Introduction to family systems theory
Systems Theory has been around since the 1940's. Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Ross Ashby were both founders of what is referred to as General Systems Theory. However, "Family Systems Theory", was introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen in the 1950's. This theory suggests that a person cannot be understood in detachment from others, but rather as a part of the family they are connected to, because the family is the affecting factor to the person's life. Families are the systems comprised of individuals attached to and mutually connected to other individuals, none of whom can be known in solitude from the system.
Individualism has become a major trend in our society today. The focus has turned to satisfying the desires and needs of the person as an individual rather than how that individual's choices may impact or affect others. But in a family system, family life is not just a compilation of the actions of all individual members but rather a result of the interactions of all family members working as a single entity made up of interconnected parts. In other words, the Individual is described in the context of their relationship with members of their family.
What is a family-systems perspective? According to, Jack and Judith Balswick, "it is a holistic approach that understands every part of family life in terms of the family as a whole." The Balswicks explain that, in other words, the family system is a system in which day to day operations are run by individuals who are interconnected. To understand any system one must begin by identifying the various levels within that system. As demonstrated in the Family Systems diagram above, there are multiple levels that make up the family system, and each level is related to the next. The individual is part of the nuclear family, which is part of the extended family, which is connected on the social level to others at school, work and other parts of their community, which is related to the broader multi-cultural level.
The second diagram is a representation of the boundaries
that affect the Family System. Anything within the boundary is considered part of the system, and anything that exists outside the boundary is identified as part of the environment. Input is defined to be any message or stimulus that comes into the system from the environment. Output includes any message or response from the system to the environment. Family members control the pliability of these boundaries. If the family system is open, information can flow freely into and out from the family system. If the family system is closed, the family constructs barriers to limit this interaction. Additionally, a family with children has at least two subsystems, the parental subsystem which is made up of the parents and a sibling subsystem which is made up of each child. It also should be noted that those these subsystems are interrelated, each individual has their own unique characteristics, personality traits, talents and abilities, all contributing to the makeup of the entire family system.
Balswick, Jack O.; Balswick, Judith K. (2014-05-06). The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home (p. 24). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Individualism has become a major trend in our society today. The focus has turned to satisfying the desires and needs of the person as an individual rather than how that individual's choices may impact or affect others. But in a family system, family life is not just a compilation of the actions of all individual members but rather a result of the interactions of all family members working as a single entity made up of interconnected parts. In other words, the Individual is described in the context of their relationship with members of their family.
What is a family-systems perspective? According to, Jack and Judith Balswick, "it is a holistic approach that understands every part of family life in terms of the family as a whole." The Balswicks explain that, in other words, the family system is a system in which day to day operations are run by individuals who are interconnected. To understand any system one must begin by identifying the various levels within that system. As demonstrated in the Family Systems diagram above, there are multiple levels that make up the family system, and each level is related to the next. The individual is part of the nuclear family, which is part of the extended family, which is connected on the social level to others at school, work and other parts of their community, which is related to the broader multi-cultural level.
The second diagram is a representation of the boundaries
that affect the Family System. Anything within the boundary is considered part of the system, and anything that exists outside the boundary is identified as part of the environment. Input is defined to be any message or stimulus that comes into the system from the environment. Output includes any message or response from the system to the environment. Family members control the pliability of these boundaries. If the family system is open, information can flow freely into and out from the family system. If the family system is closed, the family constructs barriers to limit this interaction. Additionally, a family with children has at least two subsystems, the parental subsystem which is made up of the parents and a sibling subsystem which is made up of each child. It also should be noted that those these subsystems are interrelated, each individual has their own unique characteristics, personality traits, talents and abilities, all contributing to the makeup of the entire family system.
Balswick, Jack O.; Balswick, Judith K. (2014-05-06). The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home (p. 24). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
For more info
Feel free to use YouTube or God Tube for more information on Family Systems Theory & Murray Bowen.