Analysis of the Generation to Generation - Book Report/Review Example

Generation to Generation Generation to Generation Generation to Generation is a bestselling work from the author, Edwin Friedman. The book addresses several issues that occur in the daily life of religious congregations while extending the concepts of family therapy. In his book, Friedman (1985) has touched upon the emotional aspect of congregations and their link with the family processes of individuals, regardless of their religion. Only towards the beginning, the writer establishes that any clergyman or woman is a part of emotionally interconnected types of families, namely “the families within the congregation, our congregations, and our own” (Friedman, 1985). With this, he attempts to emphasize the stress on family dynamics rather than individual members of the family, as a way to practicing pastoral counseling and inculcating leadership. Friedman displays a sense of systemic thinking where he proposes that issues, such as conflict, are a result of an individual’s positioning within a relational network. This also helps to explain that any supposedly and seemingly internal factor such as psychological does not play a part in the issues that result from relational imbalance. Thus, Friedman (1985) has stressed upon the emotional center of such family processes where counseling should involve an understanding of the whole family system and its functioning as an interconnected entity. Freidman’s (1985) emphasis on family systems and relational networks is apparent. Leadership, as explained by Freidman (1985), is the essence of the collective system of family as it has an impactful effect on the working of families. The leadership qualities hat drive change in a family system includes a goal-oriented approach as well as the maintenance of unanxious connection with the system. The work is regarded by many as an important book concerning leadership and pastoral counseling and hence has been incorporated into several such courses. One of the major strengths of the book is its take on the contemporary leadership roles within the context of family. Friedman (1985) has explained the role of leadership in promoting change with the family systems thereby reflecting the important part played by leaders in setting goals and directing the functioning of the family network using a complacent attitude. The book powerfully connects the family aspect with church leadership, pastoral counseling, and other domains of societal living. Family systems theory has been applied usefully so as to explain its relevance as a system connected by emotions. As it is, it is difficult to eliminate familial and social issues by considering individual actors in the vacuum. That is to say, the links between the various members of the family are important ties that participate in the successful running of families. Thus, the existence of families is as a system rather than a mutually exclusive entity that can be considered in isolation from its various relational links. Freidman (1985) has successfully captured the essence of family systems as they operate within congregations. This allows the reader to develop an understanding of phenomenon such as stress and conflict as artifacts, not of supposedly qualitative factors, but the relative position of one in a family system. The family therapy notions and concepts of family systems is skillfully captured by Friedman (1985) who has articulated the concepts in an easy-to-follow manner to be able to be understood by merely anyone. Among the various sections in his book, Friedman (1985) has explained the distinction between traditional models of therapy and one which related family theory. Then he goes on to shed some light on the family system as it participates in the congregational dimension of life. This section covers the development and maintenance of congregational relationships and the role of organizational acumen and leadership. Although Friedman (1985) mentions the seminal role of leadership, he maintains that goal-setting and application should not overwhelm the unanxiousness, such that a pro-target approach yields a negative outcome. But leadership should involve such a level of goal setting that “non-anxiousness” is maintained. The book acts as a guide for counselors as well as other people who have been overwhelmed by the situation in their lives. The approach provided by Friedman (1985) considers the animate roles of emotion in family relationships and structure so as to empower the various nodes involved in the family network, namely its various members. Indeed, a knowledge of systems allows the careful consideration of human dilemmas experienced in day to day life as being functionally lined to each other where a collective game is played rather than an individual one. Friedman’s (1985) references to the emotional processes occurring within the human brain allow an insightful evaluation of the complex procedures that take place when dealing with complicated situations. Although Freidman (1985) tends to stress on the systemic relationship between family players, he seems to undermine the notions of cause and effect on individuals thereby impacting families. For Friedman (1985), the relative position of family members is what is the most important in understanding their dilemmas while cause and effect only seem to lead to a road which isolates the symptoms rather than endeavoring to cure it. Within his book, which also offers a useful way of studying familial interactions, Freidman (1985) has in a way described the current generation as one which lacks activism and social awareness to be able to live up to their promise. Freidman’s (1985) analysis only looks at the defragmented portion of today’s generation therefore, attempting to answer the issue with a systemic approach to getting down to human relations within the family. Freidman (1985) only considers human interactions occurring within a collective context without shedding much light on the individual aspect of one’s living. Much of the book covers topics that relate to the family structure and system in a collective context. In order to inculcate a social awareness and activism among the generations, counseling can go a long way in providing a foundation for development. Indeed, strong leadership is the key to changes in family dynamics through an “un-anxious” presence and goal-oriented direction. Friedman’s (1985) work is important in explaining the dimensions of society that run based on the relationships between the individual and the family. The book is a useful resource for developing the kind of leadership skills that Friedman (1985) proposes: directed and goal-centered along with an un-anxious attitude. Freidman’s (1985) understanding of the emotional processes allow an individual to grow out of the problems and to develop personally. In particular, the concept of homeostasis or balance is extremely important while implementing change in a family system that has held on to certain practices in a rather hardcore manner. On a larger scope, Friedman’s (1985) work has broader implications on all forms of leadership, including organizational. Most workplaces are characterized by a target-centered approach where if a task needs to be done, it should get done. More emphasis is paid on its completion rather than the process. Although Freidman seems to talk about goals being an important driver o change, this is complemented by the maintenance of an un-anxious attitude to prevent being carried away from the goals-centeredness. There are also applications for a usual family where individualism is shattered through a lens which looks at the family as a unit. This implies functioning at a certain level of synchronization where each family member plays their part particularly when dealing with symptomatic family members. Perhaps the most important part being played is by the leader who promotes change with his enduring presence and assistance. The leadership should display eagerness in order to understand different needs of the dysfunctional family member. Such a collective approach would lead to a better problem resolution and overall change. References Friedman, E. (1985). Generation to generation (1st ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Read More