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Object - relations theory
believe that the interactions with parents (objects) during infancy and early childhood instill powerful mental representations that are stored in unconscious memory. These early mental representations influence how we view the self and others in adulthood. Thus our view of self/others stems largely from childhood experiences that are stored in unconsious memory and play important roles in adult relationships
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General Systems Theory
Broad elements or parts of system are interconnected and strive to maintain balance
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General Systems Theory applies:
applies to all types of systems; the body, home heating and cooling, schools and businesses
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Characteristics of family system:
- Focus is on system, notindividual members
- Family is made up of interelated parts that interact in persistent, enduring, and predictable ways
- Something must regulate and govern how the system functions
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What produces this regular, enduring, and persistent pattern?
Rules
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Wholeness
- Family is more than the sum of the individual parts, more than a collection of individuals
- As family members interact they create a uniqueness that is far more than just the combined sum of each individual member
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Wholeness focus:
- change in one part of the system influences every other part of the system
- The system is constantly changing, acting and reacting to inputs of various kinds
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Satir's mobile model
- pull on mobile and every family member moves
- "When mom isnt happy no one is happy"
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Feedback
what the process of monitoring stability and balance is done through
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A system which does this monitoring so that balance is maintained is called a :
homeostatic system
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Examples of a homeostatic system
- the body
- home heating system - thermostat
- the family
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Positive Feedback:
pushes for change
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Negative Feedback
Wants to keep the peace
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Behavior is the _____ for the individual, yet it is input for the system
output
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Subsystems in families
- spousal - husband/wife
- parental
- siblings
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Boundary -
- line of demarcation between two systems, subsystems, or entities
- Example: city limits
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Boundaries in families are more:
- invisible/subtle.
- May be physical or psychological
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Boundaries protect -
from outside influences and encroachments (kids, friends)
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The ease at which a system allows information to flow in and out relates to boundary:
permeability
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Linear Causality:
- A - B - C
- The cause of the behavior can be determined if we can just find the chain of events leading up to the behavior
- Ex: a person takes a drug, Drug causes physiological changes, Changes lead to dizziness
- How can we explain the dizziness?
- - It is caused by the drug which produces physiological changesq
- Inadequate
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Circular Causality
- in families, forces influence each other in a bi-directional or multi-directional way.
- A change in one person influences every family member
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Equifinality
- many activating events can be associated with the same result/outcome
- Relates to prediction and causality
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Equipotentiality
- the same activating event can be associated with many different results/outcomes
- Relates to predictions and causality
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Example of equifinality:
a parent's overprotective behavior or a parent's over permissive behavior could result in a child's rebellious behavior
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Equipotentiality example:
a spanking may lead to more misbehavior, less misbehavior, or no change in behavior
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Science:
based on empirical data information that is systematically observed, measured, and recorded
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Goals of researcher:
- to accurately describe
- to accurately predict
- to accurately explain
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