Family Systems Theory: Vignette II
Discussion of what's going on in this family
Claudia and Margaret had suffered violence at a young age and therefore, are prone to commit acts of aggression, with the chances of developing more symptomatology like anxiety, aggression, depression and low levels of self-esteem, as compared to those who led a violence-free childhood. Being victims of, and exposed to, family violence during childhood years can make Claudia and Margaret victims or offenders. Margaret was a victim of violence when she was young and resorted to aggression as the means to resolving conflicts in her relationships; her personality structure incorporates shame, anger and guilt. Claudia, also being victimized in childhood, cannot regulate her emotions, particularly anger, and exhibits more tolerance to adult intimate abuse. As they were both victimized or exposed to abuse, they not only display aggressive behaviors, but also possess ineffective ways of coping and weak communication…...
Beatty, D.M. (2013).Effects of Exposure to Abuse and Violence in Childhood on Adult Attachment and Domestic Violence in Women's Same-Sex Relationships (Doctoral dissertation, Seton Hall University).
Kolko, D.J., Simonich, H., & Loiterstein, A. (2014). Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: An Overview and a Case Example. In Evidence-Based Approaches for the Treatment of Maltreated Children (pp. 187-212).Springer Netherlands.
Trepper, T.S., McCollum, E.E., De Jong, P., Korman, H., Gingerich, W., & Franklin, C. (2008). Solution focused therapy treatment manual for working with individuals research committee of the solution focused brief therapy association. Retrieved July, 23, 2008.
Family Interactions
The Harrison family in the 1998 film "Stepmom" consists of the father (Luke Harrison, played by Ed Harris), the ex-wife and mother (Jackie Harrison, played by Susan Sarandon), the daughter (Anna Harrison, played by Jena Malone), the son (Ben Harrison, played by Liam Aiken), and the soon-to-be stepmom (Isabel Kelly, played by Julia oberts). The children's natural mother and ex-wife becomes of aware that she has cancer, a number of therapies are tried, but finally everyone must face the fact that disease will end her life before long.
The parents of Anna and Ben have divorced, and their father's girlfriend, Isabel -- a single, successful professional photographer -- is living with them. Isabel's efforts to provide good mothering to the children is met at every turn by their resistance -- understandably, the children want their parents back together. Ganong, et al. (2011) identified six patterns of step-relationship development, including: "accepting…...
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References
1492 Pictures (Producer), & Chris Columbus (Director). (1998). Stepmom [Motion picture]. United States: TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
Cox, M.J. & Paley, B. (1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 243-267.
Deater-Deckard, K., Dunn, J. & Lussier, G. (2002). Sibling relationships and social-emotional adjustment in different family contexts. Social Development, 11(4).
Ganong, L.H., Coleman, M., & Jamison, T. (2011, April). Patterns of stepchild-stepparent relationship development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 396-413. doi: 10.111/j.1741-3737.2010.00814.x.
Systems Theory
Napier & Whitaker's (1978) classic The Family Crucible is the benchmark book related to family therapy. The book is thorough, and divided into twenty chapters that cover the gamut of family therapy theory and especially practice. Napier & Whitaker (1978) are family systems theorists, and they openly divulge their appreciation for an approach to individual psychology that takes into account family systems. In other words, no individual can be understood or helped without paying attention to the family situation, its dynamics, and its role in identity formation and coping. The authors discuss dysfunctional family systems via a case study. By focusing on one case study, Napier & Whitaker (1978) show how family systems theory works, and what clients can expect from the process.
The authors weave their personal views and experiences throughout the case study, which clutters and bogs down the narrative, but which also provides a necessary context for…...
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References
Napier, A.Y. & Whitaker, C. (1978). The Family Crucible. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Its business alliances have succeeded because of the past encounter and uncompromising principles of Starbucks. When Starbucks created a licensing contract with Kraft Foods, Inc., it permitted Kraft Foods to begin to make Starbucks' items available in grocery markets, and now because of that attempt their items are available all over Northern U.S. And even the United Kingdom. If Starbucks did not have the primary features of what it is looking for in an alliance, it might not have been as effective in its collaboration with Kraft Foods or any other partner. Starbucks was willing to think about the good and bad in the possible collaboration and choose on whether or not the collaboration would benefit its organization (Davidson & Fielden, 2013). If Kraft Foods, Inc. did not have the same corporate perspective and objectives that Starbucks had, Starbucks would not have engaged in business with them. Starbucks has…...
