VIRGINIA SATIR

HUMANISTIC-SYSTEMIC
FOUNDATION
 BACKGROUND

 Was born in Neillsville, Wisconsin, on June 26, 1916

 Was a very bright child with an explosive sense of curiosity. She taught

herself how to read at the age of three, and recalled wanting to become a
detective when she was very young

 Was a social worker by training and began her clinical career in

Chicago, through private practice (1951) and joining the Illinois State
Psychiatric Institute (1955) where she set up training programs for
resident students of family therapy
 BACKGROUND

 After working with thousands of families, she reported she still found a

lot of puzzles in families

 Recognized that the problems of an individual extend to the family, and often
stem from the family
 Family is a microcosm of the world -- To change the world is to change the
family
 She viewed family life as an iceberg (aware of 1/10 of family

happenings)  thus, 90% hidden

 BACKGROUND

 In 1959, joined the MRI (Mental Research Institute) & served as director of training and

remained until 1966

 Conducted many workshops and lecturers that focus on the individual and the family

system expanded to community and world peace

 Formed and/or was involved in several organizations

 The Beautiful People in 1969 (later registered as the International Human Learning Resources Network)

 The AVANTA Network (Virginia Satir Global Network) in 1978 to connect practitioners of the model

 She used experiential exercises, such as sculpting, metaphors, coaching, and the self of the

therapist to facilitate change

 BACKGROUND

 Her publication: Conjoint Family Therapy, Peoplemaking, The New Peoplemaking

remain as classics in the field of family therapy

 Considered to be one of the founders of the field of family therapy

 Died in 1988 of pancreatic cancer

ASSUMPTIONS
1. People naturally tend toward positive growth (humanistic principle)

2. All people possess the resources (they are good, unique, make meaning internally) for
positive growth (humanistic principle)

3. Every person and every thing or situation impacts and is impacted by everyone and
everything else, but choose familiarity over comfort during stress (systemic principle)

4. Therapy is a process that involves interaction between therapist and client; in this
relationship, each person is responsible for him/herself (systemic and humanistic
principle)
NATURE OF PEOPLE
• Satir had a positive view of human nature

• People are rational and have ability to make choices

• Self-esteem, self-awareness, personal responsibility and effective communication are

important
• Behavior is directly related to one’s family position

• People need a high degree of self-esteem to be a good marriage partner

 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
1. Our family of origin, including past generations, has a significant influence on our
attitudes and behaviors.

2. Families are systems and as such seek balance; when that balance is maintained through
inappropriate roles, restrictive rules, and/or unrealistic expectations, the members’ needs
will not be met, and dysfunction will occur.

3. The result of dysfunctional family systems is low self-esteem and defensive behavior, as
the basic drive of human beings is to enhance self-esteem and defend against threats to it.

4. Each person contains all the resources one needs for growth and healthy functioning.

5. The therapist and his or her beliefs are the most important tools at his or her command.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The Family of Origin’s Influence

 Parents as architects of their present family  bring together what they have learned in

their own families, blending it both consciously and unconsciously to form the context of
their current family
 Family unit becomes dysfunctional when members do not understand the rules

 The present family (of procreation) as being unduly influenced by past generations and as

having significant influence on the present family’s attitude, behaviors, family structure,
hierarchy, power, and balance
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Families as Systems
 As a system, family has components, consist of:
 A purpose or goal: to grow new people

 Essential parts: adults, children, males, females

 An order to the part’s working: various family member’s self-esteem, rules, and communication

 Power to maintain energy in the system so the parts can work: derived from food, shelter, activity, beliefs

about the emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual lives, how they work together
 Ways of interacting w/ the outside: relating to changing contents

 Each component is essential and related to each other to attain a balance, has an order and a

sequence
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Families as Systems
 Two types of system:
 Closed (rigidly connected or disconnected altogether)

 Open (the parts interconnect, responsive and sensitive to one another)

