The Dialog of Two on the Dance of Three: Interparental Conflicts and Children Psychopathology in Chinese Families

Abstract

The opening article of this special issue presents a dialog between Dr Wai Yung Lee, an internationally acclaimed veteran family therapist currently working in Asia, and Professor Sim, this Special Edition's Associate Editor. The dialog focuses on unraveling the intricate processes of interparental conflict and child psychopathology in therapy, based on Dr Lee's work for close to three decades with nearly 100 Chinese families in Shanghai. The main themes are: interparental conflicts affects children like a “dance of three”; children's psychopathology is frequently linked to anxiety stemming from prolonged interparental conflict; children become expressive and lively when discussing their parents in therapy; when one parent blames the other, the blamed parent turns to the child; when parents begin to address their conflicts, children's psychopathology improves; and behind the psychopathology of children, there often lies an unhappy couple. Through nuanced analyses of three Chinese cases where there is suicide ideation, eating disorder, and tic, this article critically examines the possible ways of uncovering the intricate dynamics, therapeutic movements used to address them, and salient issues, such as culture, gender, and power.