The Family System Theory will be used to understand the topic health in the family. It explains this topic because it discusses the emotional stress that families experience as they take on new roles, challenges, and responsibilities that comes with health in the family. Families can learn a variety of things from this theory that can help them understand the emotional health and well-being of each other. This theory also allows families to learn how they work together as a social system (Smith & Hamon, 2012). Murray Bowen was the creator of the Family System Theory (Haefner, 2014). It has commonly been assumed that it was developed around the 1960’s (Smith & Hamon, 2012). Bowen was one of the first to study family psychotherapy and the relationships
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The Family System Theory consists of eight connecting points that explains the emotional strain and stress that families experience due to family dysfunction (Haefner, 2014). There are two major concepts of this theory which consists of differentiation of self and emotional fusion. Differentiation of self is the ability of individuals to perform independently by making their own choices while remaining emotionally to important relationships. Emotional fusion is the ability of a person to separate him/herself from the family caretakers in a personal and intellectual level (Haefner, 2014). The key concepts have influenced how families understand each other and make decisions. Using this approach to analyze health in the family will provide a better understanding of the dynamics among health and how it affects the family. (Smith & Hamon, 2012). There are a variety of ways in which the Family System Theory can be applied to the topic health in the family. Using examples can be a great way to explain the connection between the issue and the …show more content…
It can be very difficult for families because it can place a good amount of stress on them. When a life threatening condition emerges in a family, they may start to experience stress, anxiety, and chaos that can be identified as fusion (Haefner, 2014). For example, John Doe is a 67-year-old father of four and has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and only has six months to live. His four children are older adults and live out of state. Due to the fact John is sick, his children may now have to come home and join together as a unit which can be seen as a system (Smith & Hamon, 2012). The family is now a social system in which they all will interact with each other (Smith & Hamon, 2012). A hierarchy, boundaries, and family rules have to be established among the children so that each one will know who has the most authority, what everyone’s roles are, and their limits (Smith & Hamon, 2012). Obesity is another example of a family health issue. It has become a huge epidemic and it is constantly rising. Fast food restaurants have evolved over the years making their food more affordable than ever. Some families resort to unhealthy foods because they are quick, cheap, and very convenient. Healthy foods are more expensive and some families are not able to afford them. For example, Amy Doe is an unemployed single mother of two. She lives in a low-income neighborhood and both of children are obese. She
The Family System Theory consists of eight connecting points that explains the emotional strain and stress that families experience due to family dysfunction (Haefner, 2014). There are two major concepts of this theory which consists of differentiation of self and emotional fusion. Differentiation of self is the ability of individuals to perform independently by making their own choices while remaining emotionally to important relationships. Emotional fusion is the ability of a person to separate him/herself from the family caretakers in a personal and intellectual level (Haefner, 2014). The key concepts have influenced how families understand each other and make decisions. Using this approach to analyze health in the family will provide a better understanding of the dynamics among health and how it affects the family. (Smith & Hamon, 2012). There are a variety of ways in which the Family System Theory can be applied to the topic health in the family. Using examples can be a great way to explain the connection between the issue and the …show more content…
It can be very difficult for families because it can place a good amount of stress on them. When a life threatening condition emerges in a family, they may start to experience stress, anxiety, and chaos that can be identified as fusion (Haefner, 2014). For example, John Doe is a 67-year-old father of four and has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and only has six months to live. His four children are older adults and live out of state. Due to the fact John is sick, his children may now have to come home and join together as a unit which can be seen as a system (Smith & Hamon, 2012). The family is now a social system in which they all will interact with each other (Smith & Hamon, 2012). A hierarchy, boundaries, and family rules have to be established among the children so that each one will know who has the most authority, what everyone’s roles are, and their limits (Smith & Hamon, 2012). Obesity is another example of a family health issue. It has become a huge epidemic and it is constantly rising. Fast food restaurants have evolved over the years making their food more affordable than ever. Some families resort to unhealthy foods because they are quick, cheap, and very convenient. Healthy foods are more expensive and some families are not able to afford them. For example, Amy Doe is an unemployed single mother of two. She lives in a low-income neighborhood and both of children are obese. She