Estimates show that a large number of Latin American refugees are divorced in exile. Presumably, the family system has difficulty adapting to the sudden change in its ecology. Both the social and personal creative identity are threatened in exile, and therapeutic help must therefore be offered both at the individual and social level. One important tool for the couple’s survival is the consciousness of why they are in exile. In this case-study of a Latin American couple with psychosexual problems, we seek to reframe their ‘private pain’ in a political context. Both the individual, and the joint, collective trauma they have suffered are seen in the context of their individual resources and their resources for interaction with others for a common goal: their collective resources. It is apparent, in the dynamics of this couple, that the wife needs to strengthen her collective resources, which for her means becoming involved in political and social activities of the exile group. We find that the concepts of power balance, transgression of boundaries and sexuality are especially important themes for the infra-structure of couples in exile. Changes in the internal structure of the couple are, however, also dependent on a development of political consciousness. © 1989, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

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male female South and Central America normal human refugee sexual behavior psychological aspect marriage group dynamics human adult sociology