There is always an element of unlived life in every triangle and it seems we are sometimes unable to discover that unlived life except through the extreme emotional stress which triangles generate.
The following notes retrieved 09/03/05 and quoted in full from http://jamaica.u.arizona.edu/ic/fs427/lecture2.html
Also available on site a pdf chapter from home study course, which gives a clear account of Strategic and systemic family therapy.
Lecture 2
Thinking in Threes: Family Problems and Triadic Interaction
Idea: To understand individual and family problems, it helps to think in threes
Main points
The triangle is a fundamental social unit, and triangulation (third-party involvement) is a ubiquitous social process.
Cohesion between two people depends on their relationship with a third (e.g., scapegoating, supporting someone who needs help).
Triadic processes help to manage conflict.
Cross-generational coalitions correlate with many problems.
Thinking in threes often suggests what to do about problems (e.g., structural interventions).Major theorists: Jay Haley, Salvador Minuchin, Murray BowenFamily triangles (like ironic processes) are more relevant to how problems persist than to how they originate. Still, triangles can start very early in life. (Ffeifer cartoon) Lessons from demonstration role-play exercise (Coppersmith)
Circularity of triadic interaction
Each individual’s behavior maintains and is maintained by the system.
Victims and villains are hard to identify (everyone’s trapped in a game without end).
People communicate on more than one level (importance of nonverbal messages).
Secret coalitions and splits require enormous energy.
Structure and process mutually define and require each other.
Haley’s Theory of Pathological Systems
Problems occur in contexts characterized by covert coalitions that cross status (generation) lines.
Coalition = two people joining together against or to the exclusion of a third.
The most problematic coalitions are covert (concealed, denied).
A common clinical example: An overinvolved parent and child in coalition against the other (peripheral) parent (the “perverse triangle”).
Principle applies in all organizations - not just families.
Triangles can be understood in terms of both relational structure (alliances, coalitions, boundaries, etc.) and interactional sequence (a circular pattern of events occuring in time).Example of a triadic sequence (from Haley, 1987) Father-Incompetent (Father upset or depressed, not functioning to capacity) Child-Misbehaving (Child out of control or shows symptoms) Mother-Incompetent (Mom can’t deal with child, Dad gets involved) Father-Competent (Dad deals with child effectively) Child-Behaving (Child behaves well or “normally”) Mother-Competent (Mom deals with child and Dad competently, expects more from them) Father-Incompetent (Dad upset or depressed) Cycle begins againKey idea: Dyads stabilize themselves by involving a third person (e.g., parental tension decreases when they focus on a child)
Minuchin’s conflict-detouring family triads
Detouring-attacking
- parents band together to control “bad” child (but often disagree)
- associated with child conduct problems
Detouring-supportive
- parents focus on “sick” child, showing overprotective concern
- associated with psychosomatic problems (e.g., asthma, anorexia)
Problematic structural triangles and other boundary-breaching patterns
Cross-generation coalition - e.g., mom and child exclude dad; mom and child closer than mom and dad
Triangulation - e.g., child caught between parents; symptom detours parental conflictCollapse/reversal of parent-child roles - e.g., child takes care of parent or tells parent what to do; child and parent are peers
Intergenerational fusion - e.g., parent and child are reactively enmeshedNote: These are normative theories that make testable predictions about adaptive and maladaptive family patterns (unlike the ironic process idea from Lecture 1)
A body of empirical research links child and adolescent problems to family triangles and breached generation boundaries
Child, adolescent, and young-adult problems such as academic failure, delinquency, eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, marital distress correlate with cross-generation family coalitions and primary alliances
- Observational studies (e.g., Gilbert et al., Mann et al.)
- Report studies (e.g., Teyber, Rohrbaugh et al.)
Involvement in parental conflict predicts child adjustment problems (e.g., Emery, Hetherington et al.)
Treatments based on structural principles are effective for delinquency and drug abuse problems (Stanton & Todd, Szapocznik et al., Henggeler et al.)
Application: Structural family therapy for child problems (from Camp, 1974)
Weaken existing cross-generation alliances
Strengthen parental coalition
Strengthen relationship between less-involved parent and symptomatic child
Help parents and children strengthen relationships with peers of their own generationsApplication: Mara Selvini-Palazolli’s “Invariant Prescription”
Italian therapy team (a) calls together entire family, (b) dismisses everyone but parents, (c) enlists parents in a pact of secrecy, and eventually (d) coaches them to disappear for several hours without warning.Why are cross-generation triangles problematic?
Triangles may impede the child’s individual development (separation, individuation) by not allowing disengagement from the parental relationship.
Clear generation boundaries may be necessary for negotiating transitions in the family life cycle.
Problem behavior may be reinforced and maintained by its stabilizing role in the family system.
Overt or covert parental conflict may undermine effective parenting.
Triangles in remarried families
Triangles involving an ex-spouse
- e.g., ex-spouse intrudes, no emotional divorce; child caught between natural parents
Triangles within the remarried system
- e.g., stepmom as primary caretaker; stepdad as disciplinarian, rescuer, intruder; fights between his kids and her kids
Triangles involving the extended family
- e.g., in-laws disapprove of remarriage, loyal to ex-spouse; grandparent(s) compete with step-parentA (complicated)
Does a strong parent-child bond (secure-attachment) override the effects of family triangles?
Are parent-child triangles as influential as genes, siblings, and (especially) peers.
Do normative structural principles apply in other cultural contexts (e.g., are cross-generation primary alliances as problematic for Hispanic as Anglo families?)
Further Readings:
Carter, E., & McGoldrick, M. (1988). The changing family life cycle (2nd edition). New York: Gardner Press.
Haley, J. (1967). Towards a theory of pathological systems. In P. Watzlawick & J.H. Weakland (Eds.), The interactional view. New York: Norton, 1977 (pp. 94-112).
Haley, J. (1987). Problem-solving therapy (2nd edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass (excerpts)
* Hoffman, L. (1981). Foundations of family therapy: A conceptual framework for systems change. New York: Basic Books.
Kerr, M.E. (1981). Family systems theory and therapy. In A.S. Gurman & D.P. Kniskern (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy (volume 1). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Mann, B.J., Borduin, C.M., Henggeler, S.W., & Blaske, D.M. (1990). An investigation of systemic conceptualizations of parent-child coalitions and symptom change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 336-344.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.* Chapter 6 (“The Pathological Triad”) on library reserve.
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