What is Olson’s Circumplex Model?
The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems is a framework that understands families along two dimensions: cohesion, or how emotionally close members are, and flexibility, or how well the family can change its roles and rules in response to stress and development. Family scholar David Olson and colleagues published it in Family Process in 1979, originally calling the second dimension adaptability. It is one of the best-known attempts to turn family systems theory into a measurable model.
- Proposed by
- Olson, Sprenkle & Russell (1979)
- Two dimensions
- Cohesion (closeness) and flexibility (capacity to change)
- Facilitating dimension
- Family communication
- Measure
- FACES (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales)
The two dimensions
| Dimension | Very low | Moderate (balanced) | Very high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohesion | Disengaged: members are distant and independent | Separated to connected: close while keeping individual space | Enmeshed: so close that individual independence is difficult |
| Flexibility | Rigid: rules and roles never change | Structured to flexible: rules change through shared discussion when needed | Chaotic: inconsistent rules and leadership |
Crossing the two dimensions places families on a map. Families in the central range are called balanced, and those at the extremes unbalanced.
The role of communication
Olson treated communication as a facilitating dimension that helps families move along the other two. Families who listen well and speak respectfully can adjust their closeness and rules to fit the situation. See also the axioms of communication.
What the research shows
Is the family that does everything together the healthiest? The model’s central hypothesis is that balanced families, with moderate levels of both cohesion and flexibility, cope better with stress and life-cycle changes than unbalanced families at the extremes. To test this, Olson and colleagues developed the FACES self-report scales, which have been revised several times.
In other words, both too much distance (disengagement) and too much closeness (enmeshment) can create difficulties. Enmeshment resembles the low differentiation described in Bowen family systems theory.
Across the family life cycle
- Young children: higher cohesion and clear structure can be helpful.
- Adolescence: cohesion may loosen to allow autonomy, and rules need to be renegotiated more flexibly.
- Crises such as job loss or illness: temporarily becoming closer and shifting roles can support adaptation.
What counts as "moderate" can therefore vary with the family’s stage and culture.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Olson’s Circumplex Model?
- It is a family systems model that describes families on two dimensions, cohesion and flexibility. Olson and colleagues proposed it in 1979.
- What is the difference between balanced and unbalanced families?
- Balanced families have moderate cohesion and flexibility and tend to cope better; unbalanced families lean toward the extremes, such as disengaged or enmeshed and rigid or chaotic.
- What is FACES?
- FACES is a set of self-report scales developed by Olson and colleagues to measure family cohesion and flexibility based on the Circumplex Model.
References
- 立木茂雄研究室「家族システム評価尺度FACESKG」. https://www.tatsuki.org/faceskg.html
- Olson, D. H., Sprenkle, D. H., & Russell, C. S. (1979). Circumplex model of marital and family systems: I. Cohesion and adaptability dimensions, family types, and clinical applications. Family Process, 18(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1979.00003.x