Who’s a naughty boy then? Accountability, family therapy and the ‘naughty’ child. more

In this paper I explore the concept of the ‘naughty’ child through a language-based approach in order to examine how it is employed in a family therapy context. Using discursive psychology, twenty-two hours of family therapy are investigated to examine how children with behavioural/conduct problems are constructed within this institutional setting. The members of the interaction construct either the child or the behaviour as naughty as a way to manage accountability and provide an assessment of the child. It is concluded that the concept manages accountability for the parents and the children. Discussions of implications for labelling and therapy are considered.