ABSTRACT
Some Systems-Based Concepts ............................................................................ 4 Family Structure ............................................................................................... 5
Boundaries .................................................................................................. 5 Family Roles and Rules ............................................................................... 6 Triangles ..................................................................................................... 6 Birth Order ................................................................................................. 7 Ecosystems ................................................................................................. 8
Family Processes .............................................................................................. 9 Emotional Regression .................................................................................. 9 Differentiation and Separation .................................................................... 9 Multigenerational Influences ..................................................................... 10 Paradoxical Situations ............................................................................... 11 Family Secrets .......................................................................................... 11 Family Rituals .......................................................................................... 12 Sibling Relationships ................................................................................. 12
Family Development ...................................................................................... 13 Stages of Development in the Lifespan ..................................................... 13 Resilience and Vulnerability ...................................................................... 15 Crisis in Families ....................................................................................... 16 Beliefs and Spirituality .............................................................................. 18
Tools for Understanding Families .................................................................. 19 Genogramming ......................................................................................... 19 Family Structural Analysis (Ecomapping) ................................................ 19 Family-of-Origin Self Study ..................................................................... 20
Systems Thinking Applied to Military Families ................................................. 21 The Bigger Picture ......................................................................................... 21 Commonly Observed Problems in Military Families .................................... 21 Conceptualizing Structural Problems in Military Families Systemically ...... 23 The Systemic Therapist as an Agent for Change in Military Settings ........... 25
Without the foundation of the family, it’s very hard to be a good person.
