By Michael Farnworth Michael Farnworth, Ed.D., retired from Ricks College after 31 years of teaching family psychology. He is married to Cindi Halliday, and father to Brad, Camie, and Jeff. He is grandpa to Joel, Alex, Owen, and Imogen. Or, right-click here to download the audio file: The Church as a Wounded Parent: …
Tag: MIchael Farnworth
Family Forum: The Church as a Wounded Parent
By Michael Farnworth A Family History Imagine growing up in a family whose members are not fairly represented. The father has unlimited power, does as he wants, and rarely listens to anyone’s concerns. Being a spirited child, you have the idea that the family would be happier if it were run more democratically. Your …
Understanding the Shadow
By Michael Farnworth IN HER BOOK Kitchen Table Wisdom Rachel Naomi Remen tells about a time her family was assembling a large jigsaw puzzle. Being only three or four at the time, she couldn’t really help, but she watched plenty. As she did, the darker puzzle pieces began to remind her of spiders and …
The Family Forum: The Nature of Intimacy
By Michael Farnworth Or, right-click here to download the audio file: The Family Forum: The Nature of Intimacy Intimacy is sharing the inner landscape of our souls and the energies of our emotions with another person: from warm, positive feelings such as affection and acceptance to cold, negative feelings such as anger …
The Family Forum: Changing the Family System
By Michael Farnworth Changing an established family system is a difficult thing to do: the system is hidden and has an energy of its own that resists control; it has set up safeguards to defend and maintain itself against change. This is true of all systems—social, political, and corporate. Not even the Church’s organization is …
The Family Forum: The Hidden Family System
By Michael Farnworth Don’t forget to win first place Don’t forget to keep that smile on your face Be a good boy Try a little harder You’ve got to measure up And make me prouder We’ll love you just the way you are If you’re perfect —ALANIS MORISSETTE I’VE BEEN STUDYING families and their dynamics …
The Family Forum: A Feminine Perspective on Moral Reasoning
By Michael Farnworth The previous issue’s Family Forum explored parenting from the perspective of moral theorist Lawrence Kohlberg. His research argues that we initially base our motivations to be moral on fear that something bad with happen to us if we don’t obey the rules, but then we move on to behaving in order to …
Family Forum: What Is Really Motivating Us?
By Michael Farnworth It seems to me that thoughtful Mormon parents should be concerned about moral agency as described in Doctrine & Covenants 101:78— That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable …
The Family Forum: An Introduction to Quantum Parenting
By Michael Farnworth Law and Love in the Family Obedience is the first law of heaven. The way we interpret this aphorism—one of the most famous in Mormonism—says a lot about our parenting style. The aphorism is based on D&C 130:20–21: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, …
The Family Forum: Sanctuary Trauma
By Michael Farnworth This is the first of a series of columns dedicated to understanding and improving the dynamics of Mormon families. My premise is that we suffer from an exaggerated case of lip service and don’t actually afford the family as much devotion as we claim. Sure, in our church meetings, we talk …