system theory terms 2nd

Question 1

What does causality imply in systemic thinking?

Answer 1

Causality in systemic thinking implies that one person is not the ‘cause’ of the problem; rather, there is a systemic response to specific challenges.

(Flaskas, 2010)

Question 2

What is circular causality?

Answer 2

Circular causality is related to circular or reciprocal causation patterns, where A leads to B, which leads back to A, and so on.

(Rasheed, Rasheed, & Marley, 2011)

Question 3

What is a closed system?

Answer 3

A closed system is one that does not interact or engage with external systems, such as a family with deep secrets known only within the family.

Question 4

What is a complementary system of communication?

Answer 4

A complementary system of communication is one where individuals ‘mirror’ each other, such as an authoritarian and a submissive person.

Question 5

What is Conjoint Family Drawing?

Answer 5

In this technique from experiential family therapy, family members draw a picture of their family together, highlighting differences in viewpoints and acknowledging roles or emotions.

Question 6

What does context refer to in a family system?

Answer 6

Context refers to what is around the family system or individual, including the extended systems that are part of the family’s experience.

(Cox & Paley, 1997)

Question 7

What is continuous change?

Answer 7

Continuous change is the idea that change occurs progressively over time in smaller, minor changes.

(Smith-Acuna, 2011)

Question 8

What is cybernetics?

Answer 8

Cybernetics is a field focused on the mechanism of feedback by which a system corrects itself, maintaining ‘normality’ through adjustments based on environmental information.

(Weiner, 1948; Keeney, 1983)

Question 9

What is differentiation in Bowen theory?

Answer 9

Differentiation deals with a person’s ability to manage their need for both intimate connection with others and personal autonomy.

Question 10

What is discontinuous change?

Answer 10

Discontinuous change is a sudden, more pronounced change, such as the arrival of a family’s first baby, requiring adaptation.

Question 11

What is a double bind?

Answer 11

A double bind is an intense message with contradictory content, creating a difficult situation where the recipient cannot escape the meaning.

Question 12

What is emotional cutoff?

Answer 12

Emotional cutoff is a mechanism where individuals distance themselves from difficult family emotional processes, sometimes geographically or emotionally.

Question 13

What is epistemology?

Answer 13

Epistemology is the way one understands what is in front of them and the root from which decisions are made.

Question 14

What does equifinality mean?

Answer 14

Equifinality describes how many possible variables could lead to one specific result.

(Smith-Acuna, 2011)

Question 15

What is externalization in therapy?

Answer 15

Externalization separates the person from the problem, allowing the narrative therapist to view the problem as external to the person.

Question 16

What is the Family Projection Process?

Answer 16

The Family Projection Process is the idea that parents project their own anxieties and lack of differentiation onto their children.

Question 17

What is feedback in a system?

Answer 17

Feedback is when the system takes in information and adjusts as needed based on that feedback.

(Hanson, 1995)

Question 18

What is homeostasis?

Answer 18

Homeostasis is a system’s natural restructuring to maintain its intended function.

(Messer, 1971)

Question 19

What is family sculpting?

Answer 19

Family sculpting is an intervention where family members arrange each other as if they were clay, visually portraying their perceptions of the family system.

Question 20

What is first order change?

Answer 20

First order change is a small or immediate change that is typically temporary and does not significantly alter the larger system.

Question 21

What is joining in family therapy?

Answer 21

Joining is an intervention where therapists become part of the family system to help realign it, accommodating to the system’s ways and displaying empathy.

Question 22

What is linear causality?

Answer 22

Linear causality is when one aspect causes another, such as a rock causing someone to trip.

(Flaskas, 2010)

Question 23

What is the Mental Research Institute (MRI)?

Answer 23

The MRI was conceived to study family relationships and their impact on health and illness, contributing to strategic therapy and the journal Family Process.

Question 24

What is modernism?

Answer 24

Modernism was a dominant epistemology during the industrial period, emphasizing science as an accurate explanation for knowledge.

Question 25

What is multifinality?

Answer 25

Multifinality refers to multiple possible 'endings' that can arise from one action. ## Footnote (Hanson, 1995)

Question 26

What is the multigenerational transmission process?

