Family Therapies Flashcards
General Systems Theory
Defines a system as an entity that is maintained by the mutual interactions of its components and assumes that the actions of interacting components are best understood by studying them in their context
Cybernetics
Described by mathematician and applied to family communication process. key feature is concept of the feedback loop through which a system receives information
Negative Feedback Loop
Reduces deviation and helps a system maintain the status quo
Positive Feedback Loop
Amplifies deviation or change and thereby disrupts the system; positive feedback promotes appropriate change in a dysfunctional family system
Double-bind communication
An etiological factor for schizophrenia; is an emotionally distressing dilemma in communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more conflicting messages, and one message negates the other.
Communication/interaction family therapy
focuses on the impact of communication on family and individual functioning; it distinguishes between two communication patterns: symmetrical communication and complementary communication
Symmetrical communication
occurs between equals but may escalate into a competitive one-upsmanship game in which each participant tries to outdo the other
Complementary communication
occurs between individuals who are unequal and emphasizes their differences; common complementary pattern is for one participant to assume the dominant role while the other is submissive
Communication/interaction Family Therapy-
View of Maladaptive Behavior
Accept a circular model of causality that regards a symptom as both a cause and effect of dysfunctional communication patterns, which include blaming and criticizing, mindreading, and overgeneralizing
Communication/interaction Family Therapy-
Goals and Techniques
Primary goal of therapy is to alter the interactional patterns that are maintaining the presenting symptoms. This is accomplished using direct techniques and paradoxical strategies
Extended Family Systems Therapy
Bowen; extends general systems theory beyond the nuclear family and describes the functioning of the extended family
Differentiation of self-
A person’s ability to separate his or her intellectual and emotional functioning; the lower a person’s level of differentiation, the more the person is at the mercy of his/her emotions and the more likely that he/she will become fused with the emotions that dominate the family
Emotional triangle
When a two-person system such as a husband-wife or parent-child experiences instability or stress, a third person may be recruited into the system to increase stability and reduce tension.
Extended Family Systems Therapy-
View of Maladaptive Behavior
behavioral disorders are a result of a multigenerational transmission process in which progressively lower levels of differentiation are transmitted from one generation to the next
Extended Family Systems Therapy
Goals
Primary goal is to increase the differentiation of all family members
Structural Family Therapy
Minuchin; emphasizes altering the family’s structure in order to change the behavior patterns of family members
Boundaries
Barriers or rules that determine the amount of contact that is allowed between family members; when families are overly rigid, family members are disengaged (isolated) from one another; when boundaries are too diffuse or permeable, family members are enmeshed (overly dependent and close)
Rigid triads (Structural Family Therapy)- 1. Detouring
occurs when the parents focus on a child either by overprotecting or blaming (scapegoating) the child for the family’s problems
Rigid triads (Structural Family Therapy)- 2. Stable Coalition
occurs when a parent and child form a cross-generational coalition and consistently “gang up” against the other parent
Rigid triads (Structural Family Therapy)- 3. Triangulation
occurs when each parent demands that the child side with him/her against the other parent; child is constantly being pulled in two directions
Structural Family Therapy-
View of Maladaptive Behavior
Family dysfunction is viewed as the result of an inflexible family structure that prohibits the family from adapting to maturational and situational stressors in a healthy way (ex. psychosomatic families– enmeshment)
Structural Family Therapy:
Goals
Restructuring the family is the primary long term goal of therapy; may also address symptom relief and other short-term goals using techniques from other forms of therapy
Structural Family Therapy:
Joining
First task is to develop a therapeutic system by joining the family in a position of leadership; involves blending with the family and includes tracking (identifying and using the family’s values, life themes, and significant life events in conversations) and mimesis (adopting the family’s affective and communication style)
Strategic Family Therapy
paradoxical interventions; focuses on transactional patterns and views symptoms as interpersonal events that serve to control relationships; therapy focuses on symptom relief and interventions designed to alter the behavior of family members
Strategic Family Therapy: View of maladaptive behavior
emphasize the role of communication in maladaptive behaviors, especially how it is used to exert control in a relationship
Strategic Family Therapy: Therapy goals
Focus is on alleviating current symptoms by altering a family’s transactions and organization, especially its hierarchies and generational boundaries
Paradoxical intervention
alters the behavior of family members by helping them see a symptom in an alternative way or recognize they have control over their behaviors or by using their resistance in a constructive way
Milan Systemic Family Therapy
based on the premise that, in a family system, there are circular patterns of action and reaction. Maladaptive behavior results when a family’s patterns become so fixed that family members are no longer able to act creatively or to make new choices about their lives
Milan Systemic Family Therapy: Goals/Techniques
help family members see their choices and assist them in exercising their prerogative of choosing; uses therapeutic team; hypothesizing, neutrality, paradox, circular questions
Behavioral Family Therapy
based on the principles of operant conditioning, social learning theory, and social exchange theory; maladaptive behavior is learned and maintained by its antecedents and consequences
Object Relations Family Therapy
maladaptive behavior is the result of both intrapsychic and interpersonal factors; goal is to resolve each family member’s attachment to family introjects; entails interpreting transferences, resistances, and other factors in order to foster insight, which is considered essential to change
Ordeal
Type of paradoxical intervention; unpleasant tasks that the client must perform whenever a symptom occurs (i.e. buying gift for disliked MIL)
