Common Systems Models / Work-Life Balancing Flashcards

1
Q

Define a system and explain its characteristics:

A
  • a system is a collection of parts that interacts to function as a whole
  • distinguished from its environment and it affects its environment
  • parts are coherently organized around some purpose and they continually affect each other over time
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2
Q

Describe/explain; General Systems Theory key concepts

A
  • phenomena can be viewed as a web of dynamic, complex relationships among elements
  • systems have common patterns, behaviours, and properties
  • the focus is on how it processes inputs and outputs
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3
Q

What is the main difference between human systems and other types of systems (ex. environment) ? (GST)

A

Human systems are self-reflective, self-aware, and self-monitoring

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4
Q

Describe/explain; Family Systems Theory 6 key concepts

A
  • Families are made up of interdependent components (individuals, subsystems) that affect each other, and that have inputs that are transformed into outputs
  • Inputs (food, goods, information, etc.) are transformed into outputs (behaviours of family members, garbage, contributions in the workplace, socialized offspring, etc.)
  • Boundaries serve as an interface between the family and its environment, they have varying degrees of permeability
  • Explicit and implicit rules prescribe all aspects of family member interactions and reflect repeated patterns
  • Family systems resist change, their ability to adapt to change is a reflection of their development
  • Families strive to achieve constantly changing system and individual level goals
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5
Q

Define; mutual influence (FST)

A

all members in a system are affected by a change in one member

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6
Q

Describe how and why family systems function as feedback mechanisms

A
  • there is negative feedback (discourages change, restores equilibrium/homeostatis) and positive feedback (encourages change)
  • Families self-regulate and self-correct in order to maintain balance
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7
Q

Define; Equifinality (FST)

A

The ability of a system to achieve a goal through different means or routes

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of an adaptable family system?

A
  • flexibility
  • high amount of available resources
  • good communication between members
  • lack of conflict and tension
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9
Q

Define/explain; Nonsummativity (FST)

A

We cannot learn how whole systems work by analyzing each of its components in isolation

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10
Q

What are the three levels of suprasystems in the Family Systems Theory?

A

family to neighbourhood to community

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11
Q

Describe/explain; the key concepts of ecological approach to family health

A
  • Family receives and interprets health messages for its members and family members often resemble each other in terms of health
  • By changing one member in a family you can positively affect the whole family system
  • Individual behaviour is shaped and reinforced by mutual and dynamic interactions at multiple levels within one’s physical & social surroundings
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12
Q

Why does the ecological approach to family health see the family as the central focus in health promotion?

A
  • the family has traditionally been the first and among the most important of healthcare givers because it nurtures, cares for, protects, and teaches its members
  • family is seen as the centre of a complex network of interconnected social system
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13
Q

Describe; the 5 levels of Bronfenbrenner’s Human Ecological Model

A
  1. The Microsystem
    - microsystem; consists of small groups in which people interact face-to-face, most directly affects the quality of life through relationships with individuals, different for each family member, ex. for small children it might include daytime caregivers
  2. The Mesosystem
    - mesosystem; the daily/ regular social interactions and relationships between 2 or more groups of which the individual is a member, the quality of the connections can be weak/strong, positive/negative
  3. The Exosystem
    - exosystem; a setting in which individuals do not take an active part, but which has an effect on them through the mesosystem and microsystem, these external pressures and forces are made up of large scale social institutions, ex. programs, policies and regulations
  4. The Macrosystem
    - macrosystem; a society’s ideology and culture, the shared beliefs and ways of doings things that are the basis on which policy decisions are made
  5. Chronosystem
    - The multiple environments that affect an individual over time, as well as our individual human development
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14
Q

What are the three subsystems that Kieren, Vaines , & Badir say make up the model of any profession?

A
  1. PHILOSOPHY; the goal or mission of the profession
  2. CONTENT; the body of knowledge that makes up the foundation of the profession
  3. PRACTICE; applying the content through personal characteristic, service delivery skills, and role competencies
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15
Q

What are some personal approaches to maintaining work-life balance?

A
  1. Time-shifting and mindfulness
    - Alternating between periods of intense activity and relaxation, even briefly, can be incredibly renewing
  2. Setting goals
  3. Cognitive reframing and building resilience
  4. Taking care of ourselves
  5. Asking for help
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16
Q

Define; a workaholic

A

Someone who works long hours, focusing solely on their job and turning it into a compulsion or obsession

17
Q

Why are workaholics ineffective employees?

A
  • Work to exhaustion
  • Produce sloppy results
  • Miss deadlines
  • Fail to complete projects
  • Work too quickly
  • Sacrifice attention to detail
18
Q

What are some of the costs of work-life imbalance?

A
  • jeopardizes quantity & quality of time spent with loved ones
  • costs employers billions in absenteeism
  • results in increased health care costs
  • shorter periods of breastfeeding for full-time mothers
  • depression and overall decrease in quality of life
  • greater likelihood to misuse alcohol
  • decreased job satisfaction
  • greater likelihood of leaving the organization
19
Q

What are some family oriented strategies partners, governments, and employers can apply to help maintain work-life balance?

A
  • Partners: increasing gender equality & role of men in families
  • Employers: provide family-friendly supports, ex. onsite child / elder care, reward collaborative work, extend the time limit for promotion, flexible working arrangements
  • Governments: affordable, high quality childcare, maternal and paternal leave
20
Q

Describe/explain; the Hestian system:

A
  • Hestia: Greek goddess of the hearth and home, and the systems that sustain it
  • the private domain, involves domestic life
  • the rewards of work in this system are intrinsic and invisible, ex. love, care, support, can be devalued for this reason
  • home economics is under the umbrella of the Hestian sphere
  • ideology of connection, sustains and nurtures
21
Q

Describe/explain; the Hermean system:

A
  • Hermes: Greek god of commerce and trade, and the actions necessary to govern and maintain it
  • the public domain, involves civic life
  • the rewards of work in this system are visible and extrinsic, ex. money, power
  • politics, government, economy etc
  • ideology of control, governs and dominates
22
Q

Describe the relationship between the Hestian and Hermean systems:

A
  • exist simultaneously as a holistic reality, not as mirror images of one another
  • exist in relation to each other and form each other’s boundaries
  • are distinctive, yet complementary
  • are interdependent, interconnected, and interactive
23
Q

Explain the importance of systems thinking:

A
  • the major problems of our time cannot be understood in isolation, they are systemic problems, which means that they are all interconnected and interdependent
  • the way to sustain life is to build and nurture community, it is a dynamic process of co-evolution rather than a static state
  • we need to move towards thinking in terms of relationships (qualitative) versus quantitative approach that only values that which can be measured and weighed