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References
Beer, S. (2014). Diagnosing the system for organizations. New York, NY: Wiley.
Harrison, M. (2004). Diagnosing Organizations: Methods, Models, and Processes (Applied Social Research Methods) (3rd ed.). Berlin: Sage Publications.
Davidson, M., & Fielden, S.L. (2013). Individual diversity and psychology in organizations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
Smith-Acuna, S. (2010). Systems Theory in Action: Applications to Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy. John Wiley & Sons
Systems Theory makes several assumptions that are useful for understanding the 14-year-old's behavior:
The state or condition of a system, at any one point in time, is a function of the interaction between it and the environment in which it operates." (Longres, 1999, p. 19)
Change and conflict are always evident in a system. Individuals both influence their environments and are influenced by them. Processes of mutual influence generate change and development." (Longres, 1990, p. 19)
Each person in a family is part of the whole system. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." (Longres, 1990, p. 266)
These assumptions make us understand that the responsibility for the acts of the 14-year-old rest not with the child himself, but with the relationships and interactions in his family. More than anything else, the real issue is a family boundary problem where the hierarchical subsystem had not had a chance to teach the…...
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Works Cited
Brother Arrested in Slaying of Girl, 4." Washington Post 20. Sept., 2004: B-1
Longres, John F. Human Behavior in the Social Environment. Itasca, IL F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc., 1990
Teen Appears in DC Court In Slaying of Sister, 4." Washington Post 21 Sept. 2004: B-3
Systems theory is actually used by some practitioners in domestic violence social work and counseling by being packed within the approach of "family system theory" (e.g. Nichols & Schwartz, 2005). This approach holds that the family is a holistic system where all parts are inextricably and holistically intertwined and each member of the family affects the other. The school and community -- outside systems -- too affect the family, and, in turn, the individual family members have an impact on these external systems. Believing that all causes and effects have reciprocal impact, systems theory also posits circular causality where not only are multiple causes the instigation of one problem, but oen problem may, in effect, eventuate in multiple causes. Domestic violence, for instance, of spouse attacking other spouse negatively impacts children, which leads to poor academic study, which my negatively impact teacher's rating, disturbing the school, and so forth. Other…...
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Family system theory, too avoids labeling behaviors as good and bad seeing them as factor of external elements (such as geography or time) that are, often, beyond individual's control and often beyond his or her awareness too. Taking this in mind enables the counselor to not only be more empathic and understanding of client but to also help detach the client from guilt regarding his activities and show him how to effectively reduce his negative behavior in a self-efficacious manner. By seeing the behavior as simply an action that has been learned and robotically repeated / reiterated through the generations, family system theory reuses to evaluate it and teaches the counselor / social worker and client to see it as a negative variable, through no fault of his own, that needs to be altered. Altering it will, in turn, not only make his own life and lives of those who are closest to him happier, but he will also positively impact the lives of countless effected others.
System theory, when applied to treatment of domestic violence, may be helpful too in that it treats not only first-order levels but provides understanding of, and probes underneath, to second-order levels too. First order levels refer to the situation where surface behavior may be changed but the underlying attitude remains unaltered (Nichols & Schwartz, 2005). The perpetrator, for instance, may learn new communication skills but the influence of his cultural internalizations regarding supposed inferiority of the female remains unchanged. System theory, on the other hand, may help the client realize the root of his perspectives and, by so doing, have a greater and more enduring impact on him. This would consequent in a second-order change where the underlying rationale is addressed leading to male and partner affecting a healthier relationship.
It is in this way that I see systems theory as contributing powerfully to amelioration of domestic violence.
Counselling Theories
Postmodern and Family System Theory Approach
There have been significant interest in research on the problems of addiction; hence, the many scientific studies on the issue. Many of the studies in this area end up with the same conclusions; the concept of addiction is complicated. The complexity partly arises from the effect it has on the drug abuser from different perspectives such as psychological, social, biological, and the impacts of addiction on social law, economics and politics. On the other hand, psychologists perceive drug addiction as a disease. From a religious worldview, addiction is a sin. Therefore, it is possible to view addiction from a medical, behavioral, and spiritual angle. As stated, the concept of addiction is complex, and there are many definitions of addiction reflecting the complexity of the phenomenon (Sremac, 2010).
