Family as a System Our ideas about families come from four perceptions (Peters, 2000)1. Self2. Other (Public)3. History and Folklore4. Law and Policy- Ideals change over time- Broaden conceptualization of family Focus on Systems Perspective of Family- When viewed as a system, the family can be defined as:An interdependent group of individuals who:(1) Have a shared sense of history(2) Experience some degree of emotional bonding(3) Devise strategies for meeting the needs of individual family members and the group as a whole. Therefore a family is:● Structurally complex● Comprised of multiple subsystems - marital, sibling, parental.● Has common purposes and tasks● Devises strategies for the execution of these tasks● Family members are simultaneously autonomous and dependent● A unit of interconnected and interdependent individuals Key: A family is greater than the sum of its parts! Definitions:● System - regular and enduring patterns in an organized set of elements.● Environment - what surrounds the family.● Subsystems - systems within systems. Family as a system has two dimensions:1. Structurea. Composition - family membership.b. Organization - the unique set of rules governing the patterns of interaction found within the extendedfamily system.● Wholeness● Organizational Complexity - the structure whereby family systems are comprised of various smaller subsystems that together comprise the larger family system.● Interdependence - a group of individuals who simultaneously rely upon and maintain autonomywith one another.EXAMPLE: Parent’s new employment; results in the need for a family move.2. Tasks● Family = a task-performing system.● “Business” or responsibilities● All families must: devise strategies – diversity.● Rules - establishing boundaries.● 1st Order Tasks: o Identityo Boundaryo Maintenanceo Emotional Climate● 2nd Order Tasks: Adaptation: Despite resistance to change, each family system constantly adapts to maintain itself in response to its members and the