Family Counseling and Gender Differences - Assignment Example

 Family Counseling and Gender Differences I. Importance of Gender Differences Gender roles are imposed by the society to men and women in the family. The gender based stratification is based on the roles of each gender within the family and in the society. These roles are determined only by biological structures but due to predetermined social rules and norms, the result is the development of every individual’s value systems, personality characteristics, problem-solving techniques, attitudes and views about different concepts and ideas, e.g. sexuality (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.5). Gender difference is important in the family to be able to have dynamics in the interaction and the roles being played. One experience that exhibited the importance of gender roles and gender differences in the family is having different perspectives in decision making. The mother can offer a different view from the father, thus as an offspring, I can make decisions wisely. II. Homeostasis in the Family Homeostasis means stability within the family, thus, it defines the different processes and actions undertaken by the members of the family to achieve this state. There are different instances when this had occurred in the family. One example is when one of my parents needed to work far from home. The habit of seeing and having my father at home to ask advice from became one of the deprivations when he worked in a place far from home. Adjustments to such situation and achievement of homeostasis can be considered as long and tiring journey (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.84; Worden, 2002, p.3) III. Marital Skew, Marital Schism, and Emotional Divorce There are different situations in the life of the family that can affect each member. Examples of these situations can be classified to marital schism, marital skew and emotional divorce. Marital schism can be defined as the failure of the parent to fulfill his or her role in the family due to preoccupation in his or her own problems, e.g. work, which can ultimately result to the undermining of the role of the other parent in the eyes of the children. This can negatively affect the family relationship and dynamics (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.104). Marital skew is the situation wherein problems and stress are encountered in the family but not enough to threaten the marriage. One of the main examples that define the concept is having one psychotic parent who is continuously dependent and weak. One negative effect of such a situation is the development of denials and distortions in the reality being viewed by the children just to cope with the situation (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.105) Emotional divorce or emotional distance is a stage in the relationship of parents in the family which occurs between the periods of overcloseness and overdistance. It is similar to the situation within the family experiencing marital skew. This leads to the situation when the distance between the two parents balances out and stabilizes to the point where there is least amount of anxiety in their relationship and w0ithin the family (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.105-6) IV. Symptomatic Family member A symptomatic behavior of an identified patient includes motives of improving family relationships by expressing that the conflict is caused by other family members. This is an expected behavior, thus, the main method of intervention is talking to the whole family and then to each member of the family to fix any conflict. The main target is to let the patient feel at ease first prior to the intervention that can help the symptomatic member of the family (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.20; Worden, 2002, p.3). Thus, when this happen, other members of the family should cooperate and prevent from making negative reactions toward the intervention to be able to help family member in need. On a personal note, I would fully participate in the activities and sessions to help my family. V. Concept of Triangulation The concept of triangulation is used to analyze the relationship among the members of the family. In a family there are unique connections between the family members, for example, between husband and wife, father and daughter, father and son, mother and son, or mother and daughter. In cases of divorce, it is a common notion that the children would doubt the strength of their relationship with parents. This state of self blame and insecurity is only one of the negative consequences of divorce issues (Worden, 2002). VI. Code of Ethics The code of ethics is one of the most essential concepts in any field of professional practice. In the presented code of ethics, the most importance section of the code is also the most challenging one to follow, which is competence. This is important since it is the factor which can be fully controlled by the professional himself. For the client, the code for confidentiality can be more important, but on my personal view, competence is the first factor considered in choosing a professional for family counseling. Competence can also be considered as a measure of excellence, thus it is the most important and challenging to accomplish at the same time (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.136) VII. Three Object Relations Therapy The object relations therapy is a psychoanalytical approach to the behavior of humans. The concept of human interaction is first known as an infant from the first provider of primary care such as the mother or the guardian. Based on the view, a person imbibes all the inputs from his/her environment and the interaction of these factors creates his personality