Notably, all the definitions of addiction portray a negative judgment on addiction, but owing to the complexity of…...
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References
Caldwell, K., & Claxton, C. (2010). Teaching Family Systems Theory: A Developmental-
Constructivist Perspective. Contemporary Family Therapy, 32(1), 3-21.
Gruber, K.J., & Taylor, M.F. (2006). A Family Perspective for Substance Abuse: Implications
from the Literature. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 6(1), 1 -- 29.
The impact of family motivation on college age students with learning disabilities may be a deciding factor in regard to the student's success or failure. College age students with learning disabilities obviously have more immediate needs in cooperative learning settings when compared to typical students. Educators cannot just tell the student to just sit-down and read five chapters of Freud. These students have problems like dyslexia, AD/HD, or English as a second language to name a few and they may have had additional help in the past that may not be available at an older age. When there are obvious underlying issues, the family, teachers and the students themselves have to work more closely together in order to reach the desired positive outcomes. "Teaching effectiveness is inferred from the product that was created; it is the product that is the indicator of scholarship." (Cranton, 2000)
This report…...
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Positive feedback is a major part of the Family Systems Theory process. Feedback in this case is a process in which the family, and possibly the teaching team involved, all work together to regulate the thinking process of the college age student with learning disabilities. This process also incorporates the notion that positive self-talk by the college age student with some form of learning disability is a necessary component of educational success. Self-talk helps them monitor their own output. In other words, the human body in this case accepts feedback from both internal and external sources to promote positive goals and objectives. A good example of a positive feedback system is how an automatic pilot system is used in most commercial airplanes. The automatic pilot process provides a computer that is actually flying the plane constant feedback about required information regarding the planes speed, altitude, direction and so on. As the plane drifts off course slightly, the computer system realigns the flight path. The college age student with a learning disability also drifts off occurs from time to time and positive feedback from family members, teachers and counselors and the student themselves all help to get the student back on course. This approach continually promotes active coping efforts and attributes positive meaning to the learning situation.
Name of Theory: FAMILY STRESS & COPING THEORY
Based on Family Stress Theory, there can be many indicators of a family's adaptation to stress induced events. "One is the adaptation of individual family members, including adolescents have noted that such factors as the perceived levels of individual and family stress serve as markers of adaptation." (McCubbin, 1993) In other words, the adaptation implies that there are a large number
family by applying theories, concepts and knowledge. Through the study of the theories and concepts, the study will look at how families communicate, behave, operate and will also highlight common problems facing the family and especially tackling the health issue and how social systems affect provision of health care, and will illuminate this through an in-depth study of how it applies or affect the family unit. The study will discuss diversity issues in relation to the social system.
Family life is being scrutinized, and a new definition of a family is emerging every day, but in simple terms a family is a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household, caring and supporting each other. According to Merriam-ebster Dictionary; a family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of…...
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Works Cited
Boss P. Doherty W. LaRossa R. (2008). Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methods: A contextual Approach, New York: Springer
Crawford, (1999), Bilingual Education: History Politics, Theory and Practice, 23 July 2011, nation.org/Crawford.htmlhttp://www.one
LaRossa & Reitzes. (1993). Family Theory, Washington D.C: Chapman Publishers
McGoldrick M, Gerson R. & Shellenberger S. (1985). Genograms in Family Assessment. W.W. Norton: North America
Family CounselingFamily therapy systems adopt systems thinking approach in which the family is viewed as an emotional unit. Through this approach, family therapy systems conceptualize psychosocial symptoms of individuals within families. There are various family therapy theories that can be applied to different situations as part of family therapy systems to address individuals psychosocial symptoms. One theory that can be used to conceptualize the psychosocial symptoms of individuals within families based on the Wilsons case is Bowens family system theory. This theory suggests that people are attached to their network of relationships within the family (Brown, 2014). By portraying how people are inseparable from their network of relationships, this theory suggests that changes in the behaviors of one family member could affect family functioning over time. In relation to Wilsons case, this theory can be used in the conceptualization of family issues through examining the network of relationships between them.…...
