Week 6 RF - Current research trends in Family Psychology/Systems Theory Flashcards
Explain Systemic Thinking in relation to complexities in
family functioning
*It’s a whole emotional entity unit
*Powerful emotional system/field
*Family members do NOT function
independently from one another
*Powerful interrelated emotional
relationships
*Impacts inter- and intra functioning
*Only as strong as its weakest parts
*Greater than the sum of its individual parts
*Potentially self-regulating with the goal of homeostasis
*Notion: “A change in one part of the system is followed by compensatory change in other parts of the system” (Bowen, 1992, p. 155).
*Focuses less on linear causality and more on circularity
Define Triangulation
A 3rd person is expected to be
drawn into the relationship to serve, among others, either as an anxiety outlet and/or a relationship stabiliser (Kerr & Bowen, 1988) (basically a mediator) (a pathogenic/toxic
relational process/structure)
-“In calm periods, two members of
the triangle have a comfortable
emotional alliance, and the third, in the unfavored ‘outsider’ position, moves either towards winning the favor of one . . . or toward rejection” (Bowen, 1992, p. 160)
-The dominant member (???) “projects or ‘sprays’ his or her anxiety and, in the process, usually feels calmer; the adaptive one picks up or absorbs the anxiety and, in the process becomes more anxious and more at risk for a symptom” (Kerr & Bowen, 1992, p. 182)
Give example manifestations of
triangulation
*emotional substitute
*fighting tool
*conflict reduction
*caught in the middle or torn between parents
*spousal emotional distance regulator
*allies (coalitions against)
*mediators
*communication links or info sources
*targets of displaced emotional
tension or mad or bad traits to
benefit from a conflict free image
*infinite
How is triangulation been empirically measured?
1.Ad hoc scales
2.The Intergenerational
Triangulation and Nuclear Family
Triangulation subscales of the
Personal Authority in the Family
System Questionnaire (Bray et al.,
1984)
3.The Triangulation subscale of the
Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict scale (Grych
et al., 1992).
4.The Triangular Relationship
What has research found on the effects of triangulation?
*Increased self-blame and diminished parent-adolescent relations (Fosco &
Grych, 2010)
*Externalising problems (e.g., Amato & Afifi, 2006; Buehler et al., 2009)
*Internalising problems (e.g., Bresin et al., 2017; Buehler et al., 2009)
*Depression in childhood (e.g., Wang & Crane, 2001)adolescence (e.g., Buehler et al., 2009) youth (e.g., Ponappa et al., 2017)
What Triangulation typology is there? (Bresin et al., 2017)
(1) Balanced [???]
(2) scapegoat (pushed out)
(3) cross-generational coalition (pulled in)
(4) mediator (pulled in)
Give an item of formulation reflection (Bresin et al., 2017)
When my parents are having a
disagreement, I am NOT dragged into it.
Give an item of cross-cultural considerations reflection (Bresin et al., 2017)
My parents place more importance on what is going on in my life than what is going on in their own relationship.
What did Van Petegem et al.
(2021) find on the effects of triangulation?
Triangulation significantly predicted higher levels of overprotective parenting, which in turn predicted more adolescent anxiety
What perceptions of their coparental relationship on 3
dimensions were reported by adolescents? (Van Petegem et al., 2021)
1) triangulation
2) cooperation
3) conflict
What perceptions of their coparental relationship on 3 levels were reported by adolescents? (Van Petegem et al., 2021)
-dyadic level ( “My parents agree on whether I did something wrong or not”; for perceived dyadic
conflict)
-“My mother speaks about my father as a good person” (for perceived maternal contribution to
coparental cooperation)
-“My father uses me as leverage in his arguments with my mother” (for perceived paternal contr. to triang.)
When were higher levels of over protective parenting
significantly predicted? (Van Petegem et al., 2021)
i)Adolescents perceived higher triangulation at the dyadic level, higher paternal contribution, &
higher maternal contribution.
ii) Father contributing to higher conflict. (mother contributing to higher conflict OR conflict was dyadic-level higher, overprotective
parenting was not significantly predicted.)
What did Cepukiene (2021) find on the effects of interparental relationship quality?
*“interparental relationship quality, through an anxious attachment to parents, has an indirect effect on the differentiation of self, which, in turn, directly … relates to adults’ psychosocial functioning” (p. 50) [and indirectly through couple relationship satisfaction]
*“interparental relationship quality has a direct effect on adult children’s psychosocial functioning” (p. 50)
What was McCauley et al.’s
(2021) procedure?
*Initially, adolescents and parents completed individually a baseline questionnaire
*Links for the (identical) daily diary
questionnaires were sent to the parent and adolescent in each household each night at 7pm for 21 consecutive nights.
What measures were used in McCauley et al.’s (2021) procedure?
*Global triangulation (at baseline): Adolescents rated their triangulation e.g.,“I feel caught in the middle when my parents argue.”
-Daily triangulation ratings e.g.,
“How much did you feel CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF [parent 1] and [parent 2]’s disagreements today?”
(Values were averaged to create a single daily triangulation score.)
-Daily Inter Parental Conflict (IPC) discrepancies:Adolescents rated day’s level of IPC by responding to one item “My [parent 1] and [parent 2] were angry or mad at each other today,” and parents to item, “My partner and I were angry or mad at each other today.” (+ values indicate days on which an adolescent’s report of IPC was greater than their parent’s report).
-Daily Family cohesion discrepancies: Adolescents and parents responded to 5 items regarding that day’s level of family cohesion e.g., “Family members really helped and supported one another” today.
