Now first let's look at family system theory...
A family can be defined as a "unity of interacting personalities", meaning a family has individual personalities that interact and bind together. A highly integrated family is characterized by rituals, discipline, and independence. These characteristics can benefit our family is growing close together and progressing relationships within our families. A family is a closed system of social interaction, meaning that our family experiences are repetitive and based on patterns of interaction that we must keep these relationships private. If we shared our family issues with other, then guess what happens...MORE family issues! Family is a natural social system, with its own characteristics, rules, roles, communication, and power structure.
A family can be related to a recipe, we need all the ingredients, however small, to produce the desired outcome. Rules results from the redundancy principle and are critical in defining a family...couples begin to create rules of their relationship as soon as they meet e.g. curfew, religious practices etc. To truly understand the interaction of a family we must analyze the sequence of behavior rather than the result. If one person change the whole family system has to change!
Now let's look at system theory...
This is when a small part effects the whole. For example if one child gets sick, others in the family get sick as well, or has to help others. If we go back to the recipe analogy, if we are making a cake and don't use baking powder, what do we get...a flat cake! If one member of the family changes their role in the family, the role family has to adapt otherwise the outcome will be disappointing. We all have role, we all contribute.
Next up is exchange theory...
This means that if we do something we expect something back, sound reasonable right? Have you ever done for a family member and not received the reaction you wanted? How did you feel? Pretty crummy probably, and you didn't have a strong desire to do that again. No matter how much we want to, it is very difficult to do a 100% selfless act of kindness. We have unintentional expectations. For example is the Mother makes dinner, the children or husband do the dishes, it shows appreciation and respect. We are human and naturally we need a balance of give and take, otherwise we create conflict and issues that are very avoidable.
Now let's talk about the fun one (they're all fun really), symbolic interaction theory...
This theory is about unspoken messages and tone of voice. Everything we do is through symbols (intentional or not). Sometimes we recognize the meanings of these symbols, for example a certain tone of voice may mean that you are in trouble. Interpretation of actions can be different and create conflict. Especially if we enter into a new marriage or family and assign same meanings of actions from different experiences. We need to recognize these associations to avoid conflict and misinterpretations that can ultimately destroy families.
The last one is conflict theory...
Survival of the fittest? Maybe not...This can turn into negative or positive outcomes for your family! First let's do the negative, if your family has limited resources then that can create conflict on who can control it. But there's hope! It can help families work together and can bind you together, making your family stronger and united as you continue to overcome challenges as a family.
Now every family is different, but they are all generally based upon these theories. From these theories we can analyze patterns of interaction in our families and resolve conflicts before they have a chance to arise!
Here are some great websites that talk about strengthening the family and the value of the family.
www.lds.org/topics/family
www.mormon.org/values/family
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