Family Systems Therapy And Theories

Family Systems Therapy And Theories Family Systems Therapy is undergirded by a variety of theoretical approaches all of which focuses on human problems which result from relationships. As individuals we are encouraged to be autonomous, independent, make our choices and accept the consequences of these choices. This individualist stance seems to contradict the reality that we are born into families and spend our lives attached to a family either our own creation or one into which we are born. It is within these families that we learn, grow and develop. It is to these families we turn in times of hardships or triumphs. Family Systems Theories postulate that individuals are best understood within the context of their family. Like a living organism, families have properties which none of the individuals have, these properties are destroyed when members of the family are considered as individuals. Family systems theories shift the focus from individuals to the patterns in their relationships. Nichols 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦p102. The behaviors manifested in one family member are linked to the behaviour of other members and may be a hallmark of how the family system functions not just symptoms of one members maladjustment. The difficulties of the presenting family member may, according to Corey 2009à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ p.412 Serve a function and purpose in the family Be unintentionally maintained by the family Be a function of the familys inability to operate productively Be a symptom of the dysfunctional patterns handed down across generations. This kind of approach is very different from the framework of individual psychology which conceptualizes human problem in an intrapsychic framework. The body of knowledge known as Family Systems Theory arises from observations by counselors as they work with individuals and their family. According to family system theories families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals. They do not exist in isolation whatever affects the individual affects the entire system. Perhaps the most fundamental concept of how families operate is that the family is a system which has a tendency to maintain stability by using information about its performance as feedback Nichols (2009)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦p98. In this theoretical framework a family is considered to be cybernetic. At the heart of cybernetics is the feedback loop which determines whether the current operation of the system is acceptable and if not attempts to make the necessary changes. The feedback can either be negative or positive. Negative feedback is not bad but indicates that the system needs to take corrective measures to return to stability. Positive feedback may have negative consequences as it may serve to reinforce an error in the system. In order to maintain this stability, there are family rules and family roles. Family Roles-this is a description of what is expected of each family member. At a basic level there are roles of father, mother, daughter, sister and so on, but there are less obvio us roles for example one member may assume the role of the responsible one or the humorous one as the case may be. Family Rules-these are often understood by member of the family although not written down and often unspoken; they set guidelines for how the family operates. For example a family would understand who makes the final decision in important matters. Although family members may see these rules as just the way things are they may or may not be aware that different families would do the same thing differently. The pioneers of family therapy recognized that social and cultural forces shape our values, thoughts and our concept of normal, but it was Murray Bowen that first defined a family theory. According to him, the history of our family creates a mold that shapes our values thoughts and experiences. He further suggested that this mold is passed from one generation to the next. Bowens theory focuses on two counterbalancing life forces. The first is togetherness and the second is individuality. When a family shares too much togetherness, fusion is created and where there is too much individuality the result is estranged family. He introduced eight interrelated concept to explain how families develop and function. Differentiation of self is the ability to distinguish and maintain personal thoughts feeling goals and identity in the face of emotional and social pressures to do differently.Differentiation of self is the cornerstone of Bowens theory. This involves the psychological separation of intellect and emotions and the independence of self form others. It is ability to think and reflect and not respond automatically to emotional pressure. Differentiated people have the ability to balance their feeling and thoughts, they are capable of strong emotion, yet posses self restraint. They are able to take a stand on issues and have the ability to think decide and act on what they believe. Undifferentiated people act emotionally they tend to be impetuous displaying submissiveness or defiance. They find it difficult to be autonomous and are unable to take clear position on issues. They tend to reflect the dominant emotional pattern in the family. Emotional triangles are formed when two people who are unable to resolve a problem draw a third person into the conflict. The third partys involvement may be short lived so forcing the two people to resolve their differences. If the third parties involvement becomes long term then a triangle becomes a part of the relationship. Triangulation ease the tension but freezes the conflict in place Nicholas (2008) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦p128 and eventually undermines the relationship. According to Nicholas 2008 most family problems are triangular. Nuclear Family Emotional processes are the emotional patterns in a family that continue over generations. A partner who lacks differentiation in his her family of origin may become emotionally cut off from hisher parents and this would lead to fusion in marriage. Fusion can produce different effects on the marriage including emotional distance between partners, marital conflicts, physical or emotional dysfunction in one partner or projection of the problem on one or more of the children Nicholas Shwartz, 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ p 128. A parent lack of differentiation is transmitted to children in Family projection process. An undifferentiated mother may become attach to a child (or children) because she has decided that her spouse is inattentive to her. The mother would project her lack of differentiation to the child who is most attached. This child will achieve least differentiation and more vulnerable to problems. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the more the mother forces her attention n the child the more the childs functioning is impaired Nichols and Shwartz ,2008p129 Multigenerational Transmission Process describes the transmission of anxiety from one generation to another. This is the unconscious passing on of anxiety which overrides the adaptive thinking and behavior of succeeding generations. Sibling Position children develop personality characteristics based on their position in the family. Emotional Cut Off describes the way people manage anxiety between generations. the greater the emotional fusion between parents and children the greater likelihood of cut off Nicholas and Shwartz 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦p130 Societal Emotional processes are social expectation and their effect on the family. According to Bowen, all families lie along a continuum and there are no types of family. He believes that optimal family development occurs when members are differentiated and maintain a healthy contact with each other. For Bowen, family problems are the result of emotional fusion. Typically the family member with the symptom is the one who is least differentiated. This member is unable to separate hisher thoughts from the families and absorbs the anxieties of the entire family. Structural family theory emphasizes the need for parents to maintain a clear hierarchical position of authority. The origins of the