Week 4: Psychological Approaches: Beyond the Individual to Couple, Family, and Group Work Pt. 1

Question 1

A framework that views individuals as parts of larger systems (like families).

Answer 1

Systemic Theory

Question 2

Therapy that focuses on the entire family system, not just the individual.

It started developing out of system theory and out of cybernetic approaches in the 1950s, and argue a view of problems and ‘pathology’ as fundamentally interpersonal as opposed to individual.

Answer 2

Systemic Approaches / Systemic Family Therapy

Question 3

Therapy that emphasizes that individuals are influenced by their relationships and social environment.

Factors like family, education, neighborhood, and cultural beliefs shape an individual’s development.

Answer 3

Systemic Therapy

Question 4

A type of therapy that focuses on unconscious thoughts and feelings, often associated with Sigmund Freud.

Answer 4

Psychoanalytic

Question 5

Approaches that study how systems interact and control each other, often used in engineering and biology

Answer 5

Cybernetic Approaches

Question 6

The study of disease or abnormal conditions.

Answer 6

Pathology

Question 7

Who pioneered systemic therapy from the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California?

Answer 7

Gregory Bateson
Don Jackson
John Weakland
Jay Haley

Question 8

They applied anthropological methods of observation and social system theory to work with families of individuals presenting with schizophrenia.

Answer 8

Gregory Bateson
Don Jackson
John Weakland
Jay Haley

Question 9

Communication has both a surface-level meaning (content) and a deeper meaning (intent).

Answer 9

Content Level vs Intent Level of Communication

Question 10

The unspoken or implied message that accompanies verbal communication.

Answer 10

Meta-Communication

Question 11

A situation where a person receives contradictory messages, making it difficult to respond appropriately.

People might say one thing but mean something completely different. This can create confusion and problems within the family.

Example: A parent tells a child, “Do whatever you want,” but their facial expression and tone of voice suggest disapproval.

Answer 11

Double-Blind Communication

Question 12

A form of paradoxical communication in which contradictory and logically inconsistent messages are communicated.

A bit of, you’re doomed if you do and you’re doomed if you don’t.

Answer 12

Double-Blind Theory (1965)

Question 13

This theory is used to describe how schizophrenic symptoms could be explained in the context of families.

Once the receiver perceived the world in these contradictory messages, the Palo Alto Group argued that they would feel confused, and trying to make sense of these messages may lead to schizophrenic symptoms.

Answer 13

Double Blind Theory (1965)

Question 14

A state of equilibrium or stability within a system.

Answer 14

Homeostatic Balance

Question 15

It is about maintaining a stable state, whether in a biological or social system.

For example, if a family member’s behavior is seen as disruptive or problematic, the other family members might unconsciously reinforce that behavior to maintain a sense of balance or normalcy.

Answer 15

Homeostatic Balance

Question 16

Communication that is contradictory or illogical.

Answer 16

Paradoxical Communication

Question 17

An American psychiatrist who made significant contributions to the study of family dynamics and schizophrenia.

He is particularly known for his research on the role of fathers in the development of mental health problems, especially schizophrenia.

Answer 17

Theodore Lidz (1910 -2001)

Question 18

The people and groups that an individual interacts with.

Answer 18

Social Network

Question 19

It recognizes that individuals are not isolated, but are part of a larger system (like a family).

Just as you can use your friends to help you move a heavy object, you can also use your relationships to help you cope with challenges.

Answer 19

Systemic Therapy

Question 20

This refers to the idea that mental health problems are caused by something wrong with the individual.

Answer 20

Individual Pathology

Question 21

This means bringing together resources or people to achieve a goal.

Answer 21

Mobilization

Question 22

Acknowledges that individuals do not exist in a vacuum (no man is an island), but rather they exist in relation to significant people in their lives, and in relation to this social network.

Answer 22

Systemic Therapy

Question 23

What do systemic therapists argue?

Answer 23

Psychotherapy should not be seen as the cure to mental illness, but as a way to help people strengthen their relationships - making disturbing symptoms less necessary or problematic.

Question 24

What do systemic therapists argue?

Answer 24

Difficulties need to be explored in the context of an individual’s social environment.

Question 25

Are a type of communication or discussion where opposing ideas or perspectives are presented and debated in order to arrive at a deeper understanding.

It’s like a conversation where two people with different viewpoints try to understand each other’s arguments and find common ground.

Answer 25

Dialectical Interactions

Question 26

What influenced systemic therapy?

Answer 26

Modernism
Post-modernism
Social Constructionism

Question 27

The idea that meanings are not fixed but can change depending on cultural context.

Answer 27

Relativity of Meaning

Question 28

What is the systemic view resulting from social constructionist and post-modernist beliefs?

Answer 28

Reality per se does not exist - it is socially constructed by individuals in dialectical interactions.

Meanings and connotations individuals attach to objects/concepts are the result of socially agreed conventions.

Question 29

These are philosophical and cultural movements that influenced the development of systemic family therapy.

Answer 29

Modernism: reason, progress, and the belief in the ability of science and technology to improve society

Post-Modernism: idea of objective truth and emphasized the role of culture, language, and power

Question 30

This is the idea that reality is not fixed but is socially created and influenced by cultural beliefs and values.

Answer 30

Social Constructionism

Question 31

This refers to the act of disagreeing with or opposing a prevailing opinion or policy, especially in a political or social context.

Answer 31

Dissent

Question 32

A classification system used by mental health professionals.