 Often times there are unrealistic expectations within families (e.g., unrealistic marital

expectations, unrealistic expectations of children—ignoring or not understanding development needs,

etc.).
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Self-Esteem/Self-Worth
 The ability to value one’s self and to treat oneself w/ dignity, love, and the aspects of which he/she is

ashamed of  acceptance of one’s strength/ that individual values and weaknesses/ which she/he
ashamed of

 How we choose to cope often relates to our level of SE

 A person w/ a low SE having a great sense of anxiety and uncertainty about himself  tend to be

more concerned w/ what others think of them and less concerned w/ how they feel about themselves
 Since the level of self-worth or SE impacts communication of the individual it will also play a

significant role in family communication and hence family behavior, and the coping stances that may
be taken by the individual
Self-Esteem/Self-Worth

 Low self-esteem is the foundation of individual and family

mental health problems  family therapy are ultimately

connected with low self-esteem.
 Families must respond to each other in ways that enhance

each other’s self-esteem

 Raising the self-esteem of individual family members is one

of the essential focus for intervention within this approach.

 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Resources of the Whole Person

 Each person has all the resources she or he needs to function in a healthy manner

 Include the capacity for learning, changing, awareness, compassion, rationality, wisdom, hope, self-

acceptance and the acceptance of others, esteem, making good choices, being cooperative, admitting and
correcting mistakes, asking for what one needs, and having courage to take action

 Growth: is a matter of connecting w/ inner resources

 Change—especially internal change—is possible for everyone, regardless of age or other

circumstances
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The Therapist and His or Her Beliefs

 Therapists must serve as a model for family members.

 The therapist’s ability to respond to the underlying messages of what is being

communicated and the nonjudgmental qualities of the therapist’s responses are essential 
provide new models of communication to the family

 The humanness of the therapist is more important than therapist expertise

 COMMUNICATIONS
• Communication described as “a huge umbrella that covers and affects all that goes on between
human beings”
• Plays as the largest factor determining what types of relationships an individual will make w/
others and what happens to each in the world
• Covers the whole range of ways people pass information back and forth, that includes:
• The information they give and receive
• The ways that information is used
• How people make meaning out of this information
• All communication is learned  then we can set about changing it if we want to.
• The elements that we bring when we communicate: our bodies, values, expectation, sense organs,
ability to talk, brain
 COMMUNICATIONS
Dysfunctional Communication

 Families with poor communication are families in which the

communication is indirect, unclear, vague, dishonest, distorted, and

incomplete  not as adept at nurturing each other, due to inability to
communicate
 Poor communication results in low self-esteem, which can trigger individual or

familial maladaptive responses, especially in times of high stress

 Families with poor communication skills are more vulnerable in times of

stress and are not as adept in dealing with developmental or

environmental changes.
 INCONGRUENT COMMUNICATION MESSAGES
Family dynamics and family processes should serve to enhance the individual self-esteem
of family members which is congruence with family communicative messages

Congruency Incongruence

 Obtained by the matching of the verbal  (overt) verbal and (covert) nonverbal messages do not match 

(overt) message with the nonverbal (covert) exhibited by subtle external discrepancies and changes in voice
message tone, posture, facial expression, skin coloration, respiration and
gesture.
 Entails using words that accurately reflect

and match one’s feelings and experiences  Contradictory messages are sent via different levels (e.g., verbal

versus nonverbal) wherein these messages contradict each other

 Intended messages are distorted

COMMUNICATION

 Real feelings of low SE and low self-worth are communicated w/ other

family members as they take on various incongruent communication

roles.