theory can be traced to early 1960s to Salvador Minuchin who formulated the theory and set guidelines for therapeutic techniques. The theory is built on three component structure, subsystems and boundaries. Structure refers to the organized pattern in which families interact. Nicholas Shwartz 2008à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦p185. It describes the patterns of authority, communicating and interacting. Patterns develop as family transactions are repeated. In time these patterns become embedded and define roles and functions of family members creating predictability of the family interactions. These repetitions create expectations that establish rules in the family. Although alternatives are available the family rarely considers them and even in situations where patterns are dysfunctional, they are maintained. Dysfunction patterns give rise to a dysfunctional family structure. According to Minuchin, it is this dysfunctional structure which is the source of family problems. According to structural family theory each family system has subsystems. These are sub groups within the family structure which exist to accomplish various family tasks. Subsystem may be determined along the lines of generation, gender, role and interests. For example there are spousal subsystem and child subsystems. Within the subsystem each family member plays a different role. When one subsystem intrudes into another causes structural difficulties and indicates that boundaries between subsystems are diffuse. Diffuse boundaries can result in enmeshment. On the other hand boundaries which are rigid result in disengagement. Clear boundaries blend characteristics which are both rigid and diffuse. When there are clear boundaries parents occupies a position of leadership in the family. There are some aspects of the theoretical constructs of both Bower Family Systems Theory and Minuchins Structural Family Theory that are constant with my own world view. Like Bowen, I believe that our familys history creates a template which shapes our values thoughts and experiences and many of these values thoughts and experiences are passed down through generations. However this template in my opinion is only one of the possible template which shape values thoughts and experiences as there are many factories other than ones family of origin which influence who we become. Many persons can see the family pattern and make a conscious decision to build a life with different patterns. In this way the pattern in the family of origin is a powerful determinant but rather than been a template of what should be these patterns is template of what to avoid. The concept of differentiation is cornerstone of Bowenian theory and I share Bowens view that lack of differentiation can be transmitted from generation to generation. Parental lack of differentiation may manifest itself in children who are either emotionally fused or rebellious leading to emotional cutoff from family of origin. Bowen however seems to emphasize the mothers role in the process of passing anxiety from one generation to another. In my opinion he has pathologized the maternal role. Our social norms have prepared mothers to assume a nurturing role and this is not pathological. Bowens belief that there is a chronic anxiety in all life that is both emotional and physical Gladding 2009 p.235 is very different from my over world view. Generally the prominence given to anxiety as a defining force in all life is very foreign to my personal belief and system. My worldview starts from the opposite end. I see all of life filled with hope and choices. A life governed by anxiety is a life that chooses anxiety. It is my belief that the structure, subsystems and boundaries are three essential components of families. Family structure sets out the pattern of authority and the lines of communication. I strongly believe that parents should be in charged in every family and the children should know this. Parents should present a united front to children and any disagreement they have between themselves should not be played out with the children. Thus is one way of ensuring that the parent and child subsystems remain separate. To ensure separation clear boundaries must be establish between the subsystems. I believe that most family dysfunctions are the result of structural problems. Where there is no structure children develop chronic uncertainty which affects their overall functioning. Some children are at one extreme of severely maladaptive behavior while others are at the other extreme of over compensating behavior to gain favor. Along this entire continuum is the common thread of low self esteem. Keeping the family subsystems separated by clear boundaries in necessary for a healthy functioning family. Parents and children share their lives but parents relationship is maintained separate without threat from the relationship with children. These clear boundaries establish a hierarchical structure in which parents occupy a position of leadership. I believe that in Jamaica family structure problems and single parent households is a kind of chicken and egg situation. As the single parent tries to compensate for the absent parent, child and parent subsystems are confused as boundaries become rigid, defused, enmeshed and even destroyed. Often in these households it is hard to tell who is in charge and this leads to a wide range of problems including hostility between children and parents incest and other types of abuse. Many of these children assume adult roles before they are ready which result in early (single) parenting to begin the cycle once more. It is difficult for me to relate my own family to Bowerian family theory. Bowens emphasis on anxiety in the family of origin has no currency with me personally. Anxiety was not a part of my childhood. My parents were highly differentiated individuals who were independent thinkers. I am unable to see any triangulation and multigenerational transmission of anxiety. Among my nine siblings I do not even see birth order as an important consideration instead I see us accept each other as individuals with different abilities, talent, strengths and weaknesses. My family of origin was definitely ordered along the lines on Minuchins Structural Family Theory. There was a firm structure in place with strong subsystems and clear boundaries. We were nurtured and cared as children and guided into adulthood. We were encouraged and taught to be ourselves and the sibling all get along. My oldest sibling is 72 and my youngest is 49. We all agree that if our parent had any favorites among their children we cannot tell. The Bowenian Theory in counseling and psychotherapy is applied to trace patterns of family problems with a view to identify emotional reactivity and triangulation. The genogram has been found to be a useful assessment tool to identify these two issues. The aim of the therapist is to de-triangulate individuals and help them to develop differentiation. Along the way parents become better equipped to manage their own anxieties and less likely to transmit these anxiety to their children. Structural Family Theory underlines a therapy that seeks to reorganize families. The underlying assumption is that the familys difficulties are as a result of the organizational structure. The structural therapist assesses the presenting problems in four steps Firstly involve the whole family in the problem, secondly help them see how the family exchanges continue and support and perpetuate the problem. The therapist then exposes the impact of the past on the problem and finally explores options which the family members can take to relate in more productive ways that will create shift in the family structure and help resolve the presenting complaint (Nicholas and Schuartz 2009 p.196). Bowen and Minuchin had very different views of the source of dysfunction in individuals but both agreed that the dominant force in our lives is located in our families. Therapies based on this theoretical framework is directed at changing the organization of the family. When this is done then the functioning of the individual will be altered. This is not a change on the present individual only , but the whole family changes. In this way the individual change has a greater likelihood of remaining a permanent one.