Answer 32

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM)

Question 33

Is a Latin phrase that means “by itself” or “in itself.

Answer 33

Per se

Question 34

The idea that everyone has their own unique perspective and understanding of the world.

Answer 34

Subjective Realities

Question 35

The tools through which we create and share meaning.

Answer 35

Language and Communication

Question 36

The narratives that families create to make sense of their experiences.

These stories can shape family dynamics and individuals’ beliefs about themselves.

Postmodern View: These are not objective but are socially constructed.

Answer 36

Family Stories / Family is the “maker of meanings”

Question 37

is the study of control and communication in complex systems, especially those involving humans and machines.

It’s a field that draws from engineering, biology, mathematics, and computer science.

Answer 37

Cybernetics

Question 38

It is used to understand how families function as complex systems, with each member influencing the others.

Answer 38

Cybernetics in Systemic Family Therapies

Question 39

Traditional theories often see cause and effect as a linear process (A causes B). Cybernetics suggests a more circular process where effects can also influence causes.

Answer 39

Linear vs Circular Causation

Question 40

The idea that actions and their consequences can create a cycle of feedback, influencing future behavior.

Answer 40

Feedback Mechanism

Question 41

The idea that problems are caused by a cycle of events, rather than a single cause.

Answer 41

Circular Causation

Question 42

What is the argument of systemic therapists on causation?

Answer 42

It doesn’t matter where/what started it, what matters I all units of the system are interconnected.

They reject linear cause-and-effect as potentially carrying blame and replace it with efforts to identify reciprocal influences/interconnectedness.

Question 43

This therapy developed as a psychotherapeutic endeavor explicitly focused on altering interactions between family members, and sought to improve the functioning of the family as a unit.

The locus of the problem is between people rather than within the individual. This means that the problem is seen as arising from the interactions between family members, rather than from individual issues.

Answer 43

Family Therapy

Question 44

The source or origin of a problem.

Answer 44

Locus

Question 45

Features of Systemic Therapy

Answer 45

• New and different approach to psychotherapy
• Differs from individual-focused therapies (like CBT)
• Can help individuals feel less constrained by societal expectations and negative labels
• Looks at how relationships and family dynamics can affect mental health

Question 46

What are the four phases of systemic family therapy?

Answer 46

First Order
Second Order
Third Order
Fourth Order

Question 47

What are the characteristics of the Second Order SFT?

Question 47

The early phase, influenced by modernist ideas of objective reality.

Answer 47

First Order SFT

Question 48

What are some of the common variables used in structural and strategic approaches to systemic family therapy?

Answer 48

• Family roles
• Boundaries
• Hierarchies
• Communication Patterns
• Triangles
• Symptoms

Question 49

A belief in the existence of an objective reality that can be studied scientifically.

Answer 49

Modernism

Question 50

What are the characteristics of the Second Order SFT?

Answer 50

• Post-modern view
• Example: The Milan School

Question 51

What are the characteristics of the Milan School/Approach?

Answer 51

Circularity (interconnectedness)
Neutrality (safe and no judgment space)
Paradoxical Interventions

Question 52

It focuses on how problems are maintained by the family system as a whole, rather than blaming individuals.

Example: How the child’s behavior affects the parents, and how the parents’ reactions, in turn, influence the child’s behavior.

Answer 52

Circularity (interconnectedness)

Question 53

These are strategies that involve prescribing seemingly counterintuitive behaviors or solutions.

The goal is to encourage the family to resist the therapist’s suggestions, which can lead to new insights and behaviors.

Answer 53

Paradoxical Interventions

Question 54

Emphasizes the role of language in shaping meaning.

Answer 54

Third Order SFT

Question 55

Focuses on integration with other approaches, including individual-focused therapies.

Answer 55

Fourth Order SFT

Question 56

What are the characteristics of the Third Order SFT?

Answer 56

• Emerged from the social constructivist theory
• Emphasized the role of language in shaping meaning

Question 57

What are the characteristics of the Fourth Order SFT?

Answer 57

• Proposed by Dallos and Draper
• Concerned with the integration of SFT with the integration of the intrapsychic and the interpersonal

Question 58

Refers to processes that occur within the mind or psyche.

It describes the internal thoughts, feelings, and emotions that influence an individual’s behavior.

Answer 58

Intrapsychic

Question 59

Focuses on understanding how a family is organized. It looks at who is in charge, how decisions are made, and how family members interact with each other.

It also looks at the different groups within a family, such as parents, children, and siblings, and how these groups influence each other.

Answer 59

Structural Family Therapy / Systemic Family Therapy (SFT)

Question 60

The limits or rules that define the relationships between family members and subsystems.

Answer 60

Boundarie

Question 61

A situation where family members are overly close and dependent on each other, blurring boundaries.

Answer 61

Enmeshment

Question 62

The ability of individuals and subsystems to maintain their own identity while still being part of the larger family system.

Answer 62

Differentiation of Systems

Question 63

This term might suggest a more complete separation or disconnection.

It implies that family members may have physically distanced themselves from each other or that they have emotionally withdrawn to the point where they no longer feel connected.

Answer 63

Detachment

Question 64

This term often implies a sense of disinterest or lack of involvement.

It suggests that family members may still be physically present in each other’s lives, but they are emotionally distant and uninterested in connecting.

Answer 64

Disengagement

Question 65

Refer to boundaries that are not clear or well-defined.

Answer 65

Porous Boundaries

Question 66

Refer to boundaries that are too strict and inflexible.

Answer 66

Rigid Boundaries