Family psychology

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The family psychology is a branch of psychology that, d with the family life practice. H. concerned with the behavior, experience and development of people in the context of the family relationship system, with the aim of describing, explaining, predicting and changing the phenomena that occur and their conditions.

Definition and tasks of family psychology

Family psychology is a relatively young sub-discipline of psychology that deals with the experience and behavior of people in the context of their family relationships. From a family psychological point of view, families are defined as intimate relationship systems that are characterized by experienced belonging and the existence of intergenerational relationships. In addition to theory and method development, the main tasks of family psychology are basic and applied research as well as imparting knowledge and action skills. The following questions are dealt with: How does the transition to parenthood affect relationships? How do families deal with pressures and crises, e.g. B. Illness, conflict, separation / divorce? Which special challenges do families have to overcome that do not correspond to the normative family model? Under what conditions do families experience violence and neglect? The interventional application research makes use of basic family psychological research and tries to translate the research results into practical action. Specifically, it is about the development and evaluation of family-related training, counseling and therapy approaches.

Systemic family therapy is seen as one of the most important areas of application of family psychology. The imparting of knowledge and action skills that result from basic and application research takes place at different levels. B. through teaching and training of students, workshops, advanced training and public relations.

Intra- and interdisciplinary references

Family psychology has various references to other areas of psychology as well as to various other disciplines. The following sub-disciplines of psychology are particularly important intradisciplinary cross-references:

  • Developmental psychology : The family is an important developmental context, especially in childhood and adolescence, but also in later phases of life. Therefore, development processes of a person can only be comprehensively understood in their social and family context.
  • Personality psychology : With a view to the individual person, each family member brings individual motive, temperament and ability characteristics into the family relationship system, whereby the individual family members influence each other.
  • Social psychology : From a social psychological point of view, families can be viewed as a special case of social groups; in this respect, many social psychological concepts can be found in family psychology.
  • Clinical Psychology : Within modern clinical psychology, the family context is seen as an important condition for the genesis and maintenance of mental disorders, but also as a resource for their psychotherapeutic treatment.
  • Educational psychology : The family is an essential place of educational and socialization processes. Family psychological findings and knowledge are therefore an important basis of educational psychology.

Outside of psychology, the following interdisciplinary cross-references are particularly relevant:

  • Family medicine: In modern medicine, there is increasing recognition that the family is of enormous importance for coping with physical and mental illnesses and that family members should be included in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients.
  • Family law : In family law proceedings, lawyers and experts need family psychological expertise. So z. For example, questions of parenting skills and the child's psychological well-being are taken into account in court decisions on parental custody and access rights.
  • Family sociology: In sociology, the family is viewed from a macro-sociological perspective and it is primarily about sociocultural changes in the family. There is overlap in terms of content, especially when it comes to topics that affect everyday families.

Theoretical approaches in family psychology

The family systems theory

Family systems theory is based on general systems theory ( Bertalanffy 1968). The basic assumption of a systemic view of family relationships and developments is that changes in the experience and behavior of a family member cause changes in the entire family system and vice versa. Families are viewed as open, developing, goal-oriented and self-regulating systems, the development of which takes place in the context of material and social opportunity structures. The family consists of subsystems (e.g. parents, siblings, mother-child relationship, etc.) and is at the same time integrated into superordinate suprasystems (e.g. relatives, friends, community, school system). The core aspects of a general family systems theory include: a. Holistic, multi- and equifinality , boundaries, circular causality, feedback processes, self-organization ( autopoiesis ) and family- specific internal models of experience.

The family development theory

The family development theory was developed in the Anglo-American language area by family sociologists (Aldous 1996, Mattessich & Hill 1987, Rodgers & White 1993) and is used to analyze family processes. The family cycle is divided into phases of different developmental stages, in which the family members are confronted with typical requirements, which are referred to as family development tasks. According to Aldous (1996), the basic assumptions of this theory are:

  1. that family behavior in the here and now depends on the past experiences of the individual family members and also influences their future expectations,
  2. that despite different family forms (e.g. normal family, single parents, rainbow family) families show comparable behavior patterns in the same phase of life and
  3. that families are confronted with social tasks that they set themselves or externally.

