Structural Family Therapy: what is it, its characteristics and functioning?

Let's see what Structural Family Therapy is, its objectives, and how it is applied in families.

Structural family therapy emerged with the aim of solving the problems of functioning and communication presented by some of the dysfunctional families with which Salvador Minuchin worked.

This model of intervention tries to solve the problems of some people, from an approach that focuses on the factors of family functioning that favor their maintenance.

In this article the bases and functioning of structural family therapy will be briefly presented.which is framed within the models of systemic family therapy.

What is Structural Family Therapy?

This model of family therapy began to be applied by Minuchin during his first period living in New York, when he worked in an institution with young people who had committed crimes and whose families were dysfunctional.

Also during his time living in Philadelphia, he continued to work with dysfunctional and low-income families, applying his family therapy approach, and it is when he began to collaborate with Jay Hayley, one of the precursors of strategic therapy, which is why his approach has concepts in common with structural family therapy.

The main objective of structural family therapy is to solve the problems that prevent the correct functioning of a family.. To this end, the therapist seeks to promote a structural change in the family system, so that all its members as a whole can respond in a functional and adaptive way to the demands of the stage of the life cycle they are going through.

The structure of the family as seen from this systemic approach

The family structure is composed of the group of patterns of interrelationship among family members, and to analyze this structure, an analysis of the family structure is made.In order to analyze this structure, the following patterns are analyzed: coalitions, alliances, subsystems and boundaries.

1. Subsystem

A subsystem consists of the union of two or more family members who have a greater closeness due to some special characteristic that maintains that union (e.g., the members of the family have a greater closeness due to some special characteristic that maintains that union). (e.g., family members who love sports and play sports together).

2. Alliance

An alliance involves closeness between two or more people in the family, organizing a subsystem with a positive goal (e.g., the father and mother of the family help each other).The family alliance is an alliance between two or more people in the family, organizing a subsystem with a positive objective (e.g., the father and the mother of the family help each other in order to pull the cart so that their children do not lack anything).

3. Coalition

A coalition occurs when two or more members of the family unite against a third member (e.g., when the father and the mother of the family help each other in order to pull the car and make sure that their children have nothing to lack). (e.g., when the older one argues with the middle sister, the younger sister usually sides with the middle one).

When it is a coalition between family members belonging to a different generation it is called a "perverse triangle" (e.g., the eldest son always sides with his mother when he is in an argument with his father).

4. Limits

Boundaries comprise the group of norms that regulate which members can be part of a family subsystem and what role they should play in that case..

There are three kinds of boundaries that can exist within the family structure.

Firstly, the "diffuse boundaries", which are those that make it possiblewhich are those that make it possible for all members to share most of the information, i.e., they tell each other everything and they all have the right to be aware of everything that concerns the other members of the family.

Another way to set boundaries in the family is with "rigid boundaries", in which case the members share the same information.Another way to set boundaries in the family is with "rigid boundaries", in which case the members share little information with each other and, in which case, the family members hardly support each other emotionally.

Finally, there would be "clear boundaries", which would comprise a middle ground between the two.which would comprise a middle ground between the other two types of boundaries. In this case there is a fluid exchange of information but without going overboard, in a way that respects the freedom of the members and provides emotional support to whoever needs it when necessary.

Distribution of power

From the structural family therapy and the strategic one it is had the vision of that the family must have established in a clear way who must be in charge of diverse tasks so that the family system can function correctly..

In this case, the vision of structural therapy is very normative, since they postulate that there must be a subsystem formed by the parents that must be very cohesive and in charge of making decisions about the different aspects of the family organization in order to implement functional patterns in their interrelationships.

In addition, children, as they grow older, should take some authority over the younger children (e.g., the older child should take care of the younger child when the parents are at work on the weekend). (e.g., the older child should take care of the younger child when the parents are at work on the weekend).

