Today What Are Some of the Family Structures and the Roles That Family Members Play Today

Family unit Dynamics

Family dynamics are the patterns of relating, or interactions, between family members. Each family system and its dynamics are unique, although there are some common patterns.

All families take some helpful and some unhelpful dynamics.

Even where there is picayune or no present contact with family, a young person will accept been influenced by dynamics in earlier years. Family unit dynamics often have a stiff influence on the style immature people come across themselves, others and the globe, and influence their relationships, behaviours and their wellbeing.

An understanding of the impact of family dynamics on a young person'due south self-perception may assistance workers pinpoint and respond to the driving forces behind a young person'southward current needs.

Family Systems Theory

Traditional private therapy tends to focus on problems in a linear way, that is, 'event' A acquired 'problem' B. The history of the trouble is explored, in club to understand what has caused the problem and place what is needed (deficit) in society for a person to motility forrard.

Family systems theory, in comparing, views bug in a more circular mode, using what is called a 'systemic perspective'. Both A and B are seen to exist in the context of a relationship, in which each influences the other (the dynamics of the relationship). Understanding bug requires the assessment of patterns of interactions, with an accent on what is happening, rather than why.

This approach emphasises the bi-directional nature of relationships, and moves away from blaming one person for the dynamic (with the exception of abusive relationships, where responsibility is clearly placed with the perpetrator).

Symptomatic behaviour is seen every bit arising out of the inter-related behaviour of all family members. Therefore, in order to gain a meliorate understanding of a immature person's situation, their behaviour is explored in the context of their family unit system, rather than in isolation. The focus is on the pattern of dynamics within a immature person's family unit arrangement, including the outcome of the young person's behaviours ¹.



Some of the many influences on family dynamics include:

• nature of the parents' relationship
• having a particularly soft or strict parent
• number of children in the family
• personalities of family members
• an absent parent
• the 'mix' of members who are living in the same household
• level and type of influence from extended family or others
• a chronically sick or disabled child within the family
• events which have affected family unit members, such every bit an thing, divorce, trauma, death, unemployment, homelessness
• other issues such every bit family violence, corruption, alcohol or other drug utilise, mental health difficulties, other disability
• family values, civilization and ethnicity, including beliefs most gender roles, parenting practices, power or status of family members
• nature of attachments in family (ie secure, insecure)
• dynamics of previous generations (parents and grandparents families)
• broader systems- social, economic, political including poverty

More than than one side to the story

Family therapy approaches consider that there are many versions of a family's story. Each person in a family unit unit has their own perspective about issues that are causing conflict in a family unit and each perspective is seen past family therapists as being both legitimate and flawed ².

There is an attempt to transcend 'either/or' dichotomies, and instead to embrace the idea of 'both/and'. This ways that where there are two different theories or ideas (or stories) about what has happened, at that place is no requirement to reject one, but instead to see both equally ii sides of the ane coin.

Ane cannot exist without the other, and one gives significant and dissimilarity to the other. Of grade, this assumes goodwill on the office of the people involved; lying and/or manipulative behaviour requires a different approach.

When talking to a young person well-nigh their family dynamics, it is of import to continue in mind that other family members may hold different perspectives and interpretations of events and behaviours. The pregnant given to behaviour is the personal truth for someone, and non the true meaning. Each family member's perspective is valid in its own right. ³.

It is important to 'concord' a variety of possible truths, while continuing to explore patterns and possible ways forrard. Understanding the patterns that are maintaining the problem, including the patterns of communication and language used to talk over the problem, allows the worker to claiming perceptions of events. In well-nigh cases, family members have underlying goodwill to piece of work on family bug, although they may not know how. Workers can harness this goodwill and employ it to facilitate positive alter in the family system.



Traditional therapies have focused on problems, deficits and 'risks'. Strengths-based practice, which arises from the Family Systems Theory tradition, aims to bring strengths of individuals and family systems into therapeutic awareness.

