SYSTEMS T

HEORY STU

DY

GROUP

O V E R V I EW A

N D GE N E R A L S

Y S T E M S TH E O R Y

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPWhat are theories?• Ways of conceptualizing behaviors, relationships, and

problems• Represents your worldview – your way of making sense out

of things• Ideas and concepts which form the basis for the various

models which we study and use• Philosophical approach to therapy, relationships, and

problems

2

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPWhy are they important?• Your “house” is built upon one or more theoretical

approaches• How you choose to intervene and provide therapeutic

services are guided by your particular philosophical understandings

• Your choice(s) of model(s) will be informed by your theoretical underpinnings

• Therapy requires a strong understanding of theories• Helps you meet the client’s needs• Is required for passing the national exam

3

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPHow many theories are there?• That’s a great question• That depends upon who you ask• There are ways to conceptualize these theories into various

categories• Ingoldsby et al. (2004) highlighted 9 theories related to

families

4

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPStrategic Structur

edExperiential

Behavioral

Intergenerational

Centers MRI, Haley-Madanes Institute, Institute for Family Studies, Ackerman Institute

Philadelphia Child Institute

Big Sur Univ of Oregon Georgetown Family Center

People Jackson, Watzlawick, Haley, Madanes, Palazzoli

Minuchin Satir and Whitaker

Weiss Bowen

Assumptions about problem

Communication problems; problem solving problems; stuck

Change over time; structural imbalances; internal/external factors

Interactions shaped by other experiences; need for validation; failure to connect

Learning; negative reinforcement; coercive cycles

Intergenerational; emotional systems of family; emotional imbalances in family

Change Disrupt cycle; get unstuck

ID system level of problem; learn new patterns

Challenge assumptions; confrontation and feeling

Positive reinforcement; reciprocal reinforcement

Safely handle feelings; use extended family

Techniques

Paradox; reframe; letters

Joining; enactments; crisis

Sculpting Goal setting; Behavior tracking

Coaching; Genogram

5

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

Theory Theory Theory Theory TheoryCentersPeopleAssumptions about problemChangeTechniques

6

This is the basic format for what you might want to include in your own chart. This will help you track the various models and the significant data related to each.

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPTonight we will discuss general systems theory because it is

the foundational core of much of the rest of family systems theory

7

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPGeneral systems theory• Derived from the work of Bertalanffy• Viewed the world from a biological perspective• Attempted to give meaning to how biological systems

operate• Teaches us that the whole is greater than the parts• Components are interdependent (change in 1 causes change

in others)• AKA: Systems theory, Open systems theory, Systemic

theory

8

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPGeneral systems theorySystems theory was proposed in the 1936 by the biologist Ludwig von Bertalanffy, and

further developed by Ross Ashby. von Bertalanffy was both reacting against reductionism and attempting to revive the unity of science. He emphasized that real systems are open to, and interact with, their environments, and that they can acquire qualitatively new properties through emergence, resulting in continual evolution. Rather than reducing an entity (e.g. the human body) to the properties of its parts or elements (e.g. organs or cells), systems theory focuses on the arrangement of and relations between the parts which connect them into a whole (cf. holism). This particular organization determines a system, which is independent of the concrete substance of the elements (e.g. particles, cells, transistors, people, etc).

Thus, the same concepts and principles of organization underlie the different disciplines (physics, biology, technology, sociology, etc.), providing a basis for their unification. Systems concepts include: system-environment boundary, input, output, process, state, hierarchy, goal-directedness, and information.

An information system is an example of the interaction of multiple elements as envisioned by GST.

Source: http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SYSTHEOR.html

9

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPGeneral systems theoryAll systems have common elements. These are:

input output throughput or process feedback control environment goal

10

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPTerm Definition ExamplesInput The material/information

transformed by the systemInformation; digital input; analog input

Throughput

The process used to make sense of input

Thinking, planning, decision making

Output The results of the input and throughput

Family decisions

Feedback Information received regarding output

Negative feedback; positive feedback

Subsystem

A 2nd system within a system Parental system

Closed system

Fixed relationships – not open to outside influence

Enmeshed families

11

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPTerm Definition ExamplesOpen system

Interacts with surroundings and outside influences

Family with healthy boundaries

Boundary Differentiates one system from another

Hierarchy; parents/children

Negentropy

Tendency toward homeostasis Develop rules to return to normalcy

Entropy Tendency toward chaos Dysfunctional families; addicted families

Equifinality

End result can be reached by various means

Decision on resolving conflict in marriage

Cybernetics

The ways in which systems operate

Closed/open/feedback loops

12

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPTerm Definition ExamplesHomestasis

Normal state of a system Family faces conflict and returns to a balanced system

Negative Feedback

Homeostatic maintainer- Behavior that restores system to a comfort range

Child individuates and is punished – remains enmeshed

Positive Feedback

Pro-change behavior that upsets equilibrium beyond thresholds of accustomed behaviors

Teenager challenges authority and results in rules changes

1st Order Change

Change that occurs within a system that itself remains unchanged

Change within an individual

2nd Order Change

Change that alters the system itself

Addicted family enters into recovery

13

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

14

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

15

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

16

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

17

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

18

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUP

19

SYSTEMS THEORY STUDY GROUPResourceshttp://quizlet.com/2873390/new

20