Nichols Chapter 3: Family Therapy Concepts and Methods

cybernetics

The science of feedback; how information, especially positive and negative feedback loops can help self regulate a system

The study of control processes in systems, particularly the analysis of the flow if information in closed systems

sequences of interaction

positive feedback

negative feedback

feedback loop

the return of a portion of the output of a system, especially when used to maintain the output within predetermined limits (negative feedback) or to signal a need to modify the system (positive feedback)

negative feedback

...Information that signals a system to correct a deviation and restore the status quo

indicates that a system is straying off the mark and that corrections need to be made to get the system back to homeostasis

positive feedback

...Information that confirms and reinforces the direction a system is taking

runaway process

unchecked positive feedback that causes a family or system to get out of control ...

systems theory

a generic term for studying a group of related elements that interact as a whole entity; encompasses general systems theory and cybernetics

the greatest conceptual influence on the early development of the family therapy

general systems theory

a biological model of living systems as a whole entities that maintain themselves through continuous input and output from the environment; developed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy

equifinality

Bartalangy's term: the ability of a complex system to reach a given final goal in a variety of different ways.

morphogenesis

Walter Buckley: the process by which a system changes its structure to adapt to new contexts

social constructivism

like constructivism, challenges the notion of an objective basis for knowledge. Knowledge and meaning are shaped by culturally shared assumptions

reframing

Relabeling a family's description of behavior to make it more amenable to therapeutic change. For example, describing someone as lazy rather than depressed.

deconstruction

a postmodern approach to exploring meaning by taking apart and examining taken for granted categories and assumptions, making possible newer and sounder constructions of meaning

solution focused therapy

Steve de Shazer's term for a style of therapy that emphasizes the solutions that families have already developed for their problems. what is it that families does when they are not fighting.

exceptions

DeShazer's term for times when clients are temporarily free of their problems. Solution-focused therapists focus on exceptions to help clients build on successful problem solving skills

narrative therapy

An approach to treatment that emphasizes the role of the stories people construct about their experience

externalization

Michael White's technique of personifying problems as external to persons. EX: "the boy is a procrastinator vs. times when procrastination gets the best out of him".

complementarity

the reciprocity that is the defining feature of every relationship

linear causality

.the idea that one event is the cause and another is the effect; in behavior, the idea that one behavior is a stimulus, the other response

circular causality

Bateson's term: the idea that actions are related through a series of recursive loops or repeating cycles

process

how members of a family or group relate

content

what families talk about

structure

recurrent patterns of interaction that define and stabilize the shape of relationships. First interactions shape structure, but once established, structure shapes interactions.

subsystems

Smaller units in families, determined by generation, sex or function

boundaries

emotional and physical barriers that protect and enhance the integrity of individuals, subsystems, and families

enmeshment

loss of autonomy due to a blurring of psychological boundaries

family life cycle

stages of family life from separation from one's parents to marriage, having children, growing older, retirement, and finally death

culture

shared patterns of behavior and experience derived from settings in which people live

ethnicity

the common ancestry through which groups of people have evolved shared values and customs

example of positive feedback

a driver on an icy road sends feedback to his automobile engine by stepping on the accelerator that can spiral out of control

example of negative feedback

home heating system -- temperature drops below a desired point and the heating system comes on correcting the temperature to a pre-determined setting

How do feedback loops affect the concept of cybernetics

1) family rules -- govern the range of behavior a family system can tolerate (the family's homeostatic range) (2) negative feedback mechanism that families use to enforce those rules (guild, punishment, symptoms) (3) sequence of family interaction around a problem that characterize a system's reaction to it (feedback loop) and (4) what happens when a system's accustomed negative feedback is ineffective, triggering positive feedback.

who claims credit for general systems theory

Ludwig von Bertalanffy

homeostasis

A balanced steady state of equilibrium

Constructivism

An emphasis on the subjective mind of the individual or an individual's interpretation of experience

family hierarchy

Which phenomena are not a focus of cybernetics, as applied to families? Belief and cultural context were not covered.

first order change

superficial change in a system which itself stays invariant

second order change

basic change in the structure of a system