Social Work ASWB Masters Exam Guide: A Comprehensive Study Guide for Success|2023 LATEST UPDATE|GUARANTEED SUCCESS

SYSTEMS THEORY A system is a whole comprising component parts that work together. Applied to social work, systems theory views human behavior through larger contexts, such as members of families, communities, and broader society. Important to this theory is the concept that when one thing changes within a system, the whole system is affected. Systems tend toward equilibrium and can have closed or open boundaries. Ecomaps and genograms can help to understand system dynamics. closed system uses up its energy and dies differentiation becoming specialized in structure and function entropy closed, disorganized, stagnant, using up available energy equifinality arriving at the same end from different beginnings homeostasis steady state input obtaining resources from the environment that are necessary to attain the goals of the system negative entropy exchange of energy and resources between systems that promote growth and transformation Open system a system with cross boundary exchange output product of the system that exports to the enviornment subsystem a major component of a system made up of two or more interdependent components that interact in order to attain their own purposes and the purposes of the system in which they are embedded suprasystem an entity that is served by a number of component systems organized in interacting relationships throughput ENERGY THAT IS INTEGRATED INTO THE SYSTEM SO IT CAN BE USED BY THE SYSTEM TO ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS FAMILY THEORIES useful in understanding and managing individual problems by determining the extent to which such problems are related to family issues. A family systems approach argues that in order to understand a family system, a social worker must look at the family as a whole, rather than focusing on its members. not the individuals behaviors but interactions among the members of a group. The basic rationale is that all parts of the family are interrelated. Further, the family has properties of its own that can be known only by looking at the relationships and interactions among all members. The family systems approach is based on several basic assumptions: Each family is more than a sum of its members. ​Each family is unique, due to the infinite variations in personal characteristics and cultural and ideological styles. A healthy family has flexibility, consistent structure, and effective exchange of information. ​The family is an interactional system whose component parts have constantly shifting boundaries and varying degrees of resistance to change. ​Families must fulfill a variety of functions for each member, both collectively and individually, if each member is to grow and develop. ​Families strive for a sense of balance or homeostasis. ​Negative feedback loops are those patterns of interaction that maintain stability or constancy while minimizing change. Negative feedback loops help to maintain homeostasis. Positive feedback loops, in contrast, are patterns of interaction that facilitate change or movement toward either growth or dissolution. ​Families are seen as being goal oriented. The concept of equifinality refers to the ability of the family system to accomplish the same goals through different routes. ​The concept of hierarchies describes how families organize themselves into various smaller units or subsystems that are comprised by the larger family system. When the members or tasks associated with each subsystem become blurred with those of other subsystems, families have been viewed as having difficulties. For example, when a child becomes involved in marital issues, difficulties often emerge that require intervention. Boundaries occur at every level of the system and between subsystems. Boundaries influence the movement of people and the flow of information into and out of the system. Some families have very open boundaries where members and others are allowed to freely come and go without much restriction; in other families, there are tight restrictions on where family members can go and who may be brought into the family system. Boundaries also regulate the flow of information in a family. In more closed families, the rules strictly regulate what information may be discussed and with whom. In contrast, information may flow more freely in families that have more permeable boundaries. ​The concept of interdependence is critical in the study of family systems. Individual family members and the subsystems comprised by the family system are mutually influenced by and are mutually dependent upon one another. What happens to one family member, or what one family member does, influences other family members. Genograms are diagrams of family relationships beyond a family tree allowing a social worker and client to visualize hereditary patterns and psychological factors. They include annotations about the medical history and major personality traits of each family member. Genograms help uncover intergenerational patterns of behavior, marriage choices, family alliances and conflicts, the existence of family secrets, and other information that will shed light on a family's present situation. Apgar PhD LSW ACSW, Dr. Dawn. Social Work ASWB Masters Exam Guide (p. 46). Springer Publishing Company. Kindle Edition. family therapy approaches treats family as a unified whole; change affects the overall system. The goal is to interrupt the circular pattern of pathological communication and behaviors and replace it with a new pattern that will sustain itself without the dysfunctional aspects of the original pattern. strategic family therapy creating change in behavior. flexible enough to modify solutions that do not work. problem resolution altering the feedback cycle. The social worker's task is to formulate the problem in solvable, behavioral terms and to design an intervention plan to change the dysfunctional family pattern. Pretend technique— encourage family members to "pretend" and encourage voluntary control of behavior First-order changes— superficial behavioral changes within a system that do not change the structure of the system Second-order changes— changes to the systematic interaction pattern so the system is reorganized and functions more effectively Family homeostasis— families tend to preserve familiar organization and communication patterns; resistant to change Relabeling— changing the label attached to a person or problem from negative to positive so the situation can be perceived differently; it is hoped that new responses will evolve Paradoxical directive or instruction— prescribe the symptomatic behavior so a client realizes he or she can control it; uses the strength of the resistance to change in order to move a client toward goals structural family therapy restructuring family for the well being of the members. Restructuring is based on observing and manipulating interactions within therapy sessions, often by enactments of situations as a way to understand and diagnose the structure and provide an opportunity for restructuring. Interpersonal boundaries define individual family members and promote their differentiation and autonomous, yet interdependent, functioning. Dysfunctional families tend to be characterized by either a pattern of rigid enmeshment or disengagement. Boundaries with the outside world define the family unit, but boundaries must be permeable enough to maintain a well-functioning open system, allowing contact and reciprocal exchanges with the social world. Hierarchical organization in families of all cultures is maintained by generational boundaries, the rules differentiating parent and child roles, rights, and obligations. Bowenian Family Therapy improving the intergenerational transmission process. Differentiation is the core concept of this approach. The more differentiated, the more a client can be an individual while in emotional contact with the family. This allows a client to think through a situation without being drawn to act by either internal or external emotional pressures. Emotional fusion is the counterpart of differentiation and refers to the tendency for family members to share an emotional response. This is the result of poor interpersonal boundaries between family members. In a fused family, there is little room for emotional autonomy. If a member makes a move toward autonomy, it is experienced as abandonment by other members of the family. Multigenerational transmission stresses the connection of current generations to past generations as a natural process. Multigenerational transmission gives the present a context in history. This context can focus a social worker on the differentiation in the system and on the transmission process. An emotional triangle is the network of relationships among three people. Bowen's theory states that a relationship can remain stable until anxiety is introduced. However, when anxiety is introduced into the dyad, a third party is recruited into a triangle to reduce the overall anxiety. It is almost impossible for two people to interact without triangulation. The nuclear family is the most basic unit in society and there is a concern over the degree to which emotional fusion can occur in a family system. Clients forming relationships outside of the nuclear family tend to pick mates with the same level of differentiation. Sibling position is a factor in determining personality. Where a client is in birth order has an influence on how he or she relates to parents and siblings. Birth order determines the triangles that clients grow up in.