Family assessment: Systems theory and the genogram

Life After Bariatric Surgery: Perceptions of Male Patients and Their Intimate Relationships

“…One of the issues that emerged with participants was the perception of their romantic partner's insecurity. This relates back to some of the major tenets of family systems theory; that a change in one part of the system impacts the entire system, that relationships are recursive in nature and interdependent, and that relationships can lead to specific patterns (Becvar & Becvar, ; Hurley, ). Men reported that their partners became fearful that the men would want to leave the relationship and find another more compatible partner.…”

“…With a focus on men's experiences within the context of their intimate relationships, the researcher made the decision to use family systems theory to underline the study. Although one might posit that interviewing men individually is not systemic, it is important to acknowledge three major tenets of family systems theory: a change in one part of the system has bearing on the entire system (Hurley, ), parts of a system operate in a recursive relationship and are interdependent and involve circular causality or what some refer to as mutuality or interdependence, and certain patterns occur within family relationships (i.e., complementary and symmetrical relationships) (Becvar & Becvar, ).…”