Applications of Family Systems Theory to the Study of Adulthood

Abstract

Psychologists who study children have emphasized family processes that influence children's psychological well-being and subsequent development, but gerontologists have rarely considered the impact of the family as system in adulthood. Drawing on family systems theories, we show how between- family, within-family, and within-individual differences emerge from family interactions in adulthood. Specifically, we consider how adult behavior might be understood in terms of norms sustained by the larger family system. We present three case studies of adult families to illustrate the ways in which their shared beliefs shape emotional experiences, behavior, and conceptions of self and family in adulthood. The family, as a milieu, continues to exert influence over the day-to-day life of individual members after they are grown.

Contextual factors associated with sexual behavior among Brazilian adolescents

“…Parental supervision is also considered important to prevent sexual risk behaviors in adolescents [5]. In our study, low parental surveillance is positively associated with having protected and unprotected sex.…”

Within-Family Variability in Representations of Past Relationships With Parents

“…Parents clearly differentiate between younger and older siblings in early childhood, but as siblings enter adulthood, parents may treat them more comparably ( Dunn & Plomin, 1990 ) or children may come to accept perceived disparities in treatment as a stable family dynamic or eventually reappraise these relationships in adulthood ( Levine & Bluck, 1997 ;Piazza, Charles, & Almeida, 2007 ). On the other hand, theorists argue that once families establish patterns of differential treatment when offspring are young, it is diffi cult to break these patterns in adulthood ( Fingerman & Bermann, 2000 ;Troll, 1996 ). Indeed, studies fi nd that adults retain distinct ideas about who was the favorite sibling in the family ( Bedford, 1992 ;Suitor & Pillemer, 2000 ;Suitor, Sechrist, Steinhour, & Pillemer, 2006 ).…”

Mental States in Women: The Role of Family.

“…General systems theory includes basic ideas from Gestalt psychology, focusing on the whole, and Kert Lewin's field theory (1951) (Schwab, Stephenson, & Ice, 1993). A primary concept in the family systems theory is that the family includes interconnected members, and each member influences the other in predictable and recurring ways (Fingerman & Bermann, 2000;Van Velsor & Cox, 2000). Family functioning is more related to the transactional and systematic properties of the family system than to the intrapsychic characteristics of the individual (Westley & Epstein, 1969).…”