Murray Bowen developed a theory of family functioning and individual functioning within the family system. The Bowen theory most importantly takes into account the need to balance individuality with togetherness in tight social systems like families ("Bowenian Family Therapy," n.d.). There are eight basic concepts to the Bowen theory. The first is the differentiation of self, which is important for psychological health and well-being. An example of differentiation of self is when the person is able to hold a different opinion on a political or social issue than a parent without that difference causing a problem in the relationship. When the self is not differentiated, the person might have internalized the beliefs of mother, father, sister, or brother and cannot tell what is really "me" versus what is a result of programming, the desire for approval or absorbing others' beliefs.
The second concept to Bowen's theory is triangulation. Bowen believes that…...
Family of Origin
The origin of the family describes the family in which one is grown up, inter-family interactions and relations between one's parents', siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The current study examines the origin of a family and determines the systematic research based on the behavior and relation of members and provides evidence-based practices in order to address the relational gap found among the family members.
Systematic Analysis
Family Hierarchy
Family Subsystem
Attachment Styles in Family
Family Boundaries
Family Adaptability
Thematic esearch
Early Marriage and Divorce
Evidence-Based esearch and Intervention
Genogram
The family in which one is grown up with the collaboration of adult's economic contribution and influence from parents, siblings and grandparents collectively describes one's family of origin. The origin of one's family tends to effect the systems that are being followed in the family and describes the degree to which they can be adaptive in nature. However the family is considered to possess a central role in the…...
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REFERENCES
Bramlett, M.D., & Mosher, W.D. (2001).First marriage dissolution, divorce, and remarriage.In National Center for Health Statistics.
Carr, A. (1999). Evidence-based practice in psychotherapy and counseling. Journal of the Irish Association of Counseling and Therapy, 2(9), 15-34.
Dattilio, F.M. (2005). Introduction to the special section: The role of cognitive -- behavioral interventions in couple and family therapy. Journal of marital and family therapy, 31(1), 7-13.
Engels, F. (1942).The origin of the family.Current Book Distributors.
Systems and Diffusion of Innovation Theory
Attached File
Systems theory vs. diffusion of innovation theory
Systems theory is based upon the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Its founder Ludwig von Bertalanffy proposed that, based upon his experience with the biology of organisms, all systems are constantly changing because they are able to interact with their environments. Systems are open and thus can acquire "qualitatively new properties through emergence" (Clark 2011). Living beings of all kinds are capable of taking in and incorporating new elements while expelling the old. This is vitally important for healthcare organizations today to understand, given the need to respect the changing nature of patients and the fact that patient's health can be significantly improved or worsened, depending on the type of care the patients receive and do not receive. Healthcare organizations must be true 'learning organizations' as new patients must be treated;…...
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References
Clark, Don. (2011). Ludwig von Bertalanfy: General System Theory 1950. Big Dog and Little
This article provides a brief introduction to the general concepts of systems theory, beginning with von Bertalanfy's career as a biologist studying organisms. It is a succinct explanation of the theory in lay person's terms, expressing it in phrases such as 'the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.'
Diffusion of innovation theory. (2010). Utewente. Retrieved at:
Family
Moshavi D. & Koch M.J., (n.d). he Adoption of Family-Friendly Practices in Family Owned Firms.
he article is centered on the family business and how the conflicts that emanate from the family business affects the non-family employees and what repercussions it has on the business as well. It highlights the work and family systems interaction and how that interaction can be managed. his is an empirical investigation into how the family business owners manage the work and family conflicts that face the non-family employees. he article first highlights some pertinent theories that help explain the influence of family on business like the resource-dependency theory and institutional theory in order to help the reader understand the entire concept. he researcher used the survey method to collect his data and 680 human resource manager filled in questionnaires that were used. he dependent variable is sighted as work-family responsiveness and the independent variable used…...
