PSYC 553 Family Dynamics Flashcards
Alignments
a term used in structural family therapy developed by Minuchin; ways in which family members join together or oppose one another in carrying out a family activity
Forming an alignment can often be a source of power for those who have formed it
These affiliations and splits, temporary or permanent, are usually formed in the pursuit of homeostasis within the family system
These alignments affect the dynamics of how the family interacts and relates to one another
EXAMPLE: The structural family therapist determined that the stable coalition between the mother and son against the father had an undermining effect on family functioning. The father felt disconnected from the mother and there was no alignment between them on key issues such as disciplining the son. This enabled the son to take advantage of the mother’s easy going disciplinary style and have excessive freedoms that were disrupting the family functioning
Bowen’s family systems theory (tenets of)
formulated by Dr. Murray Bowen in the 1950s; conceptualized family as emotional unit w/ network of interlocking relationships, best understood when analyzed within multigenerational framework; humans are always trying to balance two life forces–togetherness & autonomy
Conceptual focus is centered around eight interlocking concepts:
Nuclear Family Emotional System - the emotional unit is the nuclear family which consists of 4 relationship patterns (Distance, under and over functioning reciprocity, focus on a child, and conflict); concept on which all others are built
Triangles - a two-person system is unstable (tolerates little tension) and therefore a third person is brought in creating a triangle and reducing anxiety/tension
Differentiation of Self - individual should be differentiated from family; fusion is unhealthy and should be avoided
Emotional Cutoff - when an individual manages unresolved emotional issues with parents, siblings, and other family members by reducing or totally cutting off emotional contact with them. This does not solve anything and typically leads to more problems down the road
Family Projection Process - parents transmit their emotional problems to a child which can impair the functioning of one or more children and increase their vulnerability to clinical sxs
Multigenerational Transmission Process - family patterns repeat through generations; Specific roles and triangles reappear; levels of differentiation are correlated; children seek mates with similar level of differentiation
Sibling Position - personality characteristics are influenced by sibling position
Societal Emotional Process - just as in a family, there is a complex emotional process that exists in society
Bowen developed and utilized family genograms to look at these concepts in a multigenerational manner; Family system is the unit that receives the treatment - not an individual
EXAMPLE: The Smith family is in family therapy to address communication issues. Using Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, the therapist looks at the family as a single emotional unit with a series of interlocking relationships. In order to address potential conflict, he will analyze each relationship and its effect on family functioning and relating.
Brief solution focused therapy (tenets of)
(BSFT) based primarily on the work of Steve de Shazer; relatively brief (> 20 sessions) family therapy which focuses on change & solutions over current problems and pathology
Dysfunction develops from failed attempts at problem-solving; clients can become “stuck” in their problem-solving process
Focus on the present where problems are maintained rather than searching for cause
“problem talk” is negative → switch to solution-focused focused narrative; Language is used to imply that change will take place which makes the client’s expectant of change and therefore more willing to change
Techniques include asking exception questions (i.e. when was the problem less severe?), coping questions (i.e. what have you found is helpful in managing this?) and asking the Miracle question
Developed for family/marital counseling but used on individuals as well
EXAMPLE: The James family is in counseling due to continued strife between the parents and their teenage daughter. Utilizing Brief Solution-Focused Therapy, the therapist will focus on changing the family’s negative cognitions and problem-focused narrative, rather than focusing on their problems and pathology.
Circular questioning
a method of interviewing developed by the Milan Group; involves asking each family member questions designed to reveal their differences in perceptions of events and relationships w/in family
Helps explore the process of family interactions
Causes client to see themselves in a relational context
Allows therapist and family to hear different perspectives of family members, and also serves to expose recursive family patterns
EXAMPLE: During therapy, Ms. Tyler recalls an argument she had with her daughter the night before. After listening to Ms. Tyler describe the event, the therapist asks her daughter to describe the same event in her own words. He then asks Mr. Tyler to recall the argument. By using circular questioning in this way, the therapist exposes the family to each other’s perspectives of the same event and reveals recursive family patterns.