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay -- Literary Analysis, Flannery OConn

A brilliant storyteller during the mid-twentieth century, Flannery O'Connor wrote intriguing tales of morality, ethics and religion. A Southern writer, she wrote in the Southern Gothic style, cataloging thirty-two short stories; the most well known being â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† Mary Flannery O'Connor was born on March 25, 1925, in Savannah, Georgia. Raised in her mother's family home in Milledgeville, Georgia, she was the only child of Regina Cline and Edward Francis O'Connor, Jr. Although little is known about Mrs. O'Connor's early childhood, in Melissa Simpson's biography on O'Connor, Simpson states that O'Connor attended St. Vincent's Grammar School in Savannah where she would rarely play with the other children and spent most her time reading by herself. After fifth, grade, O'Connor transferred; to Sacred Heart Grammar School for Girls; some say the reason for the transfer was that it was a more prestigious school than the former. She later enrolled in Peabody High School in 1938, entered an accelerated program at Georgia State Collge for Women in the summer of 1942, and in 1946 she was accepted into the Iowa Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa (4 Simpson). According to American Decades, O'Connor earned her masters degree from the University of Iowa with six short-stories that were published in the periodical Accent (n pg Baughman). After college, O'Connor's writing career continued. During her brief career as a writer, O'Connor contracted lupus in which she ultimately died. In Short Stories for Students, Kathleen Wilson states that while O’Connor was writing her first novel Wise Blood, which she started while attending the prestigious Yaddo writers’ colony, she suffered her first attack of lupus, a chronic, ... ...Grandmother† (O’Connor 179). The Grandmother’s deviousness and immorality is evident in the beginning of the story. While reading the newspaper article about the Misfit, the Grandmother brings it to Bailey’s attention. In Short Story Criticism, Mary Jane Schenck writes â€Å"For Bailey, the newspaper story is not important or meaningful, and for the Grandmother it does not represent a real threat but is part of a ploy to get her own way† (Schenck 220). â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† begins with an innocent road trip, however, due to coercion by the Grandmother; it soon turns into a fatal nightmare. In Short Story Criticism, Martha Stephens writes â€Å"†¦ it is true that in a trivial sense everything that happens is the Grandmother’s fault†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She continues with â€Å"It is in the conscious of the Grandmother that we continue to experience the action of the story†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stephens 196).