In the best-known family development model, Carter and McGoldrick (2006) distinguish six phases in which the family is confronted with characteristic family development tasks. The model describes the entire family cycle from family formation to its dissolution. In the fourth stage, “Families with young people”, there is a development task, for example, in changing the parent-child relationship in order to enable young people to move within and outside of the family system. This phase also involves turning to shared care and concern for the older generation. The model is based on the model of the traditional normal family and only normative changes in the family cycle are described. Due to the variety of modern family forms, the authors have supplemented their basic model with non-normative family development tasks in the event of divorce or remarriage. Non-normative development tasks are requirements that arise from irregular circumstances in family life. This also includes special requirements that families with a disabled child or families with a mentally ill parent, for example, have to master. From a systemic point of view, the family development tasks have to be mastered together, but they make different demands on partners, siblings, parents, children and grandparents. Based on Schneewind (2005), Jungbauer (2009) suggests describing the family phases both from the perspective of the parents' generation and from the perspective of the children's generation, whereby the consideration of further generations and family relationships is also possible.

Family stress theories

In contrast to the phase models of family development theory, family stress theories expand the number of development-relevant stressors and also include coping strategies and resources. An example of a family stress theory is the double ABC-X model by McCubbin and Patterson (1983), which is a further development of the family crisis model by Hill (1958). The starting point of the model is a stressor event (A). This interacts with the family's crisis management resources (B) and the importance attached to the event by the family (C). The interaction between A, B and C can create a family crisis (X). The crisis can lead to an accumulation of stressors, which requires the family to reassess their crisis situation and coping options. The reassessment of the situation and the question of old and new resources determine the family's specific coping behavior. Depending on how a stress event is subjectively assessed by the family, it follows whether it is perceived as a challenge or a burden. Unemployment can be viewed by the family, for example, as a self-inflicted failure or as a new challenge in finding a more satisfying job.

Schneewind's integrative system model of family development

Fig. 1 : Integrative family development model according to Schneewind. At the center is the family with its different system levels. The timeline symbolizes the normative and non-normative changes in the family life cycle. Stressors stand for stressful factors, resources for positive influences that affect the family system over time.

Schneewind's integrative system model of family development combines fundamental aspects of family system, family development and family stress theory and takes into account both a deficit and a resource-oriented perspective. The family development process, so the core idea of ​​the model, is viewed as a sequence of development-related resources and stressors. The starting point of the model is the point in time at which a partner is found, whereby two independent people with different experience and relationship stories develop a mutual relationship. Four system levels are relevant in which all persons are involved: the personality system, the couple and family system, the multi-generation system and other extra-family systems. Over time, stressful but also supportive experiences are made on all four levels, which results in the potential for vertical stressors and resources. Equipped with vertical stressors and resources, the couple encounter new life challenges in the present that can be described as horizontal stressors and resources. Horizontal stressors and resources can be identified at all four levels and can be broken down into normative ones, e.g. B. birth, and non-normative events, e.g. B. Accidental death of a child, permanent and chronic living conditions and everyday adversities or comforts. The meeting of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of stressors and resources determines how a couple or family system deals with present and future challenges. Schneewind's model can be viewed as a research-stimulating and guiding framework model of family psychology, which is equally suitable for basic and applied research.

