Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Abstract Background and aim: This study aims to critically evaluate the family counseling system in Iran and compare it with global approaches. It examines key challenges in the current system and highlights the importance of considering the cultural and religious capacities of Iranian society in designing and improving family counseling models.
Data and method: The research employed a qualitative methodology using a multiple-case study design. Data were collected through the review of counseling case files, semi-structured interviews with 20 clients in the areas of pre-marital counseling, marital conflicts, and divorce, as well as direct observation of the counseling process. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis and triangulation of sources.
Findings: The findings indicate that the family counseling system in Iran faces significant challenges, including counselors’ inherent individualism, neglect of cultural and religious contexts, commercialization of services, and premature recommendations for divorce. Conversely, the findings underscore the necessity of leveraging the cultural and religious capacities of Iranian society when designing family counseling models.
Conclusion: The results emphasize the urgent need for restructuring counselor training and evaluation programs, developing culturally sensitive and Islamic-based frameworks, and strengthening regulatory oversight systems. The primary limitation of this research is its focus on a relatively small, qualitative sample, which restricts the generalizability of the findings. Nevertheless, the results offer valuable insights for cultural policymakers, administrators of counseling centers, and researchers in the field of family studies.

Abstract Background and aim: Drawing on a computational social science approach and situated within the theoretical framework of parenting and power relations within the family, the present study examines how parents are represented by Persian-speaking users on the X (Twitter) platform. The study aims to explore the lived experiences reflected on X by children and the ways in which family relationships are represented in virtual space.
Data and method: To this end, using data-mining techniques and big-data analysis, one million relevant tweets posted between Mordad 1402 and Esfand 1402- between August 2023 and March 2024- were collected and classified through random sampling and theoretical coding at two levels: theme-based and theory-based.
Findings: The findings reveal three main patterns in the representation of parents: “supportive parents” (affectionate and democratic), “authoritarian parents” (traditional and controlling), and “unequal parents” (shaped by social and economic disparities).
Conclusion: The dominant representation portrays parents in an empathetic and affectionate manner, whereas critical tweets concerning parents’ class-based or economic circumstances in society—categorized as “unequal parents”—received the highest level of user engagement.
Keywords: Parenting, Big Data, Computational Social Sciences, Authoritarian Parents, Unequal Parents.