Our ideas about families come from four perceptions Peters 2000 Family as a System 1 Self 2 Other Public 3 History and Folklore 4 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 Subsystems what surrounds the family systems within systems Family as a system has two dimensions 1 Structure a Composition family membership b Organization the unique set of rules governing the patterns of interaction found within the extended family system Wholeness Organizational Complexity smaller subsystems that together comprise the larger family system Interdependence with one another EXAMPLE Parent s new employment results in the need for a family move the structure whereby family systems are comprised of various a group of individuals who simultaneously rely upon and maintain autonomy 2 Tasks Family a task performing system Business or responsibilities All families must devise strategies diversity Rules establishing boundaries 1st Order Tasks o Identity o Boundary o Maintenance o Emotional Climate 2nd Order Tasks adapts to maintain itself in response to its members and the environment Adaptation Despite resistance to change each family system constantly
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