TEST 1 FAMILY SYSTEMS

1. What is family?

Is what a person in a family says it is .

2. Three things that contribute to healthy family function:

- Unconditional love
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Sacrifice
-
3. True or false? According to systems theory, the whole is equal to the sum of its parts.

FALSE

The interaction of family members creates an entity that is more of the sum of the individual
personalities. Ex musical notes: single notes are nothing but the combination creates a unique
melody. Despite how much the Social worker knows an individual, their behaviour is best
understood through observations of family interaction.

4. What is the key to work in a family system?

All families are social systems. The interactions are:

-Reciprocal

-Patterned

-Repetitive

5. Provide three reasons why it might be advantageous to work with the family versus an
individual.

• Family experiences play a significant role in our growth and development

• The family context is essential to one’s well being
• Working with the family allows one to address additional problems beyond what is
presenting

6. What are the three principles of a family social work approach?

 • Problems occur as a result of repetitive patterns of interaction(communications or
behaviours)within the family
• Crises encountered by the family create both instability and opportunities for
change
• Families function according to established rules that must be altered before
problems can be effectively and permanently resolved.

7. What are three differences between family therapy versus family social work?
• Family therapy:
- office based,
- structured
- time limited
• Family social work
- is home or community based,
- unstructured
- may last for months

8. healthy family system “boundaries” exhibit these three characteristics:

-Open,

-permeable

-flexible

9. Family therapists/social worker view “symptoms” in a family member (i.e. substance

abuse, aggression) as being related to Sources of dysfunction in the family system
10. List two changes that have occurred in gender roles and responsibilities in families
over the past 15-20 years
• More equal sharing of in home roles, e.g. cooking and cleaning
• More females in the workforce

11. Explain what is meant by the Person In Environment (PIE) Perspective

• This means individuals and extending to the entire family, are influenced by their
social environments, culture, social attitudes etc.
For example, the socio-economic status of the community will impact on the family
and how it functions.

12. What are three key functions of the parent subsystem?

- Positive role modelling
-guidance
-limit setting

13. Explain the concept of homeostasis.

 How does the appearance of a symptom in a family member relate to the concept of
homeostasis?
Definition: Refers to the goal of all living systems to try and achieve balance or
equilibrium in terms of how they function.

Family social works believe that “symptoms” in a family members, e.g. aggression in a
child, the onset of depression in an adult, the start of delinquent behavior in a teen,
results from the family being knocked out of it’s homeostasis or norm. This results
when a part(s) of the family system become “dysfunctional”. Furthermore, family social
workers believe that the “symptom” is an attempt to restore the family back to
homeostasis.

14. For clinical purposes the family should be considered as being a MICROCULTURE

• Micro = mini-culture, while families may share certain characteristics and attributes
with one another, they have their own unique ways of “doing” which defines their
“being”. For example, one family may have members greet one another with a hug
each morning whereas others barely say hello.

15. What are three key functions of the spousal subsystem:

- Personal growth,
- emotional support,
- Intimacy

16. Describe the term circular causality and explain how it relates to family interactions
and functioning

• Patterned and repetitive interactions between two people in a family. Individuals both
affect and are affected by the other person in a mutually influencing way.

17. True or false? Based on a systems viewing of problem behavior, the problem behaviour
serves a purpose for the family?
• True; based on a systems perspective, family social workers view problem behavior
(the symptom) as an attempt to stabilize (correct) the dysfunction

18. What are two strategies that a beginning social service worker can use to show that
they recognize the diversity in families/family functioning?

• Do not stereotype
• Do their own education/training

19. Mike and Kelly Thompson present for counselling expressing concerns about their 16
year old son Adam. Reportedly, Adam has been defiant and argumentative concerning
a number of house “rules”.
 According to a systems perspective, the “client” in this situation is The whole
Thompson family

20. True or false? A boundary that is too open may be unhealthy? Explain and provide an
example.

• True; boundaries that are too open may affect one’s sense of privacy or
independence or not provide the necessary structure that contributes to healthy
growth
• Examples: A parent complaining to the child about the other parent; sharing intimate
spousal details with a third party (e.g., a child, or a parent); a parent being overly
involved in their adult child’s life (such that it impinges on their own independence)

21. What is meant by triangulation?

• All intimate family relationships contain seeds of instability and as such are at risk of
needing a third person to maintain stability