Systems Theory and Family Therapy

A concise, readable introduction to systems theory (and especially second-order cybernetics) with practical applications to family therapy.

Raphael J. Becvar, retired endowed chair in marital and family therapy, was a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, and an approved supervisor with many years of experience in both academic and private practice contexts. He has authored and coauthored many books and articles in professional journals. His particular focus is on philosophical/metaperspectives on mental health and the practice of therapy and a widely recognized teacher of systems theory and family therapy. Dorothy Stroh Becvar, professor emerita in the School of Social Work at St. Louis University, was a licensed marital and family therapist and a licensed clinical social worker. She published extensively and presented workshops and taught courses, both nationally and internationally, on a wide variety of topics. She was also president/CEO of the Haelan Centers(R), a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to promoting growth and wholeness in body, mind, and spirit. Dorothy died on August 31, 2021. Lynne V. Reif, licensed professional counselor, began her career working with at-risk youth in the foster care system. In 2000 she became a middle school counselor and continued in that role until 2023, when she shifted her focus from counseling in schools to writing and training in the areas of systems theory, family therapy, and parent education. Lynne has extensive background in working with children and families and was part of the leadership team that created and ran the Empowering Young Women conferences hosted by the University of Missouri St. Louis for twenty years. In 2012 she traveled to Uganda to coteach a first of its kind course in school counseling to educators there and to work with girls in the schools. This experience significantly expanded her cultural awareness and understanding of the significance of context in the lives of children and families.

Acknowledgments Foreword-Sally St. George and Dan Wulff Preface-Raphael J. Becvar Introduction: How to Use This Book 1 About Theories 2 Systems Theory/Cybernetics: A Paradigm Shift Modernism Postmodernism Constructivism Social Constructionism First-Order and Second-Order Cybernetics 3 First-Order Cybernetics: Definitions of Concepts Boundaries Communication/Information Processing Context Entropy and Negative Entropy Equifinality Homeostasis, Morphostasis, and Morphogenesis Open and Closed Systems Positive and Negative Feedback Recursion Relationship Wholeness Summary and Conclusion 4 Second-Order Cybernetics: Definition of Concepts Autopoiesis Consensual Domains Epistemology of Participation Feedback Nonpurposeful Drift Openness and Closedness Reality as a Multiverse Structural Coupling Structural Determinism Wholeness and Self-Reference Summary and Conclusion 5 Family Interpretive Systems/Stories 6 Family Development Through the Life Cycle 7 The Family as System 8 A Critique and Defense of the Systems Perspective 9 Patterns to Ponder Double Messages Patterns and Paradoxes to Ponder 10 Implications for Family Therapy Stability and Change General Principles Engaging the Family, Assessment, and Therapeutic Goals Pragmatics Final Thoughts 11 In Conclusion References Index About the Authors