Why families are not like swamps, solar systems, or thermostats: Some limits of systems theory as applied to family therapy

Merkel, William T.; Searight, H. Russell

doi:10.1007/bf00891748

Cited by 30 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…It is worth considering for a moment why clinicians often do not pour over research journals. The couple and family interventions themselves have sometimes been accused of being too technical, abstract, and detached from the real lives and experience of ordinary people (Merkel & Searight, 1992), and ignoring factors such as emotion, which is also a way of knowing. If this is occasionally true of interventions, it is certainly even more true of many of the descriptions of research methods, analyses, and conclusions in the literature.…”

Section: Conclusion and New Directions In Couples Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Revolution in Couple Therapy: A Practitioner‐scientist Perspective

Johnson

2003

J Marital Family Therapy

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This article offers an overview of the expanding field of couple therapy, focusing on what the author considers to be new and even revolutionary in this field. In terms of outcome research, this article suggests that differential treatment effects are discernable. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) appears to demonstrate the best outcomes at present. The most significant differences between research studies and everyday clinical practice may be the levels of therapist supervision rather than the essential nature of clients. The manualization of treatment is also viewed positively in this review. Areas of growth are the mapping of the territory of distress, understanding the process of change, couple therapy as an effective intervention for "individual" disorders, and the integration into couple therapy of clinical research, such as the research on gender and responses in therapy, and research on adult attachment. Practitioner-scientists can contribute to this evolving field by systematic observation and by reminding researchers of the need for clinical relevance. Couple therapy is now integrating description, prediction and explanation. As a result, theory, practice and systematic investigation are beginning to create a coherent whole.

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Section: Conclusion and New Directions In Couples Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Revolution in Couple Therapy: A Practitioner‐scientist Perspective

Johnson

2003

J Marital Family Therapy

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“…Indeed, most current psychotherapies represent variations and extensions of the psychoanalytic and behavioral visions, both of which originated out of efforts to lend scientific legitimacy to their methods of therapy (Frank & Frank, 1991; Szasz, 1978). Such visions have been formulated largely out of a Newtonian epistemology developed in connection with the world of mechanics, thus leading to analogies of humans based on the apparently predictable and law‐like movements of inanimate objects, and, more recently, on the workings of cybernetic systems, computers, and other machines (Efran, Lukens, & Lukens, 1990; Merkel & Searight, 1992). For Bateson (in Keeney, 1983), even the humanistic belief in a “self” belies an adherence to a world view that postulates the material existence of physical entities obeying immutable laws of energy and force.…”

Section: Metaphors Of Psychotherapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Believing in Make‐Believe: Looking at Theater as a Metaphor for Psychotherapy

MacCormack¹

1997

Family Process

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In this essay, I explore the theatrical dimensions of psychotherapy. I argue that many of the historical, practice-related, and conceptual connections between theater and therapy often are only alluded to in the literature, but rarely made explicit. In doing so, however, it seems apparent that, as a metaphor for psychotherapy, theater perhaps offers a more appropriate fit than those narrative and conversational metaphors that have been employed so far. Proposing that theater is, in fact, the metaphor on which psychotherapy bases itself, I briefly examine some of its implications for how therapy might be conceptualized and performed. I conclude by inviting other therapists to consider--by openly acknowledging theater as a metaphor for psychotherapy--if they might then become more engaging, creative, and imaginative in their work.

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“…Families should be open to change in order to maintain their stability. Reluctance to change interactions and rules can lead to negative consequences in family functioning (Merkel and Searight, 1992;Watzlawick et al, 1999). The family as an open system is not just the sum of the properties of its individ-ual members, but the system properties extend beyond all its members (Berg, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived functioning of the family system in professional foster families

Gažiková,

Šeboková,

Mojtová

et al. 2024

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Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the differences in the perception of the functioning of the family system between professional foster parents, their life partners, biological children, and children placed in professional foster families. Methods: The sample consisted of 401 respondents. The functioning of the family system was measured using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale -FACES IV. The Family Communication Scale and the Family Satisfaction Scale were administered to assess communication and satisfaction with the family system. Results: The results of the statistical analyses did not confirm differences in the perception of the functioning of the family system between professional foster parents and their life partners, nor between the biological children of professional foster parents and children placed in professional foster families. Professional foster parents and children placed in professional foster families differed statistically significantly in balanced cohesion. Professional foster parents and their biological children differed statistically significantly in their perception of disengaged cohesion. Partners of professional foster parents and children placed in professional foster families differed in their perception of family adaptability, with children in professional foster families perceiving family functioning as more rigid compared to partners of professional foster parents. The results also indicated that biological children perceived family cohesion as more disengaged than partners of professional foster parents. Conclusion: Understanding the functioning of the family system of professional families is important in effectively applying a systems approach when working with this target group.

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Why families are not like swamps, solar systems, or thermostats: Some limits of systems theory as applied to family therapy

Cited by 30 publications

References 47 publications

The Revolution in Couple Therapy: A Practitioner‐scientist Perspective

The Revolution in Couple Therapy: A Practitioner‐scientist Perspective

Believing in Make‐Believe: Looking at Theater as a Metaphor for Psychotherapy

Perceived functioning of the family system in professional foster families

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