Coalition
structural family therapy term coined by minuchin; a type of alignment in which two family members (the insiders) join against a third (the outsider)
Can be stable, in which case they become dominant part of family’s everyday functioning
or detouring, in which coalition holds a third member of the family responsible for their difficulties &/or conflicts with one another
One way to identify a coalition is when two people talk about a third person in his/her presence
Similar to triangulation in Bowen theory
Can be cross generational - these are a particular cause for concern
EXAMPLE: While meeting with the Jones family, the therapist notices a coalition between Ms. Jones and her mother against Mr. Jones. Ms. Jones and her mother continually work together to undermine Mr. Jones in front of the children and have positioned themselves as the key authority figures in the household, blaming Mr. Jones for the family’s issues. This is a cross generational coalition and is of particular concern.
Deconstruction in narrative therapy
a technique used in Narrative Therapy base on ideas by Derrida that said literary works have no single meaning → remind clients a multitude of meanings or assumptions may be derived from the same event
Therapists help clients take apart and examine their narratives (taken-for-granted categories and assumptions), making possible newer and sounder constructions of meaning
Deconstructing the dominant narrative involves working to understand how the dominant narrative came to be and how it influences the pt’s thoughts, feelings, bxs.
Common methods are externalizing the problem, finding unique outcomes, and finding counterparts.
EXAMPLE: During a narrative therapy session with a family, the counselor asks the son, “Who told you “real men” don’t pay attention to their health?” This question is meant to help deconstruct the narrative. The counselor then encourages the boy to see masculinity from a variety of viewpoints so that he understands he has control over his definition of self.
Differentiation
part of Bowen’s Family Systems Theory; a term that refers to differentiation between thoughts and feelings, as well as differentiation between self (our experience) and others (people we are connected to’s/family’s experience)
The opposite of fusion
The less developed a person’s “self,” the more impact others have on his functioning and the more he tries to control, actively or passively, the functioning of others.
Better differentiated individuals are less prone to dysfunction
can be measured by health, education, relationship success, other success (contribution to society)
Therapists sometimes encourage clients to take the “I” position rather than the “We” position, which encourages fusion.
EXAMPLE: While counseling the Terrance family, a therapist notes a low level of differentiation between the oldest son and his family. This lack of separation between the thoughts of the individual and of the family seems to be contributing to Jerry’s level of dysfunction.
Disengagement
a term related to Structural Family Therapy developed by Minuchine; Occurs when boundaries in family system are too rigid
Rigid boundaries & subsequent disengagement occur when there is over-differentiation & individuation between family members, resulting in loss of “we” of family
Results in feelings of isolation and disconnectedness from each other
opposite of enmeshment
disengaged families must come under extreme stress before they mobilize assistance
EXAMPLE: Rosie is working with the Fredrick family. During a session she notes disengagement between the parents and their eldest son. They do not communicate, and they report feeling distant and avoiding each other when at home. Jack tells Rosie that sometimes he doesn’t even feel like he is part of the family.
Double blind
family therapy term; an emotionally distressing dilemma in communication in which a person receives two or more conflicting messages, and one message negates the other two; basically, a person is punished no matter what they do and feels they cannot win
also not allowed to comment on the situation in which they have been placed
Bateson and others hypothesized that this could cause severe pathology, such as schizophrenia.
EXAMPLE: Your client with an eating disorder tells you that her mother is constantly criticizing her appearance. She reports her mother saying things like, “Hold your shoulders back and walk with confidence” while in public and then in private saying things like, “You’ll love yourself better if you’re skinny.” This is an example of a double bind because the client is receiving conflicting messages.
Enactment
a technique developed by Minuchin and used in structural family therapy;
an interaction stimulated in therapy in order to observe and then change transactions that make up family structure;
can being about reframing
observing and modifying the structure of family transactions in the immediate context of the session
therapist works with what they see not what family members describe
therapist stimulates the family to demonstrate how they handle a particular problem
Therapist suggests certain topics for family to discuss.
Requires 3 operations; 1. therapist defines/recognizes a problematic sequence 2. therapist direct an enactment 3. therapist guides the family to modify the enactment.