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The writer here takes a closer look at the family business and specifically the communication trends that are experienced within such businesses. It also looks at how the communication helps to boost innovativeness in family business. The paper seeks to examine the effects of communication on innovation within the family business and how much innovation there is within the family business setting. The researcher here also looks at the variations in innovation among the family businesses and the reasons behind these disparities. The researcher highlights the various factors that are likely to affect the innovation within the family business setting and how these have over years changed. The data that was used was widely sourced from case studies of various family owned business in contrast to the business not owned by families. There was a general conclusion that non-family owned businesses seemed to show higher levels of innovation and better structured communication systems.
Memili E., Zellweger T. & Fang H.C., (2013). The Determinants of Family Owner-Managers' Affective Organizational Commitment. Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies.
The author here highlights the need for the commitment of the owner-managers within the family owned businesses. The levels of commitment as managers are seen to be affected by the levels of harmony that is within the business management position. The conceptual framework of this article looks highlights some major factors that are likely to determine the commitment of any individual family member in managing the family business. These are relationship conflict, work-family conflict, affective organizational commitment which are all seen to have an impact in the ownership attachment.
Family Health AssessmentThe family interviewed (Z) has a traditional family structureone dad, one mom, five children, ages 2 to 9. They are racial white, American, middle-class, Catholic, and living in a typical American suburb, somewhat older (their house was built in 1959). The overall health behaviors of the family are essentially good: the wife/mother is responsible for evening mealsshe cooks using organic ingredients and focuses on protein and healthy fats, but uses a lot of butter and cream in foods, which may put a strain on the familys livers eventually; the parents try to limit sugars (no soda, sweet treats on occasion but not in great abundance). The dad is having some elimination issues at night, frequent urination, which he has self-diagnosed as a swollen prostate issue, and he takes saw palmetto for it (a homeopathic remedy). He does not want to see a doctor as he does not trust…...
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ReferencesFitzgerald, M., London?Johnson, A., & Gallus, K. L. (2020). Intergenerational transmission of trauma and family systems theory: An empirical investigation. Journal of Family Therapy, 42(3), 406-424.Morrison, A. K., Glick, A., & Yin, H. S. (2019). Health literacy: implications for child health. Pediatrics in review, 40(6), 263-277.Vamos, S., Okan, O., Sentell, T., & Rootman, I. (2020). Making a case for “Education for health literacy”: An international perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(4), 1436.QuestionnaireValues, Health perception and management of Health:1.How would you describe your family’s current health status? Good2. What does the family do to maintain health? Eat right, exercise3.Describe a family goal towards maintaining good health: Avoid too much sugarNutrition:4. What is proper nutrition according to you? Organic meals, good fats, no corn syrup5.What is the current nutritional intake of the family? Basics of food pyramid6.Is it supportive of the wellbeing of the family? YesSleep/Rest:7.How much sleep do you and your family have? Enough 8.How many hours do you sleep in a day? 79.What do you do to make sure your body gets adequate rest? Sleep, exercise10.Are there any difficulties with falling or staying asleep? No11.Do you feel rested in the morning? YesElimination:12.Does any member of your family have excretion and bladder complications? Dad urinates frequently at night, think it is his prostate, takes saw palmetto for it13.How many children are undergoing toilet training? 214.Does your family have a history of serious health conditions? NoActivity/Exercise:15.What physical activities and exercise do you and your family engages in? Play outside, sports—basketball, soccer, hiking, bike riding16.How do you and your family maintain stable physical shape? Play outdoors together17.What times do you take the physical activities with your family? Mornings, afternoons, evening if light enoughCognitive:18.How does your family acquire information about health diagnoses? Reading19. Who makes the decision regarding healthcare for you and your family? Dad20.Do you ever get confused? NoSelf-Perception:21. How does your family feel they integrate into the community? Well22.How does your family describe the events that led to a change? Positive23.Do you feel hopeful about the future? Yes24. What do you think of yourself? ConfidentRoles and relationships:25. How does the family manage daily living and how are household task divided? Everyone has role, chores, duties, expectations26. Who is employed in the household and who holds financial responsibility? Dad27. Is it shared? NoSexuality:28. Individually are you comfortable with your partner and in discussing sexuality? Yes29. How do as a marriage couple, parenthood and relationships as lovers? PositiveCoping-Stress Tolerance:30. How does your family cope with stressful life events? Prayer31. What resources do you have access to or use already? ChurchSensory-Perception: 32.How is your eyesight? Good 33.Is taste a problem? No
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