Cultural/Systemic

Approaches

Family Systems Theory

 Family Systems Theory
Family systems theory is a body of knowledge
that has arisen out of the observations of clinical
& counseling psychologists as they work with
individuals and their families.

The theory suggests that individuals cannot be

understood in isolation from one another—
families are systems of interconnected and
interdependent individuals, none of whom can
be understood in isolation from the system
What does it mean to say a family
is a system?
To understand this better, consider
the example of a mobile.
When you move any one piece of a
mobile, all the other pieces move
too! They do not exist in isolation
from one another, and “movement”
in any one part of the “system” will
affect all the rest of the parts of the
system.
Terms from Family Systems Theory
that you’ll want to understand

Family Roles
Family Rules
Homeostasis/Equilibrium
Terms from Family Systems Theory
that you’ll want to understand

Family Roles--what is expected of each family

member
– The most basic types of roles are “father,” “mother,”
“aunt,” “daughter,” “son,” “grandmother,” etc. What is
expected from people in each of these roles?
– But there are also roles beyond this most basic level.
For example, one person may be the “clown” of the
family. Another person may be the “responsible one.”
One person may be the “emotional one.” Another role
might be “crazy uncle Joe” who everyone knows is
going to act odd in his own unique way. There are a
lot of different roles in families.
 Terms (cont.)
FAMILY RULES
Family Rules are rules about how the family operates; these
rules are often unspoken. For example…
When people are angry at each other, do they express
this or keep it to themselves?
How affectionate or emotional are family members
expected or allowed to be with each other?
How do decisions get made in the family? Who has input
and who is expected to “just go along”? How is the final
decision made?
Are there limits on “how much” or in what ways kids can
argue with their parents?
How much are family members “allowed” to talk to people
outside the family about family problems?
Families tend to develop patterns about these sorts of things (&
other similar types of things). These patterns become
“unspoken rules.” Family members may see these things as
“just the way it is,” but different families do these things
differently from one another.
 Reflecting on Family Roles &
Family Rules
Take a minute to think about how
you would answer the questions on
the preceding slide with regard to
your family!
 Terms (cont.)
HOMEOSTASIS--EQUILIBRIUM
Systems develop typical ways of being which are reliable
and predictable. Family roles & family rules are examples
of what I mean by “typical ways of being.”
Whether these roles & rules are adaptive or not, there is a
pull from the system NOT to CHANGE—but to continue
functioning as things have always been.
Think of the mobile. If you move one part, the other parts
move. But if you let go of that one part, the whole
“system” (i.e., the parts of the mobile) will “pull each other”
back to the way they were before that one part moved.
This tendency of systems to keep doing things as they’ve
already been done is known as homeostasis or the
system’s equilibrium.
Some examples of family patterns:
Distancer-Pursuer Dyad
Often the roles that various family members take on are
related to one another. For example, consider the
distancer-pursuer dyad (a dyad is just a group of two
people).
Sometimes in a relationship, there may be one person who
seeks out closeness with the other person (the pursuer)
while his/her partner (the distancer) wants more space or
independence and pulls back from the relationship.
This pattern might occur in the marital relationship but might
also occur in the parent-child relationship. Outside the
family, you might see this pattern in dating relationships or
even in close friendships.
 Distancer-Pursuer Dyad
& Circular Causality
As you might imagine, as the distancer & pursuer act
out their “roles” within the relationship, a cycle can
develop.
– The pursuer pushes for closeness while the
distancer pulls back.
– The pursuer then feels “abandoned” and thus feels
even more even more of a need for connection &
so pushes even harder for connection.
– As a result, the distancer feels “smothered” and
pulls away even more…
– …and so on & so forth…..a cycle!
 Distancer-Pursuer Dyad
& Circular Causality
One might ask: How do they get in the cycle? Who
starts it?
Family systems theory sees this question as like the
question: “What came first? The chicken or the
egg?”
Just as the “chicken & the egg” question is impossible
to answer, it may impossible to say whether the
“distancer” or the “pursuer” started it! But in the
cycle, BOTH patterns cause the OTHER
Family systems theorists refer to this concept as
circular causality.
 Distancer-Pursuer Dyad
& Circular Causality
Circular causality refers to the fact that in
family systems, each family member’s
behavior is caused by and causes the other
family members’ behaviors. They are each
impacting the other, in a circular manner.
 Some examples of family patterns:
Overfunctioner-Underfunctioner Dyad
Another example of circular causality is the
overfunctioner-underfunctioner dyad
In the overfunctioner-underfunctioner dyad, one member
of the couple (the overfunctioner) is very responsible.
This person wants things to be planned out. In contrast,
the other member of the couple (the underfunctioner)
may be less responsible, more fun-loving, more
spontaneous, etc.
Imagine a married couple as they deal with finances in
the family. The overfunctioner thinks that its important to
budget and to stay within a budget. The underfunctioner
thinks that sometimes you just have to be willing to
splurge and enjoy!
 Some examples of family patterns:
Overfunctioner-Underfunctioner Dyad
The overfunctioner tends to see the
underfunctioner as irresponsible and immature.
The underfunctioner tends to see the
overfunctioner as controlling & rigid.
Just as we saw in the distancer-pursuer
relationship, the more the overfunctioner
overfunctions, the more the underfunctioner (in
reaction) will tend to underfunction, AND VICE
VERSA
The causality is circular! Once the cycle has
started, each person’s behavior contributes to
the other person’s behavior.
 Circular causality
The distancer-pursuer and overfunctioner-
underfunctioner are just two examples of the
sorts of circular patterns that can develop in
families. There are many other possibilities.
A good clue to a “circular” pattern is when
people tend to respond in predictable ways to
each other, and their responses may become
more extreme or even “stubborn” over time.
 A Question to Ponder

What “circular” patterns have you seen in your

own family or other relationships?
 Homeostasis & Equilibrium
Remember that we talked about how “systems”
are resistant to change?
According to systems theory, this is true EVEN
IF the change might seem to be a desirable one!
For example, if the “distancer” within a
relationship tries to work at taking the initiative to
seek out connection within the relationship, the
“pursuer” may --in perhaps unintended,
subconscious ways---sabotage the distancer’s
attempts to change.
Family Systems & The Cultural-
Systemic Approach
In conclusion, the Family Systems approach
suggests that sometimes our behavior may have
AS MUCH TO DO with the “systems” (groups) of
which we are a part—and the patterns that get
established within these systems-- as it may
have to do with the personality of each person
within the system.
This is a very different explanation to what
shapes human behavior than many of the other
perspectives we have looked at in class thus far.
 Applying what you’ve learned!

Remember….to take the Jenzabar quiz

before class on Wednesday Oct. 12!