How Family Works

Types of Families – Part 4

Types of Family – Part 4 Here are five other descriptions of family types.  The first is what I call the “Generational Split” family.  The distinguishing characteristic of this kind of family is a lack of significant interaction between parents … Continue reading

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Types of Families – Part 3

Types of Families – Part 3 Using the placement of the scores on the two scales–the Cohesion scale and the Adaptability scale–we can identify five basic family types.  The more extreme the placement on the scales, the more problematic that … Continue reading

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Types of Families – Part 2

Types of Families – Part 2 We’re looking at the types of families based on the research of David Olson and his associates at the University of Minnesota, and their development of the FACES IV inventory.  In the last posting, … Continue reading

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Types of Families – Part 1

Types of Families – Part 1 Someone asked if there were ways to categorize family types, like there is a way to categorize attachment styles.  There are probably several ways to mark the types of families, but the most accepted … Continue reading

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What Kind of Boundaries in your Family?

What Kind of Boundaries in your Family? One of the things families typically don’t talk about is how boundaries work within the family.  We are talking about psychological and social boundaries, although in principle they are the same as physical … Continue reading

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What Were the Rules in Your Family?

What Were the Rules in Your Family? Every family operates according to a set of rules.  These rules may be spoken or unspoken.  Nevertheless they exist and they affect our family’s activities and behaviors.  Even without saying a word, our … Continue reading

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It’s All In The Family

It’s all in the Family! It was a great TV series and it illustrated a lot about how family works (or doesn’t work).  I just finished a week teaching about family systems–how families function.  Some of the students didn’t really … Continue reading

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How Causation Goes in a Circle

How Causation Goes in a Circle Most of us were trained at some point to understand that causation goes in a linear pattern.  It’s like what happens when we play pool, and hit the cue ball so it hits the … Continue reading

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What Else Does My Family Do?

What Else Does My Family Do? In the previous posting, we identified two factors that help to maintain unhealthy patterns in our families.  One was “family myths” and the other “family secrets.”  What are some of the other patterns that … Continue reading

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Are Your Family Secrets Safe?

Are Your Family Secrets Safe? All families ere dysfunctional.  Some people don’t like to hear that, but it’s true–every family has its problems.  If you believe in the reality of original sin, you know that as a consequence of sin, … Continue reading

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