Common Terms in Family Systems Theory

When family members distance themselves from one another in order to reduce the intensity of their relationships. Members become isolated during the process

Processes by which people protect themselves from intolerable anxiety by keeping unaccpetable impulses out of their awareness

A defense mechanism in which one person attributes to someone else his or her unacceptable feelings

An instinctual process between generations that invovles the way people separate themselves from the past in order to start thier lives in the present generation

This is a possible predictor of a child's personality development wtihin a nuclear family. It refers to the order in wihc a child is born in relation to other siblings.

The manner in which social systems can be conceptualized as analagous to those of the family regarding that govern interpersonal behavior within and among them

An assessment tool that is a visual representation of the family's composition, structure, member characteristics,and relationships. It usually covers a span of three generations and is formatted to fit one sheet of paper; as a general guide one can look at the material in terms of three categories of information: 1. Significant facts or events 2. Patterns and systems in the family 3.Idisoyncratic view of the patient

Any strategy by which the therapist disrupts a triangle and opens up family members to new, more functional alliances or triangles

the tendency of a biolgoical system to maintain a relatively stable internal environment through interaction of numerous processes; the propensity within a family to keep a certain established equilibrium