Family Systems Theory!
wow. Who knew that families are so complex? This theory completely blew me away but made total sense all at the same time. I don't think that I can explain it all very accurately but I am going to try to touch on the important parts.
Basically, A family is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts; the parts being called subsets. These subsets are made up of people in the family and one person can be a part of more than one subset. Mom and Dad can be a subset: The spousal subset. All the girls in a family (if there is some kind of special bond that connects then) can be a subset. There are a ton of possibilities. Basically we all have roles that we fulfill in the family and within our subsets, they can be different at times and can change. Someone can be a mother, a wife, a sister, and a daughter all in the same day depending on which subsets you interact in. In every family there is an individual family culture and very important unspoken rules that the family follows, whether they realize it or not. The key to understanding your family is to understand those rules, the roles we play in our families, the subsets we belong to, and the way that we interact with the people in our family.
Of course, this is just a theory and there are other theories that attempt to explain family interactions but I like this one the best. J
Understanding the family systems theory helps me understand my family, and the way that I fit into my family, better. This might be more trouble than it is worth though since I find that I now over analyze everything that goes on in my family. I think it is kind of fun but my husband might think that it not so enjoyable, I always like to play therapist on him. Understanding family systems theory has also helped me see my place in my new family. I was recently married and am finding it interesting to see a different family culture than I am used to. All of what I’ve learned helps me see it with more understanding than I would otherwise would have been able to. My education is paying off already.