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Family Therapy > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Family Stressors

A

Vertical and horizontal stressors

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2
Q

Vertical Stressors

A

Historical and inherited from previous generations

Family patterns, myths, expectations, secrets, legacies

THE NARRATIVE

This is the hand we are dealt, sexism, poverty, racism

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3
Q

Horizontal Stressors

A

Event stressors

PRESENT

Developmental like life cycle transitions

Also unpredictable like an untimely dearth, accident, natural disaster, lottery

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4
Q

Family Life cycle stages (traditional)

A
  1. Married Couple
  2. Childbearing family
  3. Preschool children
  4. School children
  5. Teens
  6. Launching kids
  7. Middle aged parents
  8. Aging family members
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5
Q

Life cycle stage one, leaving home

A

-accept emotional and financial responsibility for ones self

Differentiate, develop peer friendships, reallign with FOO

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6
Q

Second Stage: Join families through marriage as a new couple

A

Commitment to new system

Marital system, negotiate intimacy, become we without losing I

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7
Q

Thirds FLC stage: fam with young kids

A

Accepting new members into system

Make space for kids, join in time rearing, new roles established, and not sacrificing couple

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8
Q

FLC fourth stage, fam with adolescents

A

Increasing flexibility of family boundaries to allow more independence and grandparent frailties

Shift in parent child relationships, look multiculturaly different, rule and boundaries being renegotiated

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9
Q

FLC fifth stage, launching of kids “empty nest”

A

Accepting multiple exits from and into system

Renegotiate marriage, develop adult to adult relationship with kids, death of parents, new family members

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10
Q

6ht stage FLC, families in later life

A

Accepting shift of generational roles

Maintain own and couple functioning as aging

Room for older generation and middle become more central

Retirement, widowhood, chronic illness

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11
Q

FLC stages for divorcing families

A

-decision to divorce

Planning breakup of system

Separation

Divorce

Accepting ones own part in the failure of the marriage and mourning loss of intact family.

Have to restricting marital and all relationships in fam

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12
Q

FLC stages remarried family

A

Enter new relationship

Conceptualize planning new fam and marriage

Openness to new fam and readiness to deal with complexities

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13
Q

FLC stages Single parent family

A

Some choosing this some not choosing

Added stress to “normal” cycle

Harder transitions

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14
Q

FLC stages, gay and lesbian family

A

Have to cope with larger stigma

Still marginalized

Pressure to remain secretive or closeted

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15
Q

Family life cycle

A

The series of longitudinal stages or events that mark a family’s life offering an organizing scheme for viewing the family as a system proceeding through time

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16
Q

Developmental tasks

A

Problems to be overcome and conflicts to be mastered at various stages of the life cycle

Enable movement to next stage

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17
Q

Circular causality

A

The view that causality is nonlinear, occurring instead within a relationship context and through a network of interacting loops

Any cause is seen as an effect of a prior cause, as in interactions within family

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18
Q

Constructivism

A

The belief that an individuals knowledge of reality result from his or her subjective perceiving and subsequent constructing or inventing of the world, rather than how to i world objectively exists (second order cybernetics)

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19
Q

Cybernetics

A

The study of methods of feedback control within a system, especially the flow of info through feedback loops.

Concerned with systemic processes:
Info regulation
Adaptation
Self organization
Self reproduction
Strategic behavior
Maintaining homeostasis
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20
Q

Double bind concept

A

Bateson, Lidz, Bowen

Contradictions in levels of messages, result in conflicting and contradictory messages. Believed at the time to cause schizophrenia

DOUBLE BIND: individual.child receives conflicting messages from the same person, result in in confusing messages/expressions of love/hate

No matter how the child responds, its “wrong”

Creates panic, rage, then withdrawal

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21
Q

Dyad

A

A liaison, temporary or permanent, between two persons

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22
Q

Ecosystem approach

A

A perspective that goes beyond intrafamilial relationships to attend to the family’s relationships with larger systems (school, court, healthcare, etc)

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23
Q

Ethnicity

A

Defining characteristics of a social group with shared cultural traditions that carry on over generations and is reinforced within the group

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24
Q

Feedback

A

Reinsertation into a system of the results of it’s past performance as a method of controlling the system.

