ResearchPaper Human Systems Therapy

This article examines the role ofa psychiatric consultant in a psy­ chiatric hospital undergoing a major change. The principles of group phenomenon, systems theory, sentient, task, and basic as­ sumption groups were utilized in diagnosis oforganizational re­ gression, elucidation of its precipitants, and strategies for helping the organization towards higher level of integration in face ofp~ tentiaZZy regressive changes.

The study of human behavior and human problems was mainly concerned with individuals until systems theory emerged around sixty years ago. The explosion of interest in systems thinking spurred a flurry of theories and studies about the functioning of families, soon followed by the development of the field of group dynamics. It was not until the 1990's until relationship science took hold and focused scientific inquiry onto how intimate relationships work Together, these relationship centered approaches have tremendously expanded our understanding of how relationships work. This chapter will describe many of the ways that relationship behaviors are explained by systems, especially the more recent developments. This chapter describes a number of systems theories, including general system theory, family systems theory and interpersonal systems theory, as well as the general movement of systems thinking. There are other systems theories, but a discussion of them would take hundreds of pages.

Social science & medicine (1982), 1992

Psychosocial problems have a significant impact on the course and cost of medical illness. However, many of these areas are generally neglected in medical interviews. This manuscript presents a condensed review of the major psychosocial domains, which together constitute what we term a psychosocial review of systems (PROS). Selected references are provided which document the importance of these areas to medical care, and serve as background reading for further inquiry. The psychosocial areas which are covered include: substance use, stress and life events, subjective views of symptoms, daily activity, social support, sexual concerns, finances, psychiatric history and symptoms, cultural issues, and functional status. The Psychosocial Review of Systems (PROS) can serve as a basic overview for the psychosocial aspects of medical education, and also as a content based instrument which has potential for development as an assessment tool to measure physician competence in eliciting releva...

Journal of Family Therapy, 1999

The starting point for this paper is that family therapy lacks a theoretical frame of reference of its own; thus a stepwise search for such a frame of reference is described. First, social systems are defined as communication systems. Second, it is shown in what way a family can be seen as a social system. With the help of the theory of social systems of the sociologist Luhmann, a theoretical frame of reference for systems therapy is drafted. Finally, we hint at the implications such a theoretical framework could have for clinical practice.

Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 1987

Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2015

Systems thinking is a field characterized by a baffling array of methods and approaches. We posit that underlying all, however, are four universal rules called DSRP (distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives; each containing two co-implying elements). We make distinctions between and among things and ideas, each implying the existence of an other. We identify systems, which are composed of parts and wholes. We recognize relationships composed of actions and reactions. We take perspectives consisting of a point (from which we see) and a view (that which is seen). We argue that DSRP offers a unifying and organizing principle for the field of systems thinking and an indispensable analytical tool for solving complex problems. At the same time, the metacognitive practice of applying these rules has significant psychosocial implications, such as increasing self-awareness, empathy, and a sense of belonging, while decreasing stereotyping and self-harming and other-harming orientations. As such, DSRP has the potential to create advanced analytical thinkers with prosocial orientations.

Human Systems: Therapy, Culture and Attachments, 2021

We are pleased to offer the first issue in the relaunch of Human Systems. As a longstanding fan of the journal I remember always approaching it with excitement and curiosity and that I would find interesting discussions, new ideas, examples of innovative practice alongside a hopeful and inquisitive stance. In contrast to many other journals which conveyed worthy and important disseminations of research, Human Systems offered something different: It was playful, provocative and sometimes controversial. It seemed to capture and promote the heady excitement of the pioneers who developed systems theory and cybernetics and their applications to clinical practice and family therapy in the 1950s, such as Von Foerster and Zopf (1962), Watzlawick, et al. (1967), Bateson (1972) and Jackson (1957). As systemic practice developed, the journal also captured the shifts in emphasis in thinking about family and other systems as constructing shared meaning-making through conversations processes (Anderson et al., 1986; White, 1995). It also encouraged publications which included considerations of how this meaning-making was in turn shaped by the wider cultural discourses in which families and other relational systems exist. These papers portrayed the applications of these ideas in the field of mental health alongside the debates, controversies, and perturbations of our thinking and practice that they inspired. Human Systems not only followed, but inspired innovative thought and practice. Above all the journal perhaps captured the essence of the quote from Lewin (1952) that, 'There is nothing more practical than a good theory'. In this it was also exemplary in acknowledging the legacy of ideas, for example that the early communicational emphasis of the MRI team and Bateson's 'ecology of mind' was visionary and contained the seeds that inspired the shift to a focus on meaning-making in family and systems. We intend that the re-launched journal will maintain these aspirations and values, and continue to publish papers which inspire innovative thinking and practice. The revised title of the journal, to include culture and attachment is intended to continue to emphasise the focus on the present-day family as a system which is culturally located. We extend an invitation for papers that explore the systems around couples and families including communities, social care and educational organisations and settings. As an example relationships between the school, child and family can be viewed as a triadic process with implications for the well-being and development of parents, children and school staff.

Annual Reviews in Control, 2002

In this paper, the relevance of system theory for modeling and investigating problem in human science and human centered systems as well as the mutual relationship between systems theory and human science are explored. It is not a completed research but rather ideas and thoughts which need further investigations. The cause and purpose myths and their impact in several fields are discussed through the use of the variational principle. The feasibility of phenomenalistic models and the potential and limitations of qualitative and quantitative results are discussed through examples of human learning, and human conformity behavior and a typical dictatorial political system. The need for combined application of scientific approach along with basic principles of ethics and religion to human centered systems is demonstrated. It is shown that the non-technical forces in terms of fairness and justice are rather essential in governing human centered systems and stabilizing their equilibria while avoiding conflicting situations.

Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 2014

Family therapy, including conjoint approaches to couples, families, and parent-child dyads, is infused with concepts adapted from general systems theory. Many of the most popular models during the period when family therapy flourished in the 1960s and 70s directly incorporated systems theory. As modifications and new approaches came into vogue in the 80s and 90s, the contributions of systems concepts were eclipsed and theorists, researchers, and practitioners often failed to acknowledge their contribution. In an attempt to re-integrate these developments in state-of-the-art family therapy, this article will explore systems theory, its complementary characteristics with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and how these two approaches can be simultaneously applied to family therapy in a comprehensive, integrative manner. The distinctions between cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, and (combined) CBT will be delineated; after which CBT interventions and their relationship to systems concepts will be described. An illustrative model will be presented with recommendations for future research. KEY WORDS: systems theory, systemic therapy, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, family therapy foundations An open system is a set of objects with attributes that interrelate in an environment. The system possesses qualities of wholeness, interdependence, hierarchy, self-regulation, environmental interchange, equilibrium, adaptability, and equifinality. (Littlejohn, 1983, p. 32)

The person-centred approach (PCA) was and is strongly related to systems theory: The core theoretical and explanatory principle -"actualizing tendency" -has been coined by the Gestalt psychologist Kurt Goldstein. Moreover, Rogers stressed in some late papers the relationship between his conception and modern interdisciplinary systems theory.