The health/health status of families changes throughout life.
Health refers to positive relationships and outcomes, as well as the absence of a pathology/disease.
Healthy families maintain rules and regulations while dealing with crises and change. They readjust their structure. Families that are not
functional become rigid and chaotic.
In the urban centers of the United States in the 1890s, healthy and functional
families of middle-class European Americans are seen to be patriarchal. While fathers were the breadwinners and set the rules,
mothers took care of the housework and took care of their families.
Various events may confront families with new and unexpected situations. When such events
occur, family relationships change and the family as a whole is shaken. Events that cause change
impact family systems in various ways. Some families transform the rules into new and more functional behaviors. In some families, they cannot adapt to the change and may develop medical or psychological symptoms. For example, depression and anxiety may occur as a result of stressful life events.
Healthy families create their structures and relationships according to new conditions. For example, they increase their social support by getting it from their family
and friends, and thus they can improve their problem-solving skills and communication
. Such rearrangements keep families from becoming chaotic.
FAMILY SYSTEM AND HEALTH
Systems theory is the basis on which most family therapists observe families and their environments and organize
their clinical work. The theory was refined and
developed by a biologist named Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1934, 1968). Its purpose is to show how the development or death of organisms is related to their openness or closure to their environment.
It defines organism as life forms that consist of mutually dependent parts and survive in the form of common interactions. The organism is primarily motivated behaviorally by internal mechanism.
Social scientists consider all living systems, including families, to be based on similar sets of principles. They accept it as work
. These living systems are internally independent.
Thus, in a family, members interact constantly and mutually influence each other. If any of these
members or the conditions in the family system change, there will be a change for better or worse in the entire
view of the family.
Families are systems that constantly change and re-create themselves. Additionally, families interact with larger
social systems.
The family stabilizes and establishes homeostasis through a negative feedback loop (subtle feedback loop). These
loops adjust to limits within the family's range of behavior, like a thermostat in a heating system. allows expansion
and interaction. If it does not work properly, the family may react better or worse.
Families using a positive feedback loop (amplifying feedback loop) are another similar situation.
Stability and homeostasis is temporary, and the basic task of the family is to maintain a
balance between stability and change. If there is too much balance, the family remains stagnant, and if there is too much change, the family becomes disordered.
THE HEALTHY FAMILY QUALITY
Health is a concept that means more than the absence of a pathology/disease. Rather, it refers to positive relationships and results. Healthy families maintain their rules and structures when dealing with crises and change. They readjust. Dysfunctional families, on the other hand, become rigid and chaotic
Studies show that functional families keep up with change in all cultures, set appropriate boundaries
, develop open communication relationships, increase their responsibilities, increase their self-confidence and confidence in themselves and their children. They are expressive and optimistic about the future. There are also differences of opinion on whether all these issues are seen in healthy families.
The main disagreement is on what health is. Health is the process of interaction
that results in positive relationships and outcomes. Health in families includes the ethical responsibility of promoting good relationships and establishing a balance of give and take between members. Most families, family age During the am cycle, one experiences both healthy and unhealthy interactions many times. Healthy individuals come from families that are consistently healthy. Individuals with high flexibility
who can overcome difficulties are successful in life. However, being in a healthy family environment is an advantage in learning productive relationships.
If we think of it as a group, healthy families have many common characteristics. Families that are successful, happy and strong
achieve balance in different ways. Moreover, they operate without either an overly cognitive or overly emotional framework. They spend the right amount of energy and make realistic plans
before encountering problems. All factors are a complex but in a positive direction. One of the most important factors for healthy families is the strength and health of the marriage unit. A healthy marriage is multidimensional and complex. It is friendly, flexible and even synergistic. In such a relationship, partners try to increase each other's
individual development. Such couples try to make the marriage exciting and open.
They are in contact with each other and have a wide range of emotions, clear communication, egalitarian and supportive
characteristics. Successful individuals in their intimate relationships do not refrain from making sacrifices.
Many characteristic features that distinguish healthy couples from dysfunctional ones also distinguish low-functional families from good and functional
families. According to a study, healthy families have some characteristics. These are:
Commitment to the family and the individuals within the family
Appreciating each other
Willingness to spend time together
Effective communication issues
High degree of religious/spiritual orientation
Positive the ability to cope with a crisis in the sense of
Encouraging individuals
Distinctive roles
COMMITMENT
At the center of healthy family function is the idea of commitment. In strong families, members devote themselves not only to the well-being of the family but also to the individual. Commitment to family means devoting time and energy to family-related activities.
Commitment means loyalty to the family and the support of family members in both good times and bad. It requires being present.
APPRECIATION
The commitment of family members to each other is strengthened by expressing their appreciation physically or verbally.
In healthy families, married couples trust each other with mutual love and respect. They provide. They try to keep themselves away from personal
attacks or violence.
DESIRE TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER
Healthy families spend time together in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Time spent together should be good
time, no one likes time spent arguing, squabbling, sulking or bullying
. This period must be of high quality and sufficient both in terms of time and quality. Spending time
together is important for family members to share thoughts, feelings and personalities. Examples of these include overnight camps, holidays, special nights and family picnics, as well as birthday and
anniversary celebrations, meals eaten together. , graduations, weddings and funerals can be given.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TOPICS
Communication includes verbal or non-verbal information sharing between family members. Information is shared about variable
issues within the family system. If families are healthy, members can provide information to each other, even on topics that are not very clear
. There is support, understanding and empathy in such families.
RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL ORIENTATION
Religious/spiritual orientation is of great importance in families. Religious beliefs and practices come together in the family
makes it happen. In some groups, it traditionally has greater importance than other factors.
ABILITY TO DEAL WITH A CRISIS IN A POSITIVE MEAN
There are many types of crises that affect families throughout the life cycle. Generally, crises occur when an unexpected
event occurs. For example, someone from the family may leave the family, such as starting a new life, finding a job, or getting married. In such cases, the general nature of the event is known, but its specific elements cannot
be predicted. In functional families, there are ways to cope during these times, such as getting advice from experienced people, repeating,
letting go, or expressing feelings.
In cases where events do not occur, events that have not yet occurred or are not expected may occur. it shrinks. Couples who cannot have healthy
children or cannot achieve their financial goals in their lives can be given as examples of such situations. In these conditions, families enter a crisis. Healthy families try to get out of these situations by sharing their feelings with each other
and providing support.
ENCOURAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS
Since families work like a system, they can be as strong as their weakest members. Families are expected to support individuals to develop their talents and skills. This type of process occurs systematically and
takes place within the family life cycle.
Encouragement becomes important at certain times in the life cycle.
Situations where encouragement is needed:
Educational processes of school-age children
Physical changes and friend groups of adolescents
Young adults' dreams of their own physiological and physical development during the process of separation from their families
and to be provided in accordance with the possibilities
SPECIFIC ROLES
Roles are specific and repetitive behaviors that involve mutual activities with other family members. In healthy
families, roles should be clear, appropriately distributed, jointly decided, unified and mobilizing, and
as flexible as possible.
The real roles determined for families are determined by age, culture and tradition.
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GROWTH-PRODUCTION STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
Healthy families are organized through clear and appropriate growth-production. Combinations of different generations (e.g. mother and daughter acting as a team) or conflict triangles to keep the family together Subsystems such as assign certain
duties to members. In the family system, these duties are within certain limits. If a member of the family
crosses the line, family pressure brings him/her back into line.
FAMILY LIFE AND CAUSES OF STRESS
Stress is a part of every family's life. Just like individuals, families also try to transform stressful events into a healthy way. Healthier families sometimes
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