 The survival coping stances: some basic communication as ways to hide

the reality of one’s real feelings from oneself and from others.
 THE SURVIVAL STANCES
1. The placator
 Hides his or her feelings of low self-worth and vulnerability by
attempting to please others because his or her emotional survival
depends on it
 Engages in apologetic, tentative, and self-effacing communication
that is designed to please others, tries to avoid rejection
 Serving as a mediator between family members in family disputes
 their interest in the mediation attempts is to assuage his or her
own feelings of low self-esteem and self-worth by gaining the
acceptance of other family members
 Block important communication attempts between members and
thus serve to inhibit open communication
 THE SURVIVAL STANCES
2. The blamer
 Hides their feelings of low self-worth and vulnerability by
attempting to control others and by disagreeing indiscriminately 
giving a sense of importance
 Engages in fault finding, name calling, and criticism  as if the
blamer cannot feel good or secure about him- or herself without
placing other family members in the “one down” position
 Often establishing dishonest communication
 A father rules a family (and his wife) with an iron fist, seldom
yielding (or even considering) the opinions or feelings of other
family members
 THE SURVIVAL STANCES
3. The super-reasonable
 Hides their own feelings by attempting to anesthetize and insulate
him or herself from his or her true feelings.
 Their response to family communication, especially family conflict,
is often an intellectual or overly rational one -- bypassing the
(emotional) inner self
 Conveys noninvolvement and control—inner feelings are
downplayed or avoided altogether, encouraging other family
members to do the same
 The impact on family communication: impeding open and honest
communication between family members
 Not much positive communication and considerable open conflict 
hide feelings of low self-worth and contempt for his parents—even
from siblings
THE SURVIVAL STANCES
4. The Irrelevant
 Handles family conflict and stress by pretending it is not there
 Internally the irrelevant stance taker feels uncared for and alienated from
the family  attempts to refocus family communication elsewhere from
the present context or topic under discussion and away from inner
feelings
 Engage in tangential or even totally irrelevant verbalizations that serve to
refocus attention away from the topic at hand
 The impact on family communication can be one of incomplete
communication, wherein important dialogue is not fully explored
 THE SURVIVAL STANCES
5. The Congruent
 Holds equal balance in the circle of self, others, and context.
 Their communication has no contradictions between its layers. Senders
do not consciously or unconsciously expect the receiver to make
inferences about what they did not say, or to perceive contradictions
between verbal and non-verbal messages
 Share their thoughts and emotions about themselves without projecting
them onto others and thus avoid manipulation
 High self-worth and congruence are the main "indicators of more fully
functioning human beings.“
FAMILY FUNCTIONING
 Family described as an interacting unit that strives to balance in relationships
through the use of repetitious, circular, and predictable communication patterns
 Four components in family situation are subject to change and correction:
 The member’s feeling of self-worth
 The family communication abilities
 The system
 The rules of the family
 Primary goal of the family therapist is to deal w/ family pain
 A pained marital relationship is likely to result in dysfunctional parenting
patterns
 Symptoms viewed as having a role in the emotional function of family system
 Because people fear rejection, they resort to one response pattern or a combination
of patterns
 FAMILY FUNCTIONING
Family rules & roles
 Family rules and roles saw as a transgenerational issue: rules from one’s family of origin are

passed down through one or several generations to the family of procreation—either

consciously or unconsciously
 Can influence an infinite number of family and individual behaviors, such as communication

patterns & styles, family rituals & routines, career choices, etc.
 Healthy, functional, and adaptive family rules : clear, flexible, and adaptive to the

environment, and changing developmental needs of the family and its member
 Dysfunctional rules: rigidly enforced, autocratically developed, and everlasting

 Possible roles: the martyr, the victim or helpless one, the rescuer, the good child/parent, the bad child/parent
FAMILY FUNCTIONING
 Family dynamics
 Problematic family dynamics identified arise from:
 Power struggles: within the family; couple or with extended family members
 Parental conflicts: disagreeing about how to parent & care for children
 Lack of validation: family openly expresses little emotional support or validation
 Lack of intimacy: minimal sharing of significant personal information and emotional
life
 FAMILY FUNCTIONING
Survival triads
 The child, mother, and father – and the quality of the relationship between all three
 Serve as a nurturing system for the child
 Victims, persecutors, saviors?

