Background
In the 1950s Bateson, Jackson and colleagues in Palo Alto studied communication in families of people with schizophrenia, applying general systems theory and cybernetics. This entry covers the general concepts shared across schools; Murray Bowen's specific theory is covered in Bowen family systems theory.
Core concepts
- Wholeness: the family is more than the sum of its members.
- Boundaries and subsystems: overly rigid or diffuse boundaries cause problems.
- Homeostasis: Jackson's term for the family's tendency to resist change and return to a familiar balance.
- Feedback: negative feedback reduces deviation; positive feedback amplifies it and enables change.
- Circular causality: nagging and rebellion reinforce each other rather than one simply causing the other.
- Equifinality: different starting points can lead to the same outcome.
Family rules and myths
Jackson described explicit and implicit rules that organise relationships. Ferreira defined family myths as shared, unchallenged beliefs ("we never fight") that protect homeostasis.
Double bind
Bateson et al. (1956) described contradictory verbal and non-verbal messages that cannot be escaped or commented on. Unsupported as a cause of schizophrenia, the idea still shaped communication theory.
Implications
The person with symptoms is seen as the "identified patient" and the whole interaction pattern is the focus, a basis for structural, strategic and communication family therapies.
References
- Jackson, D. D. (1965). The study of the family. Family Process, 4(1), 1-20.
- Bateson, G., Jackson, D. D., Haley, J., & Weakland, J. (1956). Toward a theory of schizophrenia. Behavioral Science, 1(4), 251-264.
- Ferreira, A. J. (1963). Family myth and homeostasis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 9(5), 457-463.
- Nichols, M. P., & Davis, S. D. (2017). Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods (11th ed.). Pearson.