family therapies Flashcards
What theory forms the roots of most approaches to family therapy?
General systems theory and cybernetic theory
What does general systems theory predict about systems?
All systems consist of interacting components, are governed by the same general rules, and have homeostatic mechanisms
What are homeostatic mechanisms?
Mechanisms that help systems maintain a state of stability and equilibrium
What is the focus of cybernetic theory?
Mechanisms that regulate a system’s functioning
What distinguishes negative feedback loops from positive feedback loops?
Negative feedback loops resist change; positive feedback loops amplify change
Who were the early contributors to the application of general systems theory in family therapy?
Bateson and his colleagues at the Mental Research Institute
What problematic behavior is linked to double-bind communication?
The development of schizophrenia
What occurs in double-bind communication?
A person receives two contradictory messages and is not allowed to comment on the contradiction
What are symmetrical interactions?
Interactions that reflect equality and elicit similar behavior from the other person
What can happen to symmetrical interactions over time?
They can escalate in intensity and become a ‘one-upmanship game’
What do complementary interactions reflect?
Inequality in behavior, where one person assumes a dominant role and the other a subordinate role
What occurs when interactions between family members are exclusively symmetrical or complementary?
Problems occur in families
What recent philosophical movement has influenced family therapy?
Postmodernism
What does postmodernism challenge regarding general systems theory?
The premise that there are universal laws governing systems that can be discovered scientifically
What perspective do recent approaches to family therapy generally adopt?
Constructivist or social constructionist perspective
How do recent approaches view the process of family therapy?
As a shared process where the therapist collaborates with the family
Fill in the blank: Bateson distinguished between symmetrical and _______ interactions.
complementary
What is Bowen’s extended family systems therapy also known as?
Intergenerational and transgenerational family therapy
What does differentiation refer to in Bowen’s therapy?
A person’s ability to distinguish between their own feelings and thoughts
What happens when a family dyad experiences tension according to Bowen?
They may recruit a third family member to form an emotional triangle
Fill in the blank: The family projection process refers to the parents’ projection of their emotional immaturity onto their _______.
Children
What is the multigenerational transmission process?
Transmission of emotional immaturity from one generation to the next
What is the primary goal of Bowenian therapy?
To increase each family member’s differentiation
In Bowenian therapy, what is a genogram used for?
To depict family relationships and important life events for at least three generations
What does Minuchin’s structural family therapy assume about family member symptoms?
They are related to problems in the family’s structure
What are subsystems in structural family therapy?
Smaller units of the entire family system responsible for specific tasks
What type of boundary leads to enmeshed relationships?
Overly diffuse boundaries
What is a stable coalition in structural family therapy?
An inflexible alliance between one parent and a child against the other parent
True or False: An unstable coalition occurs when each parent demands that the child side with them.
True
What is the primary focus of structural family therapy?
Promoting behavior change rather than insight
What are the three overlapping phases of structural family therapy?
Joining, evaluating, and intervening
What technique involves adopting the family’s communication style in joining?
Mimesis
What does reframing involve in structural family therapy?
Relabeling a problematic behavior to view it constructively
What is unbalancing in the context of structural family therapy?
Altering hierarchical relationships by aligning with a family member
Fill in the blank: Boundary making is used to alter the degree of _______ between family members.
Proximity
What does enactment involve in structural family therapy?
Asking family members to role-play a problematic interaction
What is the primary assumption of Haley’s strategic family therapy?
Struggles for power and control in relationships are core features of family functioning.
How is a symptom viewed in strategic family therapy?
A symptom is a strategy that is adaptive to a current social situation for controlling a relationship when all other strategies have failed.
What often leads to maladaptive family functioning according to strategic family therapy?
Unclear or inappropriate hierarchies within a family.
What is the primary goal of strategic family therapy?
To alter family interactions that are maintaining its symptoms.
What role does the therapist assume in strategic family therapy?
An active role using a variety of strategies aimed at changing behavior.
What are the four stages of the initial session in strategic family therapy?
- Social stage
- Problem stage
- Interactional stage
- Goal-setting stage