Chapter 13: Family Systems Theory

   Family Systems Theory states that individuals may best e understood through understanding his/her experiences as a family member. Within Family Systems Theory there are 4 major approaches: Structural, Strategic, Murray Browen's family systems theory, and Virginia Satir Existential/humanistic approach. Structural Therapy is best associated with Salvador Minuchin. This approach states that families have a structure, in which the ways families interact is dictated; subsystems, which are the natural smaller groupings families fall into; and boundaries, which are rules that dictate the parts of a subsystem. The strategic approach evolved mostly from the research of the "Palo Alto group" of the Mental Research Institute. In this approach Communication plays an important role and occurs on 2 levels: the digital, possessing a singular meaning or the analogical, possessing multiple meanings. Hierarchies are another aspect of family systems in the strategic approach. Browen's family system approach states, among other things, that individuals must balance the pulls of being together and being an individual. Finally Virginia Satir's approach; also referred to as the Human Validation Process Model, stresses the importance of self-esteem and self-worth at its corner stone.
   The Family System Theory can apply to students just a it would anyone else. As this theory states, family is interconnected and any influences on one part of the system will thus affect the rest of it. What this can mean that a student even when away form the family can be significantly affected by events occurring back home within the family system. As Student Affairs it is also important to remember that not everyone will have a family system as thought of in the traditional sense, or possibly at all. Everyone's family system will be different and we must remember to respect to be aware of this.