Theories Flashcards
Contextual theory
Founder: Ivan Bozornemenyi- Nagy
What are the underpinnings of contextual theory
-problems arise in the family system when there are perceived injustices that have not been adequately addressed.
-takes into consideration the social and political context of the family including socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and religion
What are the theories of change for contextual theory
Change occurs by promoting a sense of mutual understanding, responsibility/ accountability and trust between family members that allowed for feelings of greater balance and fairness
Contextual theory main concepts
Relational ethics: focus on maintaining long term feelings of fairness within a family system resulting in the interests of all family members being taken into account
Relational resources: the attributes of a family that allows them to support and advance the needs of eachother. These attributes include reliability, consideration and accountability
Ledger: Essentially an accounting system that is passed on from one generation to the next. The family ledger determines who is entitled to what and who is indebted to others
Entitlement: what family members believe is rightfully theirs or what they are owned as a consequence of their behaviors of others
Destructive entitlement: when a family member believes that they have not received what they are entitled to from their family of origin and seek to obtain from their family of creation
Indebtedness: what family members owe and to whom in the family system they owe it to.
Filial loyalty: who in the family is connected to whom how family members demonstrate/express their loyalties to one another and the expectations within the family
Invisible loyalty: children, unconsciously, engage, and taking actions that ate their parents and are often detrimental to the child’s well-being.
Trust: the foundation of relationships which can be built, opera diminish, based on how family members engage with one another
Family legacy: the expectations within a family letter, passed down from one generation to the next, which can include family roles. The family legacy determines perceived, entitlements, and indebtedness.
Multigenerational partiality: this concept focuses on the best interest of each individual, even those who are not currently in the room to promote relational fairness
Contextual theory, treatment goals
Take responsibility and accountability for one’s own behaviors and actions.
Understand the family legacy and subsequently work to regain, a sense of balance, fairness, equality, and trust
Free oneself from the loyalties within a family that damage the well-being of the family
Increase ability to negotiate, perceived imbalances in the family, to enhance feelings of fairness and accountability
Enhance understanding of relational ethics by considering what is in the best interest of others, in learning the benefit of being a giver and receiver
Contextual theory interventions
Interventions my serve, the best interest of everyone in the family, and that’s a therapist advocates for each person in the multigenerational family
Recognizing verbalize the positive efforts or past injuries of one family member to facilitate family members ability to engage in the practice with each other
Therapist asked questions and offer suggestions to family members that focus on fairness and accountability
Adult children are encouraged to look at their parents as human, struggling with their own problems
Explore the possibility of individuals earning entitlements by taking on the role of give her with others
Empathize with parents, the importance of being trustworthy with their children
Ask questions to facilitate dialogue between family members
Contextual theory stages of treatment
Beginning, gather, detailed, family history. Gather information on the potential causes of symptomology avoid pathology Izing symptoms. Assess the family loyalties legacies and ledger, relational ethics. It is possible to utilize a genogram to understand what has been passed down or perceived have been passed down from one generation to the next. Teach concepts of fairness to family members and role, model, and pathetic understanding of each person.
Early/middle: address is inadequate, family resources, basic needs such as housing food facilitate discussion of fairness with the family by asking direct questions. Collaborative the family to find greater balance in the family ledger.
End: reinforce new patterns of interactions between family members that lead to a greater sense of fairness, trust and balance
Intergenerational theory/bowenian therapy
Founder Murray Bowen
Underpinnings problems develop through a lack of intrapsychic and interpersonal differentiation. The inability to develop balance between intellect and emotion as well as self, and others leads to anxiety.
Intergenerational theory : role of the therapist
Coach, maintains differentiated, and non-anxious stance, non-reactive observer provides statements of opinion, while avoiding interpretations takes an i position
Intergenerational theory: main concepts
Triangle: a three person system that is considered to be the smallest stable emotional system
Triangulation: occurs when two people under stress bring in a third person or thing in attempt to minimize anxiety
Differentiation of self: a main goal of therapy is to increase the level of differentiation of self. Refers to an individuals ability to separate emotions from intellect in the face of anxiety. The less differentiation of self the more fused a person and the greater dysfunction in the family. The greater the level of differentiation the more person is able to rely on their intellect. Well also enjoying intimacy is close relationships. High levels of differentiation from family of origin can be seen and individuals, exhibiting healthy relationships with their family of creation not fused, not distant.
Differentiation of self scale: a 100 point scale, broken into quadrants, with zero equaling, no self fusion, and 100 equating realized self
Family projection process: the mechanism by which parental emotional issues are projected onto a child. For example, lower functioning parents tend to pass their low level of differentiation onto the most vulnerable child in the family.
Multigenerational transmission process: the concept of passing on patterns of behavior, rolls and levels of differentiation from one generation to the next, which perpetuates severe dysfunction in the family of creation.
Nuclear family emotional system: a.k.a. undifferentiated family ego mass. Describes the dysfunctional, emotional, stuck togetherness or fusion of the family that includes high levels of emotional reactivity in anxiety prominent features in schizophrenic families.
Emotional cut off: Bowens term for flight from an unresolved emotional attachment to a persons family of origin. It represents a false sense of freedom as the problems were man unresolved and continue to negatively affect the person attempting to disconnect.
Emotional fusion: a blurring of psychological boundaries between self and others. It is considered to be passed down from generation to generation.
Genogram: schematic diagram of the family system diagrams the family, typical three generations are more to help determine critical, turning points in the family, emotional process characteristics of family members, and provide an evolutionarily picture of family.
Sibling position the position of a child in the family relative to other siblings, oldest youngest, middle child Bowen, believe that people who grow up in the same sibling position share important attributes.
Who are the founders of General Systems theory/ cybernetics
Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Gregory Bateson, Norbort Weiner
What is phenomenological basis
Gestalts term: understanding and focusing on the clients perception or reality
Bowen
Lack of Differentiation of self contributes to problems in the relationships
Bowen- coach or education
Really concerned about past generations — wise grandfather