EXAMPLE: The Collins family is in therapy because the oldest son Charles has been acting out, recently resulting in his suspension from school. Believing his dysfunction to be a result of tension at home, the therapist asks the Collins family to enact their relationship patterns during the session starting with them finding out about the suspension. By observing these interactions, the therapist gains a better sense of the family structure and interactional patterns.
Enmeshment
a concept introduced by Salvador Minuchin to describe families where personal boundaries are diffused, sub-systems undifferentiated, and over-concern for others leads to a loss of autonomous development. opposite is disengagement with rigid boundaries. An enmeshed family allows individual members little to no autonomy or personal boundaries. The roles among family members can be very rigid. parents are dependent on each other and/or their children to make them whole, happy, and loved.
EXAMPLE: Lyle and his parents are in family therapy, because they are struggling with Lyle’s decision to go to an out-of-state college. During the session, the therapist notes a lack of boundaries between mother and son and enmeshment between the two. His mother seemed very involved in his life resulting in Lyle’s lack of independence.
Entropy
in family systems theory,refers to a system that is closed to the environment; lack of energy and information being taken in; gradual decline into disorder; systems that lack the capability to deal with stress may gradually regress into disorder especially when operating as a closed system, not receiving feedback from the outside system, leading to operating in an ineffective, fearful, or confused manner during times of crisis; within a family system entropy can increase, decrease, or remain the same
EXAMPLE: You’re treating a single mother that is distressed because of her daughter’s recent autism diagnosis. She isolates herself because she fears the judgement from other two-parent families. Because of this, she lacks the capability to deal with this stressor. Her and her daughter operate within a closed system. This is characteristic of entropy within the family.
Experiential family therapy (tenets of)
Experiential family therapy is founded on the premise that the root cause of family problems is emotional suppression, lack of awareness, mystification (distorting a child’s experience by denying it or relabeling it)
- Whitaker (self-fulfillment and family cohesiveness) & Satir (focus on communication) key figures
- Basic commitment to individual self-expression; emphasis on flexibility and freedom
- Depathologizing
- Therapist uses self as tool in order to effectively engage families - therapist uses creativity
- One of the central goals in therapy is that members begin to experience themselves more openly and non defensively in relationship with one another
- Use of expressive tools and techniques - role-play, props, guided imagery, etc.
EXAMPLE: Damien and Mary have come to therapy to address issues within their marriage. They have only been married a short time, but already the therapist notices tension and a lack of communication. The therapist works with the couple to address these issues by utilizing Experiential Family Therapy. He employs techniques such as role playing, use of props, and other experience activities in order to encourage emotional expression and growth.
Externalization technique
developed by Michael White in the context of narrative therapy; therapeutic technique of personifying problems as external to persons
instead of having/being a problem, clients are encouraged to think of themselves as struggling against their problems – work together to ‘defeat’ it
by naming The Problem, clients can take ownership of it and their relationship with it
Starts with language - that is, referring to The Problem with its own identity.
This process is seen as critical in narrative therapy; allows the practitioner, the client, their family and significant others to be critical of The Problem, without being critical of the person
EXAMPLE: A family came to therapy because the mother was depressed and the family was blaming her for not fulfilling her motherly/wifely duties. In an effort to externalize the problem, the therapist asked the mother, ‘What does the depression tell you about yourself?’ Her response allowed the family to see the depression as an external problem and not mother’s entire being.
Fusion
part of family systems theory; a blurring of psychological boundaries between self and others and a contamination of emotional and intellectual functioning
When a family member or members are not differentiated and are therefore drawn into each other’s emotions and anxieties
Individuals who are fused with their families have trouble differentiating thoughts from feelings in a similar matter that they have trouble differentiating their thoughts/feelings from the family’s
Contributes to dysfunction
EXAMPLE: Taylor’s parents are in a state of crisis. They have not been communicating effectively, and the tension between them has started to effect Taylor. Because of the fusion between Taylor and her mother, she has begun to experience extreme anxiety. The lack of differentiation between the two has led to Taylor experiencing the negative emotions felt in the parental relationship.
