BELIEVING IS SEEING: A COMPARISON OF PROCESSES OF CLINICAL INFERENCE APPLYING FAMILY SYSTEMS AND OBJECT RELATIONS THEORIES TO THE PRACTICE OF FAMILY THERAPY.
Item
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Title
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BELIEVING IS SEEING: A COMPARISON OF PROCESSES OF CLINICAL INFERENCE APPLYING FAMILY SYSTEMS AND OBJECT RELATIONS THEORIES TO THE PRACTICE OF FAMILY THERAPY.
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Identifier
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AAI8401916
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identifier
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8401916
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Creator
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BECKER, CAROL.
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Contributor
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Prof. Paul Wachtel
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Date
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1983
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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In this dissertation two theoretical paradigms in the field of family therapy are applied to formulating the problem in a family with a separating adolescent. In the family systems paradigm the central concepts presented are positive and negative feedback loops. In the object relations paradigm the central concept presented is projective identification. Two formulations of the problem in a family are presented based on a single interview with the parents. A transcript of the interview is included in the text. Illustrations from the transcript are used to show how the formulations are derived, and the processes of clinical inference involved in each formulation are made explicit. The differences in selective perception, interpretation, and organization of the data are discussed in terms of several related concepts described by Gregory Bateson: logical levels, context, coevolution, circular versus linear causality, relationship versus thingness, and binocular vision. The conclusion is that these theories lead one to attend selectively, and to interpret and organize information differently. Family systems theory focuses on patterns of messages, the interrelationship between relationships, recursive interactional sequences, the coevolution of the pattern and the function or effect of each person's behavior on others. The therapist views the family from a point outside the family. Object relations theory focuses on thematic repetition, especially unconscious motives and assumptions which reflect unresolved issues related to separation-individuation. The therapist views the family from the subjective perspective of each family member. Both paradigms include a model of dyadic interactions. However, they each address the dynamics in the dyad at a different logical level. The result is that projective identification describes interactions which are punctuated as beginning and ending in the individual, and feedback loops describe interactions which have no beginning or end.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