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25
First order cybernetics
Universal laws or codes were sought to explain what governs all systems. Gregory bateson “ all changes can be understood as an effort to maintain some constancy” applied this scientific system to human communicatoon
26
Family system
A social and or biological construction made up of a set of people related by blood or intention Defined as a whole made up of interacting parts
27
Wholeness
Elements of a system once combined produce an entity, a whole, that is greater than the sum of its parts Movement of one part influences the whole No element of a system can ever be understood in isolation since it never functions independently
28
Subsystems
Each system exists as a part of a larger SUPRASYSTEM which has smaller subsystems People exist in numerous subsystems which are in interaction with one another In families most enduring subsystems are the spousal, parental, and sibling subsystems
29
Organization
Systems are organized around the relationships that exist within them Family members interact with each other in a predictable organized fashion Organization offers clues to family’s interactive patterns
30
Family homeostasis
A family’s self regulating efforts to remain stable and resist change BATESON AND JACKSON believed families resist change and returned to state before being threatened. Clinicians today believe that homeostasis represents the tendency to seek a steady state when a system is perturbed Healthy families are resilient and able to adapt/change when needed without forfeiting long term stability
31
Feedback loops
Feedback happens in loops Circular mechanisms whose purpose is to introduce info about a systems output back to its input Allows system to alter, correct and overnight its ability to function and remain viable
32
Negative (attenuating) feedback
Function is to MAINTAIN Keep the status quo/ homeostasis Wants to keep system on track and stable Keeps functioning within limits and discourages change
33
Positive (amplifying) feedback
Function is to MODIFY the system Accommodates new info to make changes Amplifies deviations to increase instability and facilitates meeting new goals ENGAGES, GROWS, EXPANDS
34
Impact of WW2 on family therapy
Reuniting of families created problems (change of role of women etc) Macy Foundation conferenced during and after the war to understand how human systems worked Traumatic shock and wartime neurosis (psychosomatic illness)
35
When was family therapy founded
The 1950’s
36
Studies of schizophrenia and the family
Emphasized the family environment to understand psychopathology Schizophrenogenic mom (domineering cold, rejecting, shaming, possessive) which combined with a passive, detached, ineffectual father creates a MALE offspring who feels confused and inadequate who developed schizophrenia This was ultimately DISPROVED as it was linear and overly simplified BUT as a result more attention was given to dysfunctional interactions in family, family context, shared family experience, and family communications affect on individuals mental health
37
Marital schism
Each parent is preoccupied with their own problems Fail to make reciprocal role with spouse Undermines worth of other parent Parents compete for loyalty/support of kids. Marriage threatened
38
Marital skew
One parent is dependent and weak Other parent psychologically disturbed and domineering Children grow up thinking that is normal and their reality is distorted
39
Marriage and premarital counseling
Precursor to family therapy Psychological disturbances arise from conflicts BETWEEN persons (vs conflict WITHIN a person) Clergy and physicians are providers historically Sex counseling in the 60s
40
Child guidance movement
Early 1900s Assumed that if emotional problems start in childhood that’s identifying and treating early could prevent psychopathology ADLER AND DREIKURS Early intervention Have parents involved and acknowledging impact of social system Collab with professionals in treatment
41
Group dynamics and therapy
Emerged more fully after WW11 Family therapy a subset of group therapy Groups make interpersonal situations Safe place to recreate interactions and resolve conflicts
42
Nathan Ackerman
Father of family therapy Child psychoanalyst in the child guidance movement Wrong first paper dealing with treating whole paper Suggesting the usefulness of viewing whole family as an entity
43
How to evaluate theories
Comprehensive? Generalizable but not too simple Parsimonious? Explanation with as few assumptions as necessary Verifiable? Generate predictions that can be confirmed with data Precise? Concepts defined Empirically valid? Data confirms theory Stimulating? Lead to other thoughts and ideas
44
Little Hans case
Freud worked with his father Was afraid of horses Freud communicated with the father how to work with little Hans which was successful Freud didnt see Hans or the family system
45
Object relations theory
We relate to people in the present on the basis of expectations formed by early relationship experiences Branch of psychoanalytic theory developed in Britain Attention to individual drives/motives, development of the self, unconscious relationship seeking
46
Impact of attachment between mother and child
Attachment to mother is FOUNDATIONAL to the development of self/self identity Object relations, infants experiences in relationship and attachment with mom/caretaker as the mail determinant of adult personality being formed This relationship impacts unconscious views of self and others INTERNALIZED subjective representation of the “other” is created and is later projected onto others
