- Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 handbook on family assessments and then
- Listen to the podcast- (link below)
- Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2008, December 1). Visual assessment tools: The Culturagram: Interview with Dr. Elaine Congress [Episode 46]. Social Work Podcast [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://socialworkpodcast.com/2008/12/visual-assessment-tools-culturagram.html (Links to an external site.)
- Then answer the following questions
- From a systems theory lens, define all of the following concepts of family functioning: (1) family subsystems, (2) boundaries, (3) family roles, and, (4) homeostasis. Then, discuss how systems theory is used in social work. (2 pages)
- After completing the readings on family assessment and listening to the podcast, discuss why context and culture are important in family assessment. Also, in what ways do ethics, values, and beliefs factor in to family assessment? (2 pages)
Reference for chapter 1 and chapter 3 handbook readings:
Thomlison, B. (2010). Family assessment handbook: An introduction and practical guide to family assessment. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Family Functioning
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Family Functioning
Family is a vital aspect of human development because of people’s social nature. This is why the focus has been placed on family system theory and family functioning system theory to understand the impact of family on people’s lives. Family functioning and family system theory is a branch of knowledge that studies how human interactions with different systems, such as family, work, school, and community influence their behavior (Weisner, 2014). Different scholars approach these theories differently. Students, professionals, and scholars majoring in family health and social work should understand these theories from various perspectives to understand how to apply them appropriately. This paper will discuss various aspects of family functioning, with a particular focus on Thomlison’s perspective.
Terminologies
Family Subsystems
The family structure is divided into subcategories in terms of coalitions and emotional boundaries. These subcategories make up the subsystems of a family that defines the boundaries in family interactions and relationships.
Boundaries
Thomlison (2010) defines boundaries as “are invisible or abstract demarcations or dividers between family members or among parts of the system, such as between parents and children or between the family and the community” (Thomlison, 2010). It tends to elaborate how families and subsystems are separated and practices autonomy.
Family roles
Family roles are the responsibilities that each member of a family holds to maintain the healthy functioning of the family. Family members hold these roles as a parent, child, son, daughter, wife, husband, sibling, grandchild, and so on. There are specific expectations in these roles. For example, children should respect and obey their parents, while parents should provide, teach, nurture, and discipline them (Thomlison, 2010).
Homeostasis
Homeostasis describes the characteristic of a family to achieve and maintain the state to ensure a stable environment, particularly when changes happen. Changes are normal, necessary, and constant in every family. They may include accidents, death, births, job changes, reduced income, or illnesses (Thomlison, 2010). These changes disrupt and may destabilize the family. But often, families return to a normal state by shifting to a new balance followed by reorganization in a process called Homeostasis.
Application of the Systems Theory in Social Work
According to the system theory, various factors such as a person’s parents, home environment, school, friends, economic class, and other factors play together to influence a people’s behaviors – how they think and act (Bowers, & Bowers, 2017). Social work tends to account for many factors that influence an individual’s life. As seen above, system theory has outlined those factors and their interrelationships, hence its importance to social workers. According to the provision of system theory, an effective system is based on an individual’s needs, expectations, rewards, and character traits of the people around them. As such, social workers must understand how these systems work to address any dysfunction found (Bowers, & Bowers, 2017). Correcting an ineffective or missing part of the system confers both positive and negative impacts on behaviors. Social works must understand the dynamics and how they function to determine the perfect ways of correcting them. It will help them identify the systems that contribute to the welfare and good behaviors of an individual to strengthen them. Such interventions also require the understanding of an individual’s unique situation, hence the need for system theory (Thomlison, 2010).
The Importance of Context and Culture in Family Assessment
Every family has its own culture, which defines the distinct and unique ways it approaches problems, tackles daily activities, builds family goals, and forms relationships. Family culture is defined as the values, rules, and traditions that govern a family’s life and routine (Thomlison, 2010). Families create these cultures both intentionally and unintentionally (Weisner, 2014). Understanding a family culture helps understand a family’s vision, goals, and values. A clear vision gives the family a direction, purpose, and clear focus. It guides how people make decisions and behave towards the achievement of that goal, and also enhances consistency (Thomlison, 2010). It also helps understand the family system unique to the family. Some roles can be assumed in the family, though they may be applied or understood differently from one family to the next (Weisner, 2014). Some roles, such as cooking, laundry, providing, helping children with homework, and so on may be levied on one person and if they are not satisfied by that they can bring disharmony and imbalance in a family.
Family context defines the present condition of the family and what it is going through. Such situations are very pertinent factors that influence individuals’ beliefs, opinions, perceptions, and understanding in many ways (Thomlison, 2010). Conducting family assessment should consider the family context because it helps identify areas of change, how the family system functions, and the strengths and weaknesses of the family. Understanding the context helps a counselor provide important insights on how the family can overcome some difficulties (Thomlison, 2010).
How Ethics, Values, and Beliefs Factor Into Family Assessment
Just like culture and context, ethics, values, and beliefs also do vary from family to family. They are seen as assumptions of what is true or false and may not be testable. They shape people’s thinking and personal actions, convictions, and perceptions (Thomlison, 2010). Personal ethics and values develop from these beliefs that are significantly influenced by an individual’s present surroundings. To understand family systems during a family assessment, ethics, values, and beliefs play vital roles that must be considered. According to Thomlison (2010), value-based and ethical knowledge can be obtained from assessing family functioning and distress. Such assessments should consider family beliefs, personal beliefs, practical setting beliefs, professional beliefs, and legal requirements.
Personal beliefs play key roles in guiding the family assessment process. An assessor may hold personal beliefs and values different from those of the family they are helping. Such a situation may cloud their judgments and bring bias if they fail to remain objective (Thomlison, 2010). Assessors must understand their personal beliefs to understand others. Through social support, families get to understand their beliefs, attitudes, values, and ethics, and how they influent some areas of family functioning. Some solutions are obtained from understanding such beliefs (Thomlison, 2010).
Thomlison has captured very crucial aspects of the family assessment and theories that are involved. Family assessment is a key part of social work that deserves all the emphasis around it. Helping people to become better versions of themselves and address the problems they face requires an in-depth understanding of how the family affects them. This is why it is important for people involved in social work studies or professions to read about Thomlison’s version and contributions. Additionally, they should study the perspectives of other scholars, do a comparison, and make better and holistic conclusions.
References
Thomlison, B. (2010). Family assessment handbook: An introduction and practical guide to family assessment. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Bowers, N. R., & Bowers, A. (2017). General systems theory. Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches, 240.
Weisner, T. S. (2014). Culture, context, and child well-being. Handbook of child well-being: Theories, methods, and policies in global perspectives, 87-103. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_3