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Cards In This Set
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General Systems Theory (GST)
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An interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components
- Founded by Ludwig von Bertalanffy - Psychological application developed by Roger Barker, Gregory Bateson, Humberto Maturana and named Systems Psychology |
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Premise of GST/Systems Psychology
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Families have a unity or wholeness
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Ludwig von Bertalanffy
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- One of the founders of General Systems Theory (GST)
- Biologist |
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GST/Systems Psychology terms
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- Wholeness
- Nonsummativity - Equifinality - Calibration - Homeostasis - First and second order change - Negative and positive feedback |
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Wholeness
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- Refers to the interdependence between parts of the system; the entity is greater than the sum of its parts
- i.e. Changing 1 family member will change the entire system |
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Nonsummativity
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A system cannot be analyzed by isolated segments
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Equifinality
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- The same results may spring from different origins
- Latin for "equal ending" |
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Types of Systems Psychology
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- Applied systems psychology
- Cognitive systems theory - Contract-systems theory - Family systems psychology - Organismic-systems psychology |
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Homeostasis
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Tendency of a system to revert to the status quo
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Negative feedback
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- Homeostatic maintainer
- Behavior that restores system to a comfort range |
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Positive feedback
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Pro-change behavior that upsets equilibrium beyond thresholds of accustomed behaviors
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Calibration
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The level at which a family system is operating
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First order change
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- Change that occurs within a system that itself remains unchanged
- Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (1974) |
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Second order change
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- Change that alters the system itself
- Watzlawick, Weakland and Fisch (1974) |
