Structural Family Theory Literature Review

Structural family theory is a technique employed by social scientists that offers perspectives and tactics that strengthen and examine the familial unit (Walsh, 2014). Developed by Salvador Minuchin, structural family theory looks at the unspoken rules within a family and how they affect the organization of the unit. It is the job of the social worker to accurately identify the patterns, presented rules, and their effect on the family. Structural family theory encompasses many concepts; a few of them being, subsystems, boundaries, and rules. Subsystems refers to the functional, normal interactions and alliances between two or more members within a family system (Walsh, 2014).

Internal boundaries are “…barriers that regulate the amounts of contact that members or subsystems are expected to have with each other (Walsh, 2014).” Whereas, external boundaries are “… the separation of the family unity from outside systems (Walsh, 2014).” “Rules are the behaviors and responsibilities to which each family member is expected to adhere (Walsh, 2014).” Structural family theory is unique from other social theorems in that this theory is adaptable to many different venues or situations, such as within the business world. Structural family therapy also affords the therapist to use seemingly unorthodox intervention methods, such as social media. Adolescent Adjustment to Parental Divorce: An Investigation from the Perspective of Basic Dimensions of Structural Family Therapy Theory

Researchers David Abelsohn and Graham Saayman (1991) examined a group of forty-five adolescents of divorced homes and found there was a direct correlation between their overall personal adjustment to their family’s structure, post-separation. According to the article, there are three key components to ensuring healthy adolescent adjustment post-separation: cohesion, adaptability, and generational hierarchy. “Cohesion refers to a dimension of family interaction in which the extremes are characterized by, in Minuchin’s language, “enmeshment” on the one side and extreme separateness or disengagement on the other (Abelsohn, 1991).” What this means in laymen’s terms is that there is a high potential for the child to align with one parent, the needier parent, and disengage from the other. It is important that there be a clear parent-child role distinction during the divorce process for the adolescent.

Secondly, “adaptability refers to a dimension of family flexibility in which the extremes are characterized by chaos and rigidity (Abelsohn, 1991).” According to the authors, it is important that the parents create a new family structure similar to the preexisting structure to eliminate culture shock or discourage adaptability. Though this may not be an option, it is important to the adolescent’s adjustment health that the transition from one family structure be as seamless as possible. Lastly, “generational hierarchy implies that the family is a hierarchical, ‘non-democratic’ organization (Adelsohn, 1991).” Along with these three factors, the authors identified that adolescents who underwent therapy post-separation were better adjusted than those who did not receive treatment.

Utilizing Structural Family Therapy and Systems Theory in the Business World
Similar to a family unit, businesses operate and function off of a balance of subsystems, rules, and authority. All organizations, at their foundation, mirror the structure and culture of a family system. Relative to the business world, the hierarchy/power dynamics, structure, and subsystems found within the organization mimic the patterns found within a typical family. “Researchers have shown that a knowledge of systems theory and human interaction directly relates to the realm of business systems and employee assistance programs (Deacon, 1996).”

An example of one of the many similarities between business organization and the structure of family is hierarchy. “Hierarchy, in family therapy theory, refers to the power structure of the family (Deacon, 1996).” In business organizations, authority or power hierarchies create the inner workings of the institute, as a whole. Comparative to the family system, hierarchies are also seen within the preset subsystems, such as the parent-child subsystem. “Managers, like parents, reinforce the structure and subsystems of the business with operating mechanisms such as rules, procedures, rewards, and spatial arrangements (Deacon, 1996).”

The Intersection of Facebook and Structural Family Therapy Volume 1
Mendez, Qureshi, Renata, Carenrio, and Hort demonstrated in a 2014 study the use of social media as a structural family therapy tool. “The culture of communication is focusing less on human-to-human connection and more on human-device-human connections (Mendez, Qureshi, Renata, Carenrio, & Hort, 2014).” Social networking websites, such as Facebook, is an excellent example of the increase in digital communication use between people and their loved ones. “Since the site’s launch in 2004, Facebook.com has expanded to over 700 million users (Mendez et al, 2014).” In relation to structural family therapy, the authors present a case study of a 15 year-old Japanese female who was referred for further treatment by her school’s principle. She immigrated with her family to the United States when she was a baby. She is the elder daughter of a two child-single parent family, she is now being rebellious and argumentative with her authority figures.

Her father found that she operated a secret Facebook account that allowed her to chat online with her “boyfriend” who was currently incarcerated. However, the therapist did not seek to remove the daughter’s Facebook account. The therapist’s main goal in allowing the child to keep the social media site was to strengthen the father-daughter subsystem. By keeping and regulating the website, the father is able to reestablish his authority, role within the subsystem, and create healthy boundaries or rules within the holistic family unit. “Creating an intervention in using Facebook was a way that the therapist stopped fighting against the intersection of relationships and technology and used it to help bridge connections within the system (Mendez et al, 2014).”

References
Abelsohn, D., & Saayman, G. S. (1991). Adolescent adjustment to parental divorce: An investigation from the perspective of basic dimensions of structural family therapy theory. Family Process, 30(2), 177-191. Deacon, S. A. (1996). Utilizing structural family therapy and systems theory in the business world. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 18(4), 549-565. Méndez, N., Qureshi, M., Carnerio, R., & Hort, F. (2014). The intersection of Facebook and structural family therapy volume 1.
American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(2), 167-174. doi:10.1080/01926187.2013.794046 Walsh, J. (2014). Theories for direct social work practice, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.