Raphael J. Becvar, Dorothy Stroh Becvar

Systems Theory and Family Therapy (eBook, PDF)

A Primer

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

This book provides an overview of the basic concepts of a systems theoretical perspective using families and family therapy as examples and illustrations of their application in professional practice. This meta-perspective focuses on viewing problems in context. The difference between first-order and second-order cybernetics is explicated. Readers then are invited to see themselves as parts of the systems with which they are working consistent with a second-order cybernetics perspective. Along the way a difference between modernism and post-modernism as well as constructionism and social constructionism also are described. In addition, theories of individual and family development are presented with implications for their use in family therapy. The book concludes with more than 100 examples of how the meta-perspective of systems theory can be used in work with families.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 118
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. Oktober 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780761878544
• Artikelnr.: 74398936

Autorenporträt

Raphael Becvar is a Licensed Psychologist, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and an Approved Supervisor with many years of experience in both academic and private practice contexts. He has authored and co-authored many books and articles in professional journals. His particular focus is on philosophical/meta-perspectives on mental health and the practice of therapy and a widely recognized teacher of systems theory and family therapy.

Dorothy Becvar, Professor Emeritain the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist, an Approved Supervisor, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has published extensively and has presented workshops and taught courses, both nationally and internationally, on a wide variety of topics. She is also President/CEO of The Haelan Centers®, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting growth and wholeness in body, mind and spirit.

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Sally St. George and Dan Wulff
Preface
Raphael J. Becvar
Introduction
Chapter 1: About Theories
Chapter 2: Systems Theory/Cybernetics: A Paradigm Shift
Modernism
Postmodernism
Constructivism
Social Constructionism
First-Order and Second-Order Cybernetics
Chapter 3: First-Order Cybernetics: Definitions of Concepts
Boundaries
Communication/Information Processing
Context
Entropy and Negative Entropy
Equifinality
Homeostasis, Morphostasis, and Morphogenesis
Open and Closed Systems
Positive and Negative Feedback
Recursion
Relationship
Wholeness
Summary and Conclusion
Chapter 4: Second-Order Cybernetics: Definition of Concepts
Autopoiesis
Consensual Domains
Epistemology of Participation
Feedback
Non-Purposeful Drift
Openness and Closedness
Reality as a Multiverse
Structural Coupling
Structural Determinism
Wholeness and Self-Reference
Summary and Conclusion
Chapter 5: Family Interpretive Systems/Stories
Chapter 6: Family Development Through the Life Cycle
Chapter 7: The Family as System
Chapter 8: A Critique and Defense of the Systems Perspective
Chapter 9: Patterns to Ponder
Chapter 10: Implications for Family Therapy
Stability and Change
General Principles
Engaging the Family, Assessment, and Therapeutic Goals
Pragmatics
Final Thoughts
Chapter 11: In Conclusion
References
Index
About the Authors