Family Systems Vocab 3/24

A form of communication which consists of quantities, differences, and analogies. This type of communication has connotative meaning. It consists not of words, but of the nonverbal, paraverbal, and contextual aspects of interaction. Family therapists refer to this when they identify the process (as opposed to the content) of a session.

A clinical technique which describes a goal of eliciting differences in perceptions about events, problems, and relationships from each family member. It is based on the premise that family members frequently describe a problem in terms that are often too broad or too narrow.

An early cybernetic term which described the process in a system where uncorrected positive feedback produced an escalation of symptoms. For example, high conflict in a dyadic relationship may escalate into abusive behavior toward one another.

A concept which identifies a pattern of dramatic emotional separation between and individual and their family of origin. This process often leads to fusion with other individuals, such as spouses or children, who replace the ties to the family of origin system.

A concept which suggests that similar outcomes may result from different origins.

A concept that describes the process whereby changes in the system may leave unaltered the underlying organization of that system. A family may undergo this when it adapts or accommodates but does not cease its symptomatic functioning in response to therapeutic intervention.

A clinical concept which refers to changing the paradoxical nature of a family in which symptomatic behavior actually maintains the homeostatic and often dysfunctional tendencies in the family. For example, in response to a system's resistance to change, the therapy team may offer a message prescribing no change based upon positive connotation, interpreting all family behavior as good, which preserves the cohesion of the group.

A concept to recommend that the concern for gender issues become a significant part of the theory and practice of family therapy. For the family therapist, this necessitates an understanding of the effects of differential socialization for both genders and the goal of providing opportunities for both partners to choose voices and roles that may differ from those prescribed from the larger social system.

A clinical intervention where the family therapist offers a message to the family which is inconsistent and contradictory. The meanings that are presented to the family have the intent of challenging rigid perceptions or unbalancing the system. The therapist expects the family to resist the directive in a manner that change may occur.

A system where a child is assigned a caretaking role for one or both parents, and often for the siblings too. This designated child assumes excessive responsibility in a pesudo-adult role by emotionally and physically caring for either a weak parent or a vulnerable marriage.

An intervention in which the therapist acts upon the system to produce a structural change or accommodation. The system must respond to and compensate for the intervention. This is often intended to unbalance the system in order to increase the potential for change.

An intervention where symptoms are restated or redefined in interpersonal terms instead of with the focus of the symptom on an individual member. This challenges the family's perception of the symptoms or behaviors. For example, an adolescent's behavior, described by the parents as rebellious and antagonistic, may be restated more normatively as "growing up" experiences.

A family system dynamic that describes the process by which a family designates a member to carry and act out the stress and dysfunction for other members or subsystems of the family. For example, often a child is designated to carry this stress and it may be displayed in depressive symptoms or delinquent behaviors. A therapist may see a child acting out due to underlying conflicts in the parents marriage.

A relationships in which family members have relatively equal status and power. This relationship type may display greater conflict than complementarity patterns because the relatively equal status of the partners can cause disputes to escalate circularly leading to a greater disruption.

An intervention where the family therapist interferes with a dysfunctional transactional in the system by adding more force or emphasis to a certain behavior or role. The goal is to interfere with the equilibrium of the system which maintains the problem. For example, a therapist might with one family member in order to force other members to interact in a reciprocal or runaway manner.