ASSUMPTIONS OF FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY

There are several basic principles associated with family systems thinking:

  • Everyone involved in a family system both influences the others and is influenced by them. Relationships are interdependent.
  • Systems have boundaries and can be either open or closed. If a system is too closed, it won’t let in enough new information or influences to allow it to modify and adapt. If a system is too open, it runs the risk of chaos. Ideally, family systems need to be somewhat permeable. No family system is completely closed or completely open.
  • Families develop and change over time. The family system is essentially dynamic.
  • The family is greater than the sum of its parts. Behaviors can be ascribed to the whole family that ...

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