This approach does not ignore the seriousness of risk and/or abuse, but intends to bring a more accurate and balanced moving picture to light, when appropriate. For case, it may involve exploring how a behaviour or dynamic may be adaptive or functional within the family organization, or may involve reclaiming a particular behaviour in a positive light. This approach facilitates alter and growth by building self-conviction, optimism, motivation and a sense of empowerment. A strengths-based approach helps a client to identify their coping capacities and strengths to build a reality in which they are able to cope more effectively. ⁴

See: Reframing Feelings about Family



People take on different roles or functions inside the family system. These roles may be the outcome of family dynamics. The fashion that people bear and interact in their roles may not exist a result of conscious option. Some of the more common roles that young people accept on in a family include:

'Peace-keeper'
A young person may be unintentionally playing role the part of 'peace-keeper', mediating and reducing tension between conflicting parents. Their behaviour may be in response to their unconscious anxiety about family breakdown. This part may pb them to stay as a child in their family unit rather than to move towards historic period-appropriate independence.

The problem as the 'role'
Sometimes a young person's problems, for example drug use, may play a 'office' in the family organisation distracting the family from other problems. One of the early family unit systems theorists, Minuchin, identified that the negotiation of spouse stresses through the kid serves to maintain the spouse subsystem in "illusory harmony". Spouses may reinforce deviant behaviour in a child in gild to let them to avoid addressing their own relationship difficulties, thereby keeping the family together. ^five

'Scapegoat'
Often, a young person with difficulties is seen as the black sheep or the bad kid within the family unit, while other children are seen at the good children. The immature person has become the 'scapegoat' for the family, or the visible 'symptom' of a troubled family organization.

For instance, the immature person may be labeled as 'mentally ill', although they may exist behaving in a manner that is actually adaptive and enables them to cope and function within a troubled family unit organization. If the purpose or function of their behaviour is understood inside the context of family dynamics, the young person tin can be supported to cope in less detrimental means.

A family unit'south attitude towards a young person has an important influence on their self-identity and cocky-worth. A young person'south behaviour may, at times, be in response to labeling or being ascribed characteristics past the family.

For example, a immature person may be called a 'sook' in a family where emotional toughness is valued. This may lead to certain responses by the young person, such as 'toughening up' or managing low self-worth in a destructive manner. The immature person volition benefit greatly from a worker who volition assist them to place their strengths and emphasise the value of their attributes.

Interactions between family members and behaviours surrounding a 'trouble' such as drug utilize may inadvertently serve to reinforce or encourage problem behaviour. A parent may pay a fine, for example, in an effort to avert a item negative consequence of a young person's drug utilize, such equally a police tape. This may unintentionally 'enable' or encourage the drug use in a immature person, equally information technology can be seen to foreclose them experiencing and learning from the consequences of their deportment.

If parents are able to concord together on an approach to be taken in relation to a young person's behaviour, using warmth and firm boundaries, young people ordinarily answer well.

Families also form alignments (closer connections) and hierarchies (positions of power), which may or may not serve the young person well. For example, families may form alignments across gender, or one parent may align with and have a closer relationship with a child than with their partner, including sharing secrets from the other parent.

Parents should share the power in a family and back up each other in controlling and appropriate bailiwick of children. In that location are times when instead a child carries the ability in the family, for example, where there is disharmonize between parents, or when parents are decorated or not-effective in their boundaries with the child. These inappropriate alignments and hierarchies can have a negative influence on a young person'southward operation ^half-dozen.

ane. Becvar, D. and Becvar, R. (2002). Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration. Pearson Instruction Commonwealth of australia.

2. Becvar, D. and Becvar, R. (2002). Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration. Pearson Pedagogy Australia.

3. Becvar & Becvar, op. cit.

four. Becvar & Becvar, op. cit.

5. Minuchin, S. 1974. Families and Family Therapy. London: Tavistock Publications, p. 102.

half-dozen. Minuchin, S. (1974) Families and Family unit Therapy. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

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Source: http://www.strongbonds.jss.org.au/workers/families/dynamics.html