Selected research areas

Academic training in family psychology in Germany

There are currently three training institutions in Germany that focus on family psychology:

Professorships with the denomination “Family Psychology” in Germany

literature

  • James H. Bray, Mark Stanton (Eds.): The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of family psychology. Malden MA 2009, ISBN 978-1-4051-6994-3 .
  • Johannes Jungbauer : Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 .
  • Howard A. Liddle, Daniel A. Santisteban, Robert F. Levant (Eds.): Family Psychology: Science-Based Interventions. Washington DC 2001, ISBN 1-55798-786-6 .
  • Matthias Petzold: Development and upbringing in the family. Family development psychology at a glance. Baltmannsweiler 1999, ISBN 3-89676-130-7 .
  • Wolfgang Hantel-Quitmann: Basic knowledge of family psychology. Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-608-94726-7 .
  • Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3. Edition. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 .
  • Jürg Willi: The art of growing together: co-evolution in partnership, family and culture. Herder, 2007, ISBN 978-3-451-29607-9 .
  • Professional Association of German Psychologists (Ed.): Families in Germany. Contributions from a psychological point of view. Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-931589-89-9 .

Journals in the field of family psychology:

  • Journal of Family Psychology
  • Journal of Family Research
  • Family Dynamics - Systemic Practice and Research
  • Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice Family Science

Web links

  • Family handbook of the Bavarian State Institute for Early Childhood Education (IFP) [1]
  • Online material for the textbook “Family Psychology Compact” by Johannes Jungbauer [2]
  • Family Psychology Working Group [3]
  • International Academy of Family Psychology [4]
  • Society for Family Psychology [5]

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. In: M. Wirsching, P. Scheib (Hrsg.): Textbook of couple and family therapy. Springer, Berlin 2002, p. 45.
  2. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 6.
  3. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 3.
  4. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology and Family Policy. In: D. Frey, C. Hoyos (ed.): Psychology in society, culture and the environment. Weinheim 2005, p. 94.
  5. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 6.
  6. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 40.
  7. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 40 f.
  8. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 6.
  9. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 2nd Edition. Stuttgart 2005.
  10. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 7.
  11. ↑ Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy: General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. George Braziller, New York 1968.
  12. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3rd, revised. and exp. Edition. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 101.
  13. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 10.
  14. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3rd, revised. and exp. Edition. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 102 ff.
  15. ↑ Joan Aldous: Family careers. Developmental change in families. Wiley, New York 1996.
  16. ↑ Paul Mattessich, Reuben Hill: Life cycle and family development. In: MB Sussmann, SK Steinmetz (Ed.): Handbook of marriage and the family. Plenum Press, New York 1987, pp. 437-470.
  17. ^ RH Rodgers, JM White: Family development theory. In: PG Boss, WJ Doherty, R. Larossa, W. Schumm, S. Steinmetz (Eds.): Sourcebook of family theories and methods: a contextual approach. Plenary, New York 1993.
  18. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3rd, revised. and exp. Edition. Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 106.
  19. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 20.
  20. ↑ Joan Aldous: Family careers. Developmental change in families. Wiley, New York 1996.
  21. ^ Betty Carter, Monica McGoldrick: The expanded family life cycle. 3. Edition. Allyn & Bacon, New York 2006.
  22. ^ Betty Carter, Monica McGoldrick: The expanded family life cycle. 3. Edition. Allyn & Bacon, New York 2006.
  23. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 22.
  24. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 22.
  25. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 23.
  26. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 2nd Edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2005.
  27. ^ Johannes Jungbauer: Family Psychology compact. Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union (PVU), Weinheim 2009, ISBN 978-3-621-27681-8 , p. 23.
  28. ↑ Hamilton I. Patterson, Joan M. McCubbin: The family stress process: The double ABX model of adjustment and adaptation. In: Marriage and Family Review. 6, 1983, pp. 7-37.
  29. ^ R. Hill: Generic features of families under stress. In: Social Casework. 49, 1958, pp. 139-150.
  30. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3. Edition. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 111.
  31. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3. Edition. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 127.
  32. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3. Edition. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 128.
  33. ^ Klaus A. Schneewind: Family Psychology. 3. Edition. Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-17-018214-1 , p. 130.