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An Overview Of The Study Of Family

Family Systems Therapy
An Overview of the Study of Family

By Christie Takács

PSYC 4315
I. Smith Noland
14 December 2005



Situational comedies are a brilliant example of family systems. Not only do current television shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, Yes, Dear, and Two and A Half Men portray different kinds of families, but they are also wildly successful. Even older sitcoms like Home Improvement, Full House, Roseanne, and The Cosby Show were well received and watched for many years. The aspect that makes family sitcoms so appealing to the public is that they usually represent a majority of households. Comfort lies in the idea that there are other people and other families out there like the viewers'. More probable than not, people relate well to a character in a sitcom and are able to identify events in the character's life which make him the way he is. The following logical conclusion is that the viewer realizes things in his own family life which have made him the way he is. In essence, he begins to develop his own family systems theory.
Family systems therapy relies almost solely on the actions and interactions among family members and individuals. Within families, individuals discover who they are, develop and change, and give and receive the support needed for survival. Individuals create, maintain, and live by often unspoken rules and routines that they hope will keep the family and each of its members functional (Corey 423). "The aim of family systems therapy is for family members to understand and accept their individual responsibility in the emotional functioning of the family unit. By learning to recognize the emotional relationship patterns and how anxiety is handled in the family, individual family members can manage themselves in more functional ways. Relationships change and symptoms decrease as family members improve their emotional functioning" (Blackburn).
There are several therapists known for their affiliation with the...