Family Systems Theory Essay

The History of Family Systems Theory Family systems theory is a complex theory that has developed over a lengthy period of time. Taking multiple different theories from different fields of work as well as experiences has shaped family systems theory into what it is today. According to Rasheed, Rasheed, and Marley (2011) this all began in the late 1800s with the emergence of social work. There were studies done by social scientists to see how groups could influence an individual. From there Marriage counseling developed in the 1920s as well as the child guidance movement. Rasheed et al. (2011) also found that through Alfred Adlers collaborations with Sigmund Freud, he believed that Freud’s theories needed to be challenged, because individuals are social beings. From there Stack Sullivan learned from Adler and taught Frieda Fromm-Reichmann who believed that schizophrenia may be caused by interpersonal relationships. Family systems theory started developing around the early 1940s after the development of cybernetics, general systems, and communication theory. These theories were used in settings of schizophrenic patients who at the time clinicians believed were schizophrenic due to the families the patient was in. In the 1960s clinicians used these theories to apply to families resulting in actual family therapy in the 1970s. Our ways of thinking about issues also experience a shift during this time period.
(2011) discussed the idea that originally we were focused on the autonomous self, which means that we were focused on the individual having the problem. Our shift to the relational self or how we interact with others is a big part of family systems theory. The most modern shift would be towards the narrative self or how we see ourselves in the family system and how we describe it, focusing on the language we use to describe ourselves. This also represents how we have progressed through modern, post positivist, and postmodern