Mother Father
FAMILY FUNCTIONING
Functional family Dysfunctional family

 Having clear, complete, congruent  Rules are fixed, rigid, arbitrary, and inconsistently applied

communication in which there are clear roles  tend to maintain the status quo and may serve to bolster

and rules to govern family processes the self-esteem of the parents over the children and/or one
spouse’s self-esteem over the other’s.
 Family rules are few in number, relevant,
 A “closed system”  rigidly connected or disconnected
flexible, developmentally appropriate, and
altogether; information doesn’t flow between parts or from
consistently applied
inside in and inside out
 An “open system”  the parts interconnect, are Family problems as in effect an inability to cope 

responsive and sensitive to one another, and problems are not the problem; coping as the problem, &
allow information to flow between the internal coping is the outcome of self-worth, rules of family systems,
and external environments. and links to the outside world
THERAPY
 Her therapeutic approach called as the Human Validation Process Model

 As the natural extension of her philosophical beliefs about process of change and that all individuals

have within them all the resources that they need to grow, change, and solve problems

 Major focus: helping individual family members feel good about themselves

 The goal of Satir’s growth model is transformation: to achieve optimal realization of a

person’s full potential

 No formula for therapy  “people making factory”

 THERAPY
 The goals for treatment:
 Relational (systemic goals)
 Having congruent communication in relationship
 Having a respectful, accepting, and genuine family by changing and modify family rules
 Individual (humanistic goals): self-actualization
 Increase self esteem/worth and self compassion
 Reduce defensiveness and the use of survival stances
 Helping clients to be their own choice makers
 Helping clients to be more responsible  being in charge of one’s internal experiences, not
only one’s behavior
 To strengthen and enhance the coping skills of individual family members, teaching them a new
problem solving skills
 Problems are not the problem; coping is the problem. Coping is the outcome of self-worth, rules of family
systems, and links to the outside world
THERAPY
Role of Therapist
 One of the most essential interventions in Satir’s approach – as a main intervention

tool
 Emphasizing the use of warmth, charismatic, empathy, and (seemingly) intuitive

style in building relationships with clients

 They use themselves- their personhood, by being authentic—to make strong

affective connection with clients (touch)

THERAPY
Role of Therapist
 Satir’s therapeutic roles are that of a facilitator (of healthy communication within

the family), a role model to the family (for good communication), a mediator (to
help families with communication impasses), and a teacher and educator (to help
the family see new solutions for old problems and view new ways of coping with
problems).
 The expertise does not lie in the elaborateness of their tools and techniques; but in

the skill and wisdom of their knowing how to use the simple tools
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
 Satir’s tools:

 Coaching, role play/ simulation

 Sculpting

 Group psychodrama/ family drama

 Parts party

 Etc.

(play video)
SATIR’S TECHNIQUE
1. Describe difficult situation

2. Sit in circle to simulate decision making

3. Family participates in family sculpture

4. Each family members takes some rope and ties it to each others waists

5. Role play

6. Videotapes and discussion help family members understand

reactions/responses
 SATIR’S TECHNIQUE (CONT.)
7. Games
 Simulated Family Game
o family members simulate each other’s behavior
 Systems Game
o open and closed systems
o learning and insight
o ex. rescue or coalition game
 Communication Game
o establish communication skills
o counselor plays important role
o ex. two members sit back-to-back while they talk
PLAY THERAPY WITH FAMILIES
 Dynamic Family Therapy
o Engages family members in creative activity by using natural play
 Filial Therapy
o Goals are to reduce problem behaviors, help parent gain skills and improve parent-child
relationship
 Strategic Family Play Therapy
o Integrated theory based on information processing and the theory of signs
o Uses make-believe play
 Theraplay
o Intensive, short-term approach in which parent are involved as observers and then as co-
therapists
CRITICS OF SATIR’S APPROACH

 Skeptical that her intuitive style may be difficult for other to

emulate

 Depends on therapist creativity, charisma, and personality

 Assumes all people grew up in a family w/ parents (primary triad)

REFLECTION
 Deskripsikan komunikasi yang terjadi di keluargamu. Survival

stance seperti apa yang kamu dan anggota keluargamu gunakan?

 Bagaimana kamu menyimpulkan keluargamu dari sudut pandang

teori Satir (fungsional/disfungsional)? Apa alasanmu?

 Bagaimana kamu menyimpulkan keluargamu dari sudut pandang

iman keyakinanmu (fungsional/disfungsional)? Apa alasanmu?

REFERENCES
 http://satirglobal.org/about-virginia-satir/
 http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/virginia-satir.ht
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