Understanding Families Through System Theory

An adage goes by “show me your friends and I will tell you who you are” but in family system theory, it more like show me/tell me about a family member, and I will tell and interpret the family as a whole. Family system theory work hand in hand with the definition of family because, based on how the family defines itself, you can tell more about the family in terms of their communication and coexistence in general.
Based on my understanding of Turner & West, (2013) definition of system theory, it implies that a family is a system and in order for that system to function, there are part components of that system that helps the system survive and those components are wholeness, Interdependence, Hierarchy, boundaries, calibration/feedback and Equifinality. Each of these components has specific significant that it brings to understanding and functionality of the family system.

When it comes to the basic premise of system theory, family system theory is rooted in positivistic-empirical intellectual tradition.

When I was first introduced to family system theory, I did not know what Positivistic- Empirical approach was by with the aid of the lecture and Turner &West, (2013) page 59, it implied that we can understand and gain more knowledge about how a family functions and its laws and everything by the interactions that occurs within the family. Since most of the basic knowledge and the way we view the world is first developed at home, by studying an individual from a family or the family in general, we can learn and discover the functions of the

family.
The components described by Turner & West (2013) in page 68 are wholeness, interdependence, Hierarchy, Boundaries/openness, Calibration/feedback and Equifinality are ways which family communication are interpreted but also understood. Wholeness and Interdependence are somewhat similar in the sense that wholeness talks about how family isn’t just a make up of the individuals or everyone but also the personalities and experiences of the whole family in general while Interdependence talks about how family are all tied together so what affects an individual in the family, affects the whole family. Hierarchy and boundaries are some what also the same in the sense that hierarchy is more of a rank and respect while boundaries/openness somewhat includes boundaries because sometimes boundaries are created out of respect or fear of the reaction from hierarchy in the family also is openness. Calibration/feedback and Equifinality is more on the communication and goal aspect of the family in the sense that calibration/feedback talks about feedback and rules derived from the family while Equifinality is the different way by which family achieve a goal but the achievement and development of the family depends on what kind of feedback the get.
In conclusion, system theory is the theory that helps with understanding a family better. We might all have different definition of family but the system isn’t based on any theory but rather on the communication of the family. Just like new york times online (2011) talked about how a family tree and the definition is like a tangled forest, well, system theory helps us understand the kind of plants and animals in the tangled forest and also gives up the knowledge about what kind of tools to use to tame and also main the huge forest.