Systems theory was developed by biologist Ludwig Van Bertalaffy. (1934-1968) The theory is based on the family in which most family therapists conduct their clinical studies and that family's perspective on the environment, and tries to explain how the family system organism develops or ends in accordance with its closeness and distance to its environment.
The so-called Bertalaffy organism. He saw every being as the main source of life and defined the organism as "a mutually interacting system, a part of life consisting of independent roles", and stated that the system is supported positively and negatively by the members of the family.
Family. In addition to being a social and psychological interaction, the interaction within it is also a genetic interaction. Family members are also influenced by each other because they are genetically (blood related) related. The experiences of each member of the family system or the change experienced by any of the members affect the members of the family system positively or negatively, and the changes have an impact on the entire system. Therefore, the positive characteristics of the family system are effective in the health of all members of the family.
A healthy family system is one in which family members are successful in realizing themselves. It is known that healthy family systems and individuals do not resist change, maintain their order in positive or negative life events, and are successful in crisis management.
A healthy family system establishes healthy communication not only within itself but also with other family systems. It also shows harmonious coexistence with other social systems.
According to system theory, long-term balance leads to stagnation in the family; Long-term change causes complexity. In order to talk about a system in a family, in situations of stagnation and complexity, family members must use their coping and problem-solving skills to protect family health. In cases of stagnation or change, initiatives are expected from all family members, not just one or a few members.
We can think of the family system as the threads in a spider web affecting each other. In every family system, the attitudes and behaviors of family members directly affect whether the family system is healthy or unhealthy. (Figley, 1989)
Characteristics of Healthy Families
Studies on family systems show that families in almost all cultures try to change, determine appropriate boundaries, improve their relationships with the help of open communication, support responsibility, and take responsibility for themselves. and can adapt to express confidence in their children and manage to think optimistically about the future of the family and family members. (Cutler & Radford, 1999)
However, there are still differences of opinion regarding the characteristics of "ideal" healthy families. A significant disagreement is over what the word health means.
Health is a directly interactive process linked to positive relationships and outcomes. (Wilcoxon, 1985). Health in families requires moral responsibilities such as supporting good relationships and balancing mutual understanding and sacrifice between individuals. (Boszormenyi Nagy Ulrich, 1981) Many families go through both healthy and unhealthy processes during family life.
However, it should not be thought that healthy individuals come from healthy families (Wolin & Wolin,1993). Even though some individuals live in unhealthy family systems, they recover very quickly, overcome the unhealthy family system, and become successful in life (Walsh, 1995). However, being in a healthy family environment is an advantage for learning productive relationships and is more beneficial than not having one.
Healthy families have many common characteristics. It is known that healthy family members are successful, happy and strong characters, and it is seen that the members establish balanced personal relationships outside the family. They also know which problems to solve and how. However, an important point is that these types of families do not consist of an overly conceptual and emotional structure. Members spending their energy in the right direction when dealing with problems and solving their problems by making realistic plans contributes positively to the family's balance and therefore to its health. Healthy family members use their personal advantages to help each other even in situations of imbalance. It affects the family and contributes to a state of balance.
One of the most important factors underlying a healthy family system is the strength and health of the marriage institution (Bevers, 1985; Levee, McCubbin & Olsan, 1987). The institution of marriage derives its health from the personal lives of the individuals who make the marriage. The adaptability of each man and woman, being open to communication, expressing their emotions, mutually influencing each other in these areas, and being willing to sacrifice and show self-sacrifice for their personal development also positively affects the health of the family they create (Stabb, 2005).
According to research (Krysan, Moore & Zill, 1990; Stinnet & DeFrain, 1985), the characteristics of healthy families are as follows:
1- Responsibility
2- Appreciation
3- Desire to spend time together
4- Effective communication models
5- Religious / spiritual harmony
6- Ability to cope with crises with a positive attitude
7- Encouraging people
8- Distinctive roles
9- Growth – Production structure and Development Models
1. Responsibility
The sense of responsibility, which is among the characteristics of a healthy family, is one of the most important characteristics that keep the family together. Responsibility in the family system is not limited to intra-family relationships, but is also linked to the personal relationships of family members outside the family. To the extent that individuals have a sense of responsibility in their lives, they act responsibly within the family, which positively affects the health of the family system.
