Family Relations Class Week #3

    Wow, this past week of class blew past pretty quickly. We spent a lot of time talking about the different family systems and the theories associated with them. Just to give a quick rundown of the theories that were taught in the class, we talked about systems theory, conflict theory, exchange theory, and symbolic interaction theory. The main one I’d like to talk about is family systems theory. 

    When we talk about family systems theory, there are eight principles that coincide with this theory. These principles highlight the interconnections of the members of the family. The first theory is triangles. Triangles refer to one side having conflict and the other two sides in harmony. Together, they contribute to the development of clinical problems.
The second principle is Differentiation of Self. This means one having a sense of individuality separate from the family unit. Highly differentiated people are more likely to pursue goals independently, while those with a less developed sense of individuality may seek validation from other people and experience codependency. 

    The third principle is the Nuclear Family Emotional process, which is how the family operates in emotional interactions. The nuclear family experienced issues in four main areas: marital conflict (or intimate partner conflict), dysfunction in a spouse or partner, emotional distance, and impairment of one or more children, leading to arguments, criticism, under-performance, over-performance, and/or distancing behavior. 

    The fourth is the Family Projection Process, which is the transmission of the parents’ anxiety, emotional concerns, and/or relationship problems onto the child, who may develop emotional issues as a result. Instead of fixing their own issues, parents try to fix perceived issues in their children that remind them of their own. They treat their children as if something is wrong with them. This shapes their development in a way that the children grow to embody their parents’ fears and perceptions.

    The fifth is the Multigenerational Transmission Process, where comes the belief that the roots of the most serious human problems are generations deep. The multigenerational transmission process determines the levels of individuality people develop. It also affects the way they interact with others, affecting the selection of a spouse or partner. People choose partners with similar levels of differentiation. Small differences in levels of differentiation between parents and offspring lead to significant ranges of differentiation among individual family members over generations. 

The sixth is the Emotional Cutoff, which is distancing from the family or cutting off all contact to reduce stress or avoid conflict without resolving the issues at hand. In so doing, distancing family members may put too much importance on present and future relationships, causing strain and stress. 

    The seventh is Sibling Position which is the tendency of the oldest, middle, and youngest children to take specific roles within the family relationship system. This is typically due to differences in parental expectations and parental discipline. For example, an executive who’s the oldest child may work well with an assistant who’s the youngest child. Likewise, those whose sibling rank positions are complementary may be less likely to divorce than if their positions are at odds. 

    The eighth is Societal Emotional Process where parents in the criminal justice system were studied and saw how outer influences could affect the family system. This principle of family systems theory shows that social and cultural forces can influence family relationships. As people experience greater anxiety during periods of societal regression, ramifications occur within the emotional systems of family units.

    These are just some of the things that I learned about in class this past week, but I specifically enjoyed learning about the different family system theories. I hope that you learned something this week about family relations as I did, and I hope to be able to hear your comments and questions about what I have written about. If you’re interested in learning more, down below is a link too much of the information I learned in preparation for class and to write this blog. Until next week.