and behavior. Thus, behavioral conditions are often given attention by tracing back the type of environment where a person grew up. There are two types of approaches, one is individual approach and another is the interactive approach to diagnosis and therapy (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.152). Although it can be hard to open up to other people, the interactive approach can be more helpful, on my perspective. By relating to the experiences of other people, internal conflicts can be faced better. VIII. Adler’s Theory On a personal note, Adler’s theory which is based on social elements can be considered more effective as compared to internal and biological-base drive theory presented by Freud. This can be attributed to the fact that social interaction can be considered as the ultimate test of personality. On a personal note, problematic behavior such as substance abuse can be considered as a mishandled influence of social factors. Thus, the dynamics within the family and outside the family can be analyzed through Adler’s perspective. IX. Bowen’s View Based on Bowen’s view the differentiation within the family happens at different level and time for each individual, which result to the unique characteristics of each member of the family. This is the level of distinction between intellectual and emotional stimuli being encountered by a person. Bowen pointed out that low level of differentiation can transmit immaturity to the child (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.105). Bowen’s view is very probable since the parents are the most influential people in a person’s life. During the early part of development, the parents are the only form of interaction. But the result cannot be limited to immaturity. There are cases wherein immaturity can lead the children to take charge in the decision making process. In my family, there are cases when the person who is good at a particular field would lead the family to the decision making process and even implementation. For example, in cases of decorating, the most artistically inclined would step up. In the events wherein the family decided to have trips, the athletic and adventurous member would be the one to plan activities and make arrangements. X. Emotional Cutoff Due to the fact that human beings are emotional creatures, emotional cutoff specifically within the family can be considered as a common notion. It is a common experience in our family due to certain reasons. One of the common reasons of emotional conflict is the principle that family members and relatives should always be the one to help a person in need. There are cases that due to that overwhelming care for our loved ones, it leads to the feeling of suffocation and limited independence. Another reason is so much care for the family member. Common views of the parents and older members of the family is that since they experience a particular problem the children should be prevented from committing it. In the process, the chance to experience the said problem and develop skills in decision making can be hindered. When these reasons are realized, there is a high probability of emotional cutoff. It had been resolved in out family through proper communication and additional trust to the person (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.187). XI. Whitaker’s Style Whitaker style of family counseling can be considered radical. Based on the accounts of his work, his main objective is to challenge the clients which force them to show their natural behavior. It can be considered that in family counseling there is a high probability that the family members are withholding information and telling the whole truth. In challenging situations though it is difficult to keep a rehearsed story straight (Goldenberg and Goldenderg, 2008, p.208). I think the style of Whitaker is clever. On that note though, it can be challenge to have a family counselor who is constantly testing patience. In the case of my family, I can predict that in such situation, we would look for other therapist. XII. Choice of Therapist On my personal view, I think I would have the same choice as my family when it comes to criteria for choosing a therapist. I would choose a rational therapist as compared to a therapist who focuses and analyzes emotions. Although I know that deep emotions can release possible tensions in the family, I prefer the understanding of the situation better than the target of emotions for healing. XIII. As a Therapist As a therapist, personal experiences can be shared to the clients for the point of clarification and credibility. This can help relax the person and make connection. It is important to consider though that too much disclosure of the personal information of the therapist can affect the process in different ways. One is the decrease in level of professionalism. Another is the fact that the therapy should be about the patient and not the therapist. XIV. Leadership within the Family Leadership in the family is important in the development of the members and in the harmonious dynamics and interaction. Our family is authoritative since the parents still lead the decision making process but the children are allowed to raid their opinions and be respected and considered. I would like the same kind of leadership for my own family since it can develop assertive and opinionated children who are skilled in critical thinking and decision making (Wordern, 2002, p.96) References Goldenberg, I. & Goldenberg H. (2008). Family therapy: An overview (7th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Satir, V. (1988). The new peoplemaking. Mountain View, California: Science and Behavior Books. Worden, M. (2002). Family therapy basics (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Read More