Family Model Based on the System Approach

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a theoretical system interdisciplinary research aiming to develop a family model on the basis of empirical data and practice of dealing with a family. The hypothesis suggests that the development of the system conceptual family model in the ontological, structural, functional, genetic and integrative epistemological views will give the opportunity to adequately represent the normative attributes and purposefulness of the social-psychological object-prototype. The development analysis of a concept about a family as a system is carried out. It is proved that the history of science is familiar with a number of concepts of the system organization of family integrity, its structure and functioning, which represent illustrative models of authors' approaches to the practice of psychotherapy. An attempt is made to propose a model of the family system organization based on the contemporary provisions of the system approach to the study of the complex psychological object. "The system research algorithm" by A.V. Karpov served as a methodological framework of this work, which proposes to single out the integrity based on its criterion and carry out further analysis in five gnoseological plans (ontological, structural, functional, genetic and integrative). The ontological content of family integrity is determined by microand macro-factors that have developed in the collective consciousness in the continuation of cultural and historical development of society. There are five levels in the model structure: 1) an element level of individual psychological characteristics of family members; 2) a component level is a system of family roles; 3) spousal, parent-child, child and grandparent functional subsystems; 4) a system-wide level is the integrity of family subsystems; 5) a metasystem level is presented by external regulators of an object's life activity. The functional quality of the family system is manifested in dynamic chronological development and regulation of the functional process in accordance with time life-cycle stages and throughout the history of family generations. The genesis of a family community is determined by its purpose, implemented in the process of its life activity and defined by the events of formation and developments of its subsystems. Integrative family qualities are formed during life together and appeared in the unity of self-awareness, collective subject qualities, cohesion and flexibility of integrity. In general, the proposed model represents the normative semantic attributes of an object-prototype, may be recognized as purposeful and used as an ontological framework in empirical studies, in particular in the research of the principles of organization of family purposefulness psychosemantic categories.