Midterm Flashcards
(23 cards)
Black Box Theory
“Machinery is so difficult or complex that it is easier to disregard the internal structure of a device and concentrate on the study of its specific input-output relationships”
Boundary
Invisible barriers that regulate the amount of contact with others
Circular causality
Suggests that problems are sustained y an ongoing series of actions and reactions
Complementarity
Reciprocity that is the defining feature of every relationship. (yin and yang)
Doesn’t mean control, but means influence
Context
The fundamental premise of family therapy is that people are influenced by their context.
cybernetics
The study of feedback mechanisms in self-regulating systems.
Equifinality
The ability to reach a final goal in a variety of ways.
Family Rules
Govern the range of behavior a family system can tolerate (The family’s3 homeostatic range
Family Structure
The family and all of its elements
Homeostasis
A balanced, steady-state of equilibrium
Linear Causality
Events act unidirectionally on each other. (point A to point B).
Feedback Loop
The process by which a system gets the information necessary to maintain a steady course. `
Metacommunication
Communicating about ways of communications.
Positive Feedback
Information that confirms and reinforces the direction a system is taking.
Positive Feedback
Information that confirms and reinforces the direction a system is taking.
Morphogenesis
A system changes itself to fit a new context.
Process/Content
Family therapists recognize the importance of observing how people talk/interact (process) with one another as opposed to just focusing on the words (content) being spoken.
Runaway
(Vicious Cycles)
Unchecked Positive Feedback Loops that promote a family system to spiral out of control
It is a reinforcing effect that tends to compound a systems errors.
Sequences of family Interaction
The recurrent patterns of interpersonal interaction that surround and help explain various problems and behaviors.
Subsystem
Every System is a part of a bigger system
Symmetrical
\_^^_/
Open System
Continuously interacting with its environment; They sustain themselves by continuously exchanging resources with their surroundings.
Closed System
(machinery) They sustain themselves from within. They simply react to stimuli
They cannot Initiate or be Proactive; They are Fixed