Dysfunctional family

From the structural family approach it is known as dysfunctional family to one whose structure does not adapt to the changes and that in addition does not make possible to its members the sample of support between them nor the independence that each one needs..

These problems usually occur, on the one hand, in families with "fuzzy boundaries", which are too crowded and do not allow each of its members to have a small plot of intimacy and independence; on the other hand, in families with "rigid boundaries", which are disintegrated, and in which case the members find little emotional support from the rest of the members and there is hardly any communication between them.

Therefore, this type of family would have greater difficulties in adapting to changes and crises that may arise for different reasons.

Dysfunctionality in the family can also be caused by some "intergenerational coalition or perverse triangle" among its members, due to the fact that they distort the family's social and emotional structure.The dysfunctionality in the family can also be caused by some "intergenerational coalition or perverse triangle" among its members, because they distort the hierarchical power structure within the family (e.g., when the young child allies with his grandmother against his mother).

Triangulation" is another dysfunctional family pathology.It usually occurs when two members of the family, each on their own, seek a third party to ally with them and to turn against the other (e.g., in the case of divorced parents, when one parent tries to make their child their ally, against the other parent, with the other parent doing the same).

As we can see, when in a family system there is an unstable hierarchy and a distribution of responsibilities established with little clarity, the result is usually that of a dysfunctional family.

Therapeutic process of this model of family therapy

In structural family therapy the therapist is very "directive".It is in charge of ordering what the family members must do and it is also very "active", so it is in charge of developing situations of change for the family.

The structural family therapy is composed of three phases that will be discussed in this section.

1. Joining and accommodation

The first phase is known as "joining" or joining and accommodation, and consists of seeking a good relationship with the family. consists of seeking a good relationship with the family to be treated.. To achieve this goal, the psychologist talks with each of its members in order to understand the different points of view and also to develop a climate in which they feel they can trust him.

2. Evaluation of the structure of the family system

The second phase deals with the evaluation of the family structure and is carried out through two methods.

The first method would be "direct exploration", by means of questions that seek to understand the moment in the life cycle in which the family finds itself and the extent to which it could pose a problem.The second method is to ask questions about the parents' families of origin, about alliances, boundaries and family hierarchy.

The second method is observation of interactions" among family members.. It is used by the therapist from an impartial position in order to analyze the interactions that arise in therapy spontaneously among the members of the family and even, sometimes, it brings to light conflicting topics in order to know the way in which their members behave in that type of contexts.

3. Intervention

In this phase the plans of change are carried out through different techniques that will be detailed next.

3.1 Drawing boundaries

This technique is used in order to set limits to a subsystem that is preventing a family member from communicating (e.g., the therapist may ask a parent to let his child express his point of view). (e.g., the therapist may ask a parent to let his child express his point of view) and may also prevent some members from speaking on behalf of others, allowing everyone to express his or her opinion.

3.2. Working with hierarchy

It is used in order to mark boundaries between some subsystems and thus avoid that some other member gets in the way, so that one subsystem can speak on behalf of another.It is used in order to mark the boundaries between some subsystems, so that one subsystem can acquire the responsibility it should have towards the others (e.g. to reinstate the fact that children should respect the responsibility and authority that parents should have towards them).

3.3. Working with problem sequences

One of the main functions of this technique is that the family learns that it has other more adaptive alternatives of functioning. that are causing problems among its members.

3.4. Working with beliefs

This is a technique used by the therapist in order to change the negative views of the family members change the negative visions of the members of the family for other more optimistic ones..

3.5. The use of language to facilitate change

This is a very powerful tool for the therapist, as it serves him/her at certain times to achieve changes in the family system (e.g., changing his/her tone of voice in certain situations in order to enhance the emotions of the family members).

Psychologists who use the structural family model start from a positive view of the family.Therefore, they have the idea that all families have alternative ways of acting that would help to solve the problem, and their search and subsequent development within the family is the objective of structural family therapy.