Interventions for Case Study Using Minuchin’s Theory, Case Study Example

Minuchin’s (1974) family structural therapy methods on how the individuals in the family are assessed based on the personality traits and the behaviors that described of the personality trait in an abstract way, such as an intrapsychic belief in the power status. A role model for the rest of the family members. One or two members of family is usually the parents that often isolate one of their children because of the way of how this isolated child behave towards to the parent such as passivity, unsupportive, and inattentional giving to the parents as they might have fantasized that their children are their parents in one way or another.

As identified in the case study, the father is perfectionistic and has a fear of failure that hinders him from accomplishing specific plans he would like to do in his life. He has extreme people pleasing tendencies and worries what other people think of him. It is as if the extrovert trait has elaborated in such way as he has always wanted to be a “showing up” to his younger daughter than toward to his oldest daughter.

As Minuchin (1974) put in the perspective, on the historical development of one’s conflict with parents and siblings—The compulsive intrusion of this conflict into an extrafamilial course. This is in which one’s conflict has seemingly applied to the situations that is unrelated to the presenting problems. This complexity problem does not go by the means of understanding one’s mental status and her relationships with her family on transferential phenomena. An internal cognitive-affective rearrangement is regarded as the necessary step to facilitate improvement of the presenting problem.

Another focus on the family therapy interaction, Minuchin (1974) theorized the relationships between the parents and the siblings on the degree of mingled closeness and hostility. For example, a therapist may find that a child is comfortable to either the mother or father to share his or her feelings or whatever that comes to the mind (of a thought) to talk to the closest parent more than the other parent. The parent then translated their child’s feelings and or thoughts to the less comforted parent. In oppose to the other sibling who is able to share her feelings and thoughts to both parents. After all, this sibling viewed as a spontaneous, can interrupt the parents, and talk to the father and mother alike. For example, in the self-report, it stated that whenever the older daughter talks bad about the parents the youngest sticks up for the parents every time and defends them. She does not have the anxiety and fear that the dad has; it is probably why he loves being around her so much. As if, he can live vicariously through her and her lifestyle. Though, as there is a sense of internalized descriptions of behavioral relations in which it can broaden the sense of individual’s way of doing things, introjections, for subconsciousness’s sake. A transactional theory, an explanation of unconscious phenomena on one’s perceived reality and its properties that are built up during an interaction with the environment. Therefore, these assumptions can be viewed as probabilities of transactions that may occur in that environment (Berne, 1977).

Minuchin (1974) as a family therapist, does not conceive of an “essential personality” in a person, but seen a person that remain unchanged throughout the vicissitudes of different contexts and circumstances. In other words, a view of human development that possessed personality traits and would reacted a certain way to a situation (s), even though the behaviors are learned through environmental exposures and learned family dispositions.

For instance, this notion reflected the similarities in the case study as stated, ‘the mother rejected the idea of fighting or arguing with the older daughter because she was never wrong which often induced a silent treatment for long periods of time. The oldest daughter struggles with quite a few women issues throughout her life and she became a very angry and rebellious teenager playing the scapegoat role.’ It did not end there. Therefore, the oldest child member of the family carries its own grudge against everyone in the immediate family. The case study includes both parents and two siblings and it appears that the parents adored the younger sibling than the oldest sibling. A center of focus is the older child of the family as she has indicated many negative emotions toward to her parents, sister and toward to herself than the rest of the family members.

However, all of the family members should be intervened in an orderly manner because each family member can reflect themselves into one of their least favorite child and see where and how it has influenced their judgment based on the oldest child’s emotional dispositions that has occurred in their household. In part, a bidirectional and interactional model is suggested, as this client-centered approach is part of the systematic method to use in an interventive therapy. Thus, this model is appropriate to use based on the self-report reports.

Next, the desired outcome of bidirectional and interactional model are: the family to be taught on how to deal with issues that shifts from their emotional energy; and to lessen the degree of parent-child emotional conflict relationship; to an even greater extent of their emotional focus; on bonding and attachment feelings for the oldest child. The goal is to alter the reverberation angles which the interconnectedness relations between members inhibit the change of interaction patterns in their family affairs (Wetchler, 1998). Furthermore, the family structure necessities are important, in terms of transferential phenomena, which exists the latter of having to do with the strengths and effectiveness of the parent-child-sibling relationships. In the support of the claim, Minuchin (1974) & Minuchin and Fishman (1981) used the term, “joining” to describe a therapist’s connectedness and understanding of a family in therapy. However, the limitations of therapist’s ability to define the development of a therapeutic relationship because it implies unidirectional behavior by the clinician to promote rapport between therapist and client. Therefore, the statement encourages all parties involved in the therapeutic intervention process to be congruence and empathic in a collaborative communication. During the intervention process, the therapist may be not being judgmental and not taking sides with any member in the group discussion. Then, this therapist may attempt to spend an equal amount of time with each and going around in the circle, often with the same question or the same type of question, to investigate each person’s perceptions. If possible, therapist’s assistances may assist in neutralizing any attempt of a family member to form a special relationship or coalition with the therapist (Wetchler, 1998). Of these intervention techniques illustrate therapist’s mind set and group members’ mind set during the process seemed to be the most desired method to use in order for an effectiveness therapy. Although, in such case, it is important to include circular questioning to test the made conversations for everyone in the room to have the clear understanding of the reframe of a problem.

The circular questions investigate the recurring contextual patterns of relating which constitute a family system. For example, using the scale rate to ask this specified question to each family member; at what rate do you feel threated by your mother? By your father? Oldest child? Younger child?; And, ask a question to the oldest child on the subject of attachment relationship: How would your relationship be different if your sister were not home?; A therapist want to ask a question on the degree of agreement versus disagreement to Dad: Who agrees with you that your oldest daughter would improve if your daughter and your wife got along better?; A question to ask the mother of the family on the subject of the meaning of family dynamics: What is your reason for the likelihood that your younger daughter to be rebellious would not happen should that occur? ; last question to the youngest sister of the family clan: If your mother were to try to teach you not to whine and complain, how you think she do it? Do you think that would work? How would Dad try to protect you from your mom? And your sister?

At the end, the Minuchin’s theory and the family structural therapy method have a wealth of information to synthesize every step of deliberations that a person or a family in a very distrupted state and that there is several alternative techniques a therapist can help in the most powerful way.

References

Berne, E. (1977). Intuition and ego states: The origins of transactional analysis. San Francisco: TA Press.

Minuchin, S (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Wetchler, J. (1998) The role of primary emotion in family therapy supervision. Journal of Systemic Therapies. Purdue University Calument; ProQuest Psychology Journals. 17, 3; pg. 70.