47
Splitting
Infant experiences different sets of encounters with the mother, sometimes nurturing and attentive and at other times dismissive and distracted Internalizes image of mom as good object and bad object and forms SEPARATE relationships with each Infant cant leave the relationship so has to reconcile the two distinct experiences with mom thru fantasy world Good is idealized, bad is seen as rejecting By 2 years old most kids integrate both, HOW WELL THIS IS DONE EQUALS THE HEALTH OF FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS. SPLITTING IN ADULTHOOD LEADS TO VIEWING PEOPLE AS ALL GOOD OR ALL BAD. Makes instability in relationships
48
Projective identification
Melanie Klein, object relations theory Defending unconsciously against anxiety by projecting or externalities unwanted parts of self (split off parts) INTO others What wwe don’t like in ourselves we get annoyed with with others
49
Impact of Psychoanalytic theory on family systems theory
Many pioneers were psychoanalytically trained such as Ackerman, Bowen, lids, Jackson, minuchen, Wynn boszorenyi-Nagy ‘ Freud: awareness of the impact of family relationships on individuals personality development (unconscious conflict, resistance, transference) Adler: theory based on social relationships. FAMILY IS BASIC SOCIAL SYSTEM Sullivan: ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP
50
Ackerman’s interlocking pathology
Interdependence and reciprocal effect of disturbed behavior among various members of a family (eg: an individual “getting better” may result in an eventual divorce) An individuals personally should be assessed no in isolation but within the social and emotion context of the whole family
51
Contextual family therapy
Boszormenyi-Nagy - a theory that integrate and balance individuality and togetherness Environment and people give the action context to interpret concepts of self Relationships ar based on and influenced by 4 dimensions of reality: facts, individual psychology, systemic interactions, relational ethics
52
Contextual family therapy (CFT) relational ethics
Sets CFT apart Deals with balance of what people GIVE in relationships as opposed to what they are ENTITLED to from others Clients Myst assume responsibility for their actions Wants to build relational resource of trustworthiness Subject: constructed among relational members LONG TERM OSCILLATING BALANCE OF FAIRNESS AMONG MEMBERS WITHIN A FAMILY BOTH INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY (INSIDE A PERSON) AND SYSTEMS CHARACTERISTICS (WITHIN THE FAMILY)
53
CFT: trust
Fundamental property of relationships Can be depleted or restored depending on the capacity of family members to act upon a sense of loyalty and indebtedness
54
CFT invisible loyalty
Children unconsciously take on responsibilities to aid their parents, often to their own detriments
55
CFT family ledger
Family “obligations” and “debts” incurred over time are kept here Who still owes what to whom
56
CFT fairness
The therapeutic goal is to establish fairness by improving and rebalancing the give and take between family members
57
Bowen Differentiation of self
When family members are able to find a balance between the two life forces of togetherness and individuality
58
Bowens two life forces
Togetherness and individuality
59
Bowen Differentiation scale
0 is fusion, 100 is differentiation Below 50 (low differentiation): tries to please others, supports others seeks support. Can’t been autonomous, little ability to independently solve problems 51-75 (midrange): has definite beliefs and values, tends to be over concerted with the opinions of others, may decide emotionally or based or disapproval of others 76-100 (high differentiation) clear values and beliefs, flexible secure, autonomous, well defined sense of self
60
Degree of differentiation
Reflects degree of emotional independence from family
61
Fusion
We statements Ask what they think Cannot separate themselves from others React emotionally to the dictates of other family members
62
Differentiated
Able to take a stand on issues because they theink through, decide then act Can be intimate without being reactively shaped by others I statements
63
Triangulation
A common way for two person systems under stress to try to become stable, go to a third for an ally
64
Emotional cut off
A personas attempt at separating themselves from an emotionally fused family in order to insulate from chaos Attempt to minimize importance of relationships to avoid pain of unresolved issues in relationships Creates isolation DOESNT END EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS These people tend to have Brief superficial relationships with others as a result
65
Genogram
A Vistula representation of a persons family tree Help clients visualize their family structure, multigenerational patterns, and interpersonal family projection process
66
Suprasystem
Each system exists as part of the larger suprasystem
67
Holding environment
DW Winnecott The safe and nurturing environment provided by the mother to her infant that supports good enough psychological development
68
Symbiosis
Mother and child Intense enmeshment
69
Influence of Bowlby
Considered attachment and loss to be central to functioning

Family Therapy (2 decks)

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