American Agriculture DBQ

Industrialism drove our country to advance and develop quickly from 1865 to 1900. All aspects of society felt the impacts. Agriculture in America, experienced these new effects, changing completely the way it was conducted in the states. As technology increased, and the invention of new tools came about, farming was able to commercialize and become more efficient. Economic conditions of this time, hindered the farmers profitability and growth. New policies enforced by the government in this era sought out to help agriculture, but on occasion angered the farmers.Agriculture in the states changed drastically from 1865 to 1900. Technological advances boomed starting in the 1860’s, totally improving the ways of American agriculture. Railroads were growing in size, and allowed for transportation of crops to become exponentially more efficient. A map showed the amount of railroads in 1870 compared to 1890; they tripled in size. (Doc B) Cyrus Mccormick was an inventor and farmer duri ng this era. It was his idea to build the first combine. This basically created a quicker harvesting process of crops.Mccormick wasn’t the only one innovating in this time. 1n 1868, James Oliver invented the steel plow. This was yet another tool, which increased the speed at which one could gather crops. Corbis Bettmann took a photo of a wheat harvest in 1880. A plow similar to Oliver’s was being dragged behind several horses in order to collect as much wheat as possible quickly. (Doc D) However, it wasn’t just crops that were being shipped out faster. Cattle and all livestock were being grown and slaughtered at greater rates.In 1884, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, published an article describing slaughtering capacity at a local Chicago establishment. It stated that it had â€Å"†¦ a slaughtering capacity of 400,000 head annually. † (Doc F) They were raising livestock faster than ever before. Economic conditions in the US hindered the agricult ural growth during this era. Prices and inflation were uncertain and ever-changing, causing strife in the farming communities. Over the course of 35 years the prices of crops

The History, Patent, and Uses of MDMA

The History, Patent, and Uses of MDMA MDMA’s full chemical name is â€Å"3,4 methylene-dioxy-N-methylamphetamine† or â€Å"methylenedioxymethamphetamine.† The 3,4 indicates the way in which the components of the molecule are joined together. It’s possible to produce an isomer which has all the same components but is joined differently.   Although MDMA is derived from organic material, it does not occur in nature. It must be created in a complex laboratory process. Various popular street names for MDMA include Ecstasy, E, Adam, X, and Empathy. How MDMA Works   MDMA is a mood and mind-altering drug. Like Prozac,  it works by affecting the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is naturally present and can alter emotions.  Chemically, the drug is similar to amphetamine, but psychologically, its whats known as an empathogen-entactogen. An empathogen improves ones ability to communicate with and feel empathy towards others. An entactogen makes an individual feel good about himself and the world. The MDMA Patent   MDMA was patented in 1913 by the German chemical company Merck. It was intended to be sold as a diet pill, although the patent doesn’t mention any specific use. The company decided against marketing the drug. The U.S. Army experimented with MDMA in 1953, possibly as a truth serum, but the government has not revealed its reasons. Modern Research   Alexander Shulgin is the man behind modern research of MDMA. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, Shulgin landed a job as a research chemist with Dow Chemicals. Among his many achievements, there was the development of a profitable insecticide and several controversial patents for what would ultimately become popular street drugs. Dow was happy with the insecticide, but Shulgins other projects forced a parting of the way between the biochemist and the chemical company. Alexander Shulgin is the first reported human to use MDMA. Shulgin continued his legal research into new compounds after leaving Dow, specializing in the phenethylamines family of drugs. MDMA is but one of 179 psychoactive drugs which he has described in detail, but it is the one which he felt came closest to fulfilling his ambition of finding the perfect therapeutic drug. Because MDMA was patented in 1913, it holds no profit potential for drug companies. A drug cannot be patented twice, and a company must show that a drug’s potential side effects are justified by its benefits before marketing it. This involves long and expensive trials. The only way of recouping that expense is by obtaining exclusive rights to sell the drug by holding its patent. Only a few experimental therapists researched and tested MDMA for use during psychotherapy sessions between 1977 and 1985. Media Attention and Lawsuits   MDMA or  Ecstasy received massive media attention in 1985 when a group of people sued the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to try to prevent the DEA from effectively outlawing the drug by placing it on Schedule 1. Congress had passed a new law allowing the DEA to put an emergency ban on any drug that might be dangerous to the public, and this right was used for the first time to ban MDMA on July 1, 1985.   A hearing was held to decide what permanent measures should be taken against the drug. One side argued that MDMA caused brain damage in rats. The other side claimed this might not be true for humans and that there was proof of the beneficial use of MDMA as a drug treatment in psychotherapy. After weighing the evidence, the presiding judge recommended that MDMA be placed on Schedule 3, which would have allowed it to be manufactured, used by  prescription, and subject to further research. However, the DEA decided to place MDMA permanently on Schedule 1 regardless.   Trial research into the effects of MDMA on human volunteers resumed in 1993 with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. It is the first psychoactive drug to be approved for human testing by the FDA.

