ABSTRACT
Is there a particular Ericksonian attitude, theory, and behavior towards individuals and families formulated within a systems framework? Many family therapists would be satisfied with a formulation of his diagnosis and intervention strategies that relied upon general systems theory, ecosystems theory, or cybernetic-type theory. However, Erickson himself never offered such a formulation. He did not do so in my personal contacts with him, nor in writing, nor in face-to-face contacts with any other student of whom I am aware. If one looks in the indexes of Erickson’s collected writings, or article titles of any book written by Erickson (and co-authors), or any edited collection of articles authored by Erickson, not a single entry will be found entitled “family” or “systems,” etc. It is intriguing that he is well known for his creative and pioneering contributions to family therapy (witness books by Watzlawick, Fisch, Haley, Madanes, Hoffman, etc.) and still not a single entry in books by him refer to “family.”
