The Triad of Control: Concepts and Application to Caregiving

Abstract

Control extends through space and time, linking specific occurrences of control behaviour to perceptions of control and desire for control and to broader contexts, such as domain variations and developmental changes. A triadic conception explicitly including perceptions of control, desire for control, and capacity for actual control and focusing on balance and imbalance in the relationships of these forms the basis for better understanding of control at both individual and interpersonal levels. In the caregiving relationship of frail parent and child, control is characterised by restructuring of each person's triad of control within a context of asymmetry and dependency. Changing patterns of intra-individual and inter-individual aspects of control have impact on each individual and the nature of the relationship. Assumptions about perception of and desire for control and involvement in decisions about allocation of control become particularly crucial.