Responsibility is seen through activities in the family. The fact that members allocate their time for family members shows the level of responsibility within the family.
Responsibility also requires remaining loyal to the family. Family commitment is built on emotions and intentions. The commitment of couples who are not responsible to each other is proportional to their responsibilities. When we look at the marriages that ended, it is seen that the couples were not responsible to each other and the marriage ended or was damaged by infidelity.
2. Appreciation
Appreciation, like responsibility, is a feature that directly affects the health of the family system that holds families together. Individuals' lives Expressing the positive changes or successes that occur in the family verbally or physically increases the commitment of family members to each other.
It is known that being appreciated and appreciated reduces the number of arguments arising from negative communication styles within the family. Appreciating is an honorable behavior not only for the person who is appreciated, but also for the person who appreciates. Just as individuals' well-being increases when they hear positive statements about themselves, expressing these in a "we feeling" increases the well-being of individuals in the family and contributes to family loyalty.
3. Desire to spend time together
Healthy families tend to spend their time together, both in quantity and quality. The basic idea behind spending time together is to share feelings and thoughts. The time planned to be together should be long enough to reveal interactions and share feelings and thoughts, rather than being a short time.
4. Effective communication models
Family communication describes the sharing of information within the family system. When the family system is healthy, family members respond to each other's messages using verbal or physical means of communication, and when necessary, they complete the missing points in their communication (messages).
The basic elements of communication used by healthy families are support, understanding and empathy (Giblin, 1994). These features are similar to the results obtained in the study of Brock and Bernard, in which they drew the characteristic shape of daily family communication situations. (1999) in the study conducted by Brock and Bernard regarding communication within the family, "When family systems are healthy, the search for solutions to problems is high. During the solution search process, messages are clear and mutual. "Family members support each other in the search for a solution and express their feelings and thoughts by talking." opinion has been expressed.
5. Religious/spiritual harmony
Religious-spiritual harmony is a characteristic feature of the majority of families. Participating in the religious-spiritual dimension of life, being a good person at the same time, marriage It is also related to family and family health. Religious-spiritual beliefs and practices help families in situations of complexity, overcome confusion, be strong, and also find moral principles and meaning for living.
A study found that religion and spirituality are more present in the lives of some traditional groups than others. It has also been determined that it plays an important role. For example, common religious-spiritual belief is a cornerstone that African Americans supported and sustained from the oppression of slavery to the movement of civil peoples.
There is religious-spiritual harmony in all organized and unorganized groups. In fact, in the Middle Ages, young people and very old people who had nothing to say were often involved in the problems of religious and spiritual life. However, family members also deal with religious and spiritual issues as a group at times of certain events such as deaths, births, and marriages. Couples who share common harmony or belief in religious issues and are actually motivated by their religious and spiritual harmony stated that they are more satisfied with their togetherness than those who differ on these issues.
6. Coping with a positive attitude in crises
Many different types of crises affect the family system. Generally, the most common type of crisis is the expected, active one. What is expected; It is a predicted and likely event. For example, when a member of the family system leaves the family to get married or to find a job and live alone. In these cases, although the mechanism or general structure of the event is known, the family system still experiences a crisis. In such cases, families that control the process in a planned manner use coping strategies such as remembering previous similar crises, getting advice from more experienced people, trying to communicate, and expressing their emotions to deal with these transition periods.
There are also unexpected events. These are crises that occur unexpectedly and unforeseen. When the family system is caught unprepared or inexperienced for unexpected situations, it may experience the unexpected in a state of panic. This may cause the family system to be further damaged and suffer more damage from the crisis. In unexpected crisis situations, healthy families cope by expressing their feelings to each other.
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