Unveiling Self-Differentiation in Family Dynamics: A Middle-Range Theory Exploration

Self-differentiation is a contextual phenomenon and dependent on environmental and social conditions that is formed and experienced in a dynamic process under the influence of various conditions. This qualitative study aimed to explore the formation process of self-differentiation in families using the grounded theory approach (systematic type). The population included married people aged 30 to 45 living with their own families in the city of Tabriz, and 17 of them were selected by the judgmental sampling until theoretical saturation was reached through semi-structured interviews. The data analysis was done simultaneously with the data collection using the theoretical approach (during three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding). Finally, 461 initial codes were extracted and categorized into 117 subcategories and 18 categories, which were classified into six sections of the paradigmatic model, resulting in the development of a middle-range theory. The findings suggested that progress motivation and challenging conditions lead people to intellectual independence, identity seeking, and social dignity, which are the central phenomena of the formation process of self-differentiation. Additionally, if people are influenced by intermediary conditions, such as gaining different experiences in life, self-determining characteristics, communication with successful models, social and cultural structures, contexts, and events in the family, as well as the cooperative/supportive atmosphere of the family, they will carry out strategies, like responsible, cooperative, and considered behaviors, and will try to control emotions, which these strategies lead to success and progress in life, satisfaction, self-reliance, and the improvement of the quality of relationships.