FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY

• WHO PROPOSED THE FAMILY SYSTEM THEORY?

  • Minuchin
  • proposed characteristics of anorexic families
  • describes role of family into development of anorexia nervosa
  • does not state family are the cause
• KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY?

  EMMESHMENT

  • overly-intimate relationships
  • unclear emotional boundaries = interdependence
  • only independence adolescents get is restricting food intake

  OVER-PROTECTION

  • protection
  • loyalty
  • parents see role as sacrifice (do anything for child)

  RIGIDITY

  • inflexible
  • refuse to compromise
  • behave in same way always
  • denial of need to change

  CONFLICT AVOIDANCE

  • suppress conflict
  • ignore problems
  • never argue
  • issues with eating behaviour undetected due to lack of discussion
• EVALUATION?

  + Goldstein

  + holism

  + real world application

  +/- explanatory power

  -validity

  -ethical issues

  -cause and effect

  -biological differences
• GOLDSTEIN?

  • longitudinal study
  • 52 families containing an individual with a psychological disorder
  • compared to diagnostic criteria once and again 5 years later
  • compared to healthy control and schizophrenia patients
  • parents of AN individuals were...
  • more overly involved
  • more conflict avoiding
  • more concerned with protection and support
• EXPLANATORY POWER?

  • explains why patients still refuse to eat even when food available (better than Guisinger's)
  • explains high rates in adolescents, as they are at an age in which they are attempting to gain autonomy
  • fails to explain change in rates over time
  • increase with access to media
  • BECKER: correlation in case rates with TV introduction in Fiji
  • therefore there are other social influences
• REAL WORLD APPLICATION?

  • therapy
  • controls in Goldstein's experiment allowed it to be useful in the clinical population
• VALIDITY?

  • researcher interpretations
  • self-reports
  • lower scientific credibility
• ETHICAL ISSUES?

  • parents responsible
  • ownership means they can try to change
  • but may lead to resentment
  • so parents can offer little support in treatment
• ARAGONA ET AL?

  • no difference in enmeshment/ rigidity in anorexia nervosa families and non-clinical families
• CAUSE AND EFFECT?

  • enmeshment a result of an anorexic child
  • over-involvement is a response to child's issue
• BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES?

  • Kaye
  • anorexic patients have fewer serotonin receptors than control
  • biological factors not considered
  • but biological differences may be a result of malnutrition