ABSTRACT
Functional family therapy (FFT) initially represented an integration of two perspectives of human behavior and change. The first perspective is an ecological one, which views deviant behavior as a systems-relevant interactional phenomenon. According to this perspective, deviant behavior has meaning only in terms of direct (e.g., interacting dyads) and indirect (e.g., coalitions, scapegoating, pseudomutuality) relationships. The second perspective is based on learning theory and targets specific stimuli and responses for change. This second perspective has a history of careful operationalization, empirical validation, and a concern for generalizability (Wahler, Berland, & Coe, 1979).
