Family Members and Family Essay

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Family Systems Theory

The purpose of Family Systems Theory is to utilize the family unit along with systems approach to explain the complex manner in which a family and the various members of that family operate. By placing members of family together, the reality of the family's bond can be appreciated, dispelling feelings of neglect or disconnect. Family Systems Theory enables individuals to speak more directly to one another within the family in order to overcome obstacles and deal with issues that may be affecting them as individuals or as a family unit.

The scope of the theory "encompasses the considerable relationship complexities of families without imposing one-time married family models or expectations on them" (Titelman, 2013, p. 356). The idea here is that instead of focusing on individual pathologies, family systems theory enables individuals to focus on the process of interaction within the family. It diverts attention away from a problem-oriented concept towards a solution-oriented concept derived from its broad scope which includes the overall family dynamic.

The major concepts of Family Systems Theory are 8: first, there is the differentiation of the Self -- which refers to how individuals deal with issues in life; second, there are triangles -- which refer to "the basic molecule of human relationship systems" (Vermont Center for Family Studies, 2015); third is the nuclear family emotional process -- which refers to how the family deals with differentiation; fourth is the family projection process -- which refers to the tendency of parents to project their own problems onto the child, who then develops issues; fifth is the emotional cutoff -- which refers to the "distancing posture" of individuals in a family (Vermont Center for Family Studies, 2015); sixth is the multigenerational transmission process -- which refers to the way that emotions are passed down through generations within the family; seventh is sibling position -- which refers to the manner in which sibling roles and positions affects interaction; and last is societal emotional process -- which refers to environmental factors that impact families (Vermont Center for Family Studies, 2015).

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The major assumptions of Family Systems Theory are that by placing family members together for open discussion and interaction, individual problems can be overcome and obstacles to a higher quality of life can be removed when contextualized against the emerging patterns of the family dynamic. By understanding the way in which the family operates and functions….....

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