Family Systems Theory and AN Flashcards
Support for the concept of enmeshment:
Manzi et. al. (2006)
showed a distinction between family factors promoting emotional development and those that stifle it
family cohesion shows supportive family interactions whilst enmeshment’s rooted in manipulation and control
cohesion was linked to psychological wellbeing whereas enmeshment had the opposite effect; this was applied to different cultures too
Research support for lack of conflict resolution:
Latzer and Gaber (1998)
carried it an observational study on comparing patterns of conflict resolution in daughters with AN and their mothers and mothers with daughters without AN
they were asked to disagree on 2 topics and had to stay off food and found that daughters with AN found it difficult choosing topics, remaining focused and moving toward resolution
Problems with the psychosomatic family model:
Kog and Vandereycken (1989)
Research had produced disappointment and inconsistent findings regarding the characteristics in family’s with a member with AN
K&V: failed to find the characteristics predicted by the PFM in families with an AN member
families with someone with an eating disorder at a diverse group in terms of the nature of family relationships
Gender bias in family systems theory:
Gremillion (2003)
claims that there’s gender bias in the theory as it focuses on the mother-daughter relationship
enmeshment is often maternal in origin despite any family members ability to engage in it
thus therapy to reduce enmeshment is focused on reforming ‘dysfunctional’ mothers rather than acknowledging the role played by fathers
fathers often contribute due to the tendency f being controlling and demanding and thus their role is overlooked in the development of AN