Answer 26

The multigenerational transmission process is the idea that the family emotional process is passed down from one generation to the next.

Question 27

What does naïve realism imply?

Answer 27

Naïve realism implies that people generally only see part of the whole. ## Footnote (Keeney, 1983)

Question 28

What is negative feedback?

Answer 28

Negative feedback occurs when events do not lead to any change in the system. ## Footnote (Hanson, 1995)

Question 29

What is nonsummativity?

Answer 29

Nonsummativity is the idea that the whole of a system is more than the sum of its individual parts.

Question 30

What is not-knowing in therapy?

Answer 30

Not-knowing is a stance where the therapist assumes they do not fully understand the client's constructs, prompting deeper exploration.

Question 31

What is the nuclear family emotional process?

Answer 31

The nuclear family emotional process includes how the family thinks, feels, behaves, and responds to one another.

Question 32

What is an open system?

Answer 32

An open system interacts with and is influenced by external systems. ## Footnote (Day, 2007)

Question 33

What is an ordeal in therapy?

Answer 33

An ordeal is a task assigned by the therapist that is more problematic than the presenting issue, creating a second order shift in the system.

Question 34

What is positive feedback?

Answer 34

Positive feedback leads to some kind of change in the system. ## Footnote (Hanson, 1995)

Question 35

What is postmodernism?

Answer 35

Postmodernism is a philosophy that rejects the existence of an objective reality, encouraging the embrace of multiple perspectives.

Question 36

What are reciprocal systems?

Answer 36

Reciprocal systems are balanced systems where relationships encourage healthy competition and a sense of connection and independence.

Question 37

What is reframing in therapy?

Answer 37

Reframing helps clients understand their problems within the context of the larger family system, shifting perspectives on issues.

Question 38

What is second order cybernetics?

Answer 38

In second order cybernetics, the therapist becomes part of the family's cybernetic processes, influencing family dynamics.

Question 39

What is sibling position in Bowen theory?

Answer 39

Sibling position refers to how a child's position among siblings affects their experience of the family emotional process.

Question 40

What is social constructionism?

Answer 40

Social constructionism suggests that our understanding of reality is shaped by social interactions, particularly through language.

Question 41

What is the societal emotional process?

Answer 41

The societal emotional process extends Bowen theory to larger social contexts, recognizing that all human relationships face systemic patterns.

Question 42

What is a subsystem?

Answer 42

A subsystem is a smaller part of a larger system, such as grandparents or parents within an extended family system.

Question 43

What is a symmetrical system?

Answer 43

A symmetrical system is characterized by similarity and competition among its members, where actions are mirrored across the system.

Question 44

What is a system?

Answer 44

A system is a group where the members affect each other and are affected by each other.

Question 45

What are triangles in family theory?

Answer 45

Triangles are used in family relationships to maintain stability within the family.

Question 46

What are unique outcomes in therapy?

Answer 46

Unique outcomes, or 'sparkling moments', are instances when the problem did not exist or was less severe, identified through deeper questioning.

Question 47

What is validation in therapy?

Answer 47

Validation is an intervention where the therapist acknowledges a client's experience or emotions.

Question 48

What are 'sparkling moments' in therapy?

Answer 48

They are moments when the therapist identifies times when the problem either didn’t exist or wasn’t as bad. ## Footnote Freedman & Combs, 1996; White & Epston, 1990

Question 49

How does a therapist identify 'sparkling moments'?

Answer 49

The therapist looks for times within the family's story where they are getting along and brings these out through deeper questions or curious observations.

Question 50

What is validation in therapy?

Answer 50

It is an intervention where the therapist acknowledges a client’s experience or emotional response, conveying that it is valid and not wrong to feel a certain way. ## Footnote Vogt, 2014

Question 51

What is the purpose of validation in therapy?

Answer 51

It helps create emotional safety and strengthens the therapeutic alliance, especially for clients who may not be comfortable with their emotions.

Question 52

What does 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts' mean?

Answer 52

It means that an individual cannot be understood without considering and analyzing the individual’s system. ## Footnote Watzlawicz, Beavelas, & Jackson, 1967