to the process in which a person increasingly achieves a sense of self that is distinct from significant others. The opposite pole of separateness on a continuum is enmeshment(fusion). Meanwhile, connectedness is defined as the ability to maintain a sense of emotional intimacy to significant others while having distinct boundaries to the self, which is on the continuum with disengagement(cut-off) at the opposite pole. The results showed that the high family differentiation level maintained both separateness and connectedness, while the low family differentiation level showed both enmeshment and disengagement. These results suggest that the family differentiation explained better by the two independent dimensions than by the uni-dimension.