Affirmative Action misc3 essays

Affirmative Action misc3 essays Affirmative action is described as the term meant taking appropriate steps to eradicate the then widespread practices of racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination. The history of affirmative action starts a long time before this definition was stated during the early 1960's. It starts back to the Declaration of Independence where it states all men are created equal. It moves toward the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments which involved the freeing of slaves, abolishing slavery, conferred citizenship on all persons born in the United States, and guaranteeing voting rights to all citizens. There were also many court cases that helped move forth into affirmative action. A few examples would be Buchanan v. Warley, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education. The latter court case was a real firestorm over affirmative action, which ruled that all local, state, and federal laws that enforced segregation in education was striked down. President John F. Kennedy first used the phrase "Affirmative Action" when he issued Executive Order 10952. This order created the Equal Opportunity Commission or the EEOC and contractors on projects financed with federal funds to "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, ant employees are treated during their employment without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin." President Kennedy also pushed for more legislation but was not alive to see it go through. Proceeding Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson took over the fight and pushed for the passing of Civil Rights Act of 1964, which barred discrimination in the variety of private and public settings. It included prohibiting discrimination in private facilities, outlawed discrimination in federally-funded-programs, and prohibited discrimination by both private and public employers and so forth. Still under Johnson's control, the Executive Order 11246, placed the responsibility for a...

The Narrative about My Exchange Program in Dubai Essay

The Narrative about My Exchange Program in Dubai - Essay Example The first day entails the trip to Dubai. The reason for my participation in the exchange program was the provisions that my university had to offer. However, the sight of Dubai made a change to all the casual involvement in the program. The city was beautiful, and the sound of traffic made me see how busy the population was at that very moment. The skyscrapers of Dubai were just incredible. The highest building Burj Khalifa was now a gesture that I had previously seen on pictures (Dubai). The building was tall and the tip that was the crest of the building made me wonder the height of the building. Our guide a native who had bright colored attire. The guide put forward that the Dubai was one a composition of the UAE. The most probable factor was that the beautiful city was the most popular of the eight nations that form the United Arab Emirates. The guide told me that Dubai was a center of business. The guide also wore an attractive perfume that was indigenous. The Burj Khalifa had a height of 828 meters. After a while, the guide took me to one of the best hotels in the city. The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah was our stop. The hotel is the face of Dubai in tourism as well as the hospitality advertisements. The hotel has a sail-like appearance. The structure is a mixture of blue and white. The building according to the guide is an actual symbol of the modernity that attributes to the city. There was a private point for the reception for each floor. The smell of the food was very charming, and the sight of the interior was comforting.  The guide also took me to the top of the building. The city was epic from the viewpoint. The city was subtle, and people were as small as ants.

Meteorology HW 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Meteorology HW 1 - Assignment Example It is also the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn and has a lot of energy since it comes from the sun. On the other hand, longwave radiation contains less energy and comes from the Earth. Longwave radiation exits the planet as infrared rays. 3. Based on the graph, it can be observed that the CO2 from 2006 to present went up only to drop the following year. The only break is seen from 2009 to 2010 when the CO2 increased for each year. However, it went back to its up-and-down movement from 2010 to 2013. In my opinion, the trend of atmospheric carbon dioxide for Mauna Loa may be affected by the overall effect of the people’s activities and nature as the data is a representation of â€Å"human activities and (by) natural processes.† (Tans) For seasonality, the trend stays the same, increasing, although it is affected by the corrections made to the data as the â€Å"black curve represents the seasonally corrected data.† (Tans). Thus it can be said that for seasonality human error may be a reason for the change in CO2. 4. Albedo is a small part of the energy from the sun that is on Earth and reflected back into space. It comes from the Latin word albus which means white. An average of about 4% of the incoming radiation from the sun is reflected by the Earth (Budikova). Since original forests have a higher albedo, it would that little of the sun’s energy is absorbed by the earth. If the earth is already too warm, a higher albedo would be ideal to avoid further increasing the surface temperature. 5. Based on the data, it can be observed that the warmest year was in 2007 (1.0857) while the coldest year was in 1884 (-0.5941). I have to say I see some global warming in the data. Even if there are years from 1988 where the numbers declined, the trend in the graph show a dramatic increase starting from 1985. This period also reflects a direct contrast from when the data was first compiled which showed very cold