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Hierarchy in Family Systems Theory

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

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Name of Concept

Hierarchy in Family Systems Theory

Synonyms

Boundaries; Subsystems

Introduction

Building a family is like building a house. The stronger the foundation, the safer the house. The hierarchy that exists within a family serves as one of the essential building blocks that helps to build the foundation upon which a family is constructed. With a strong foundation that has distinct boundaries between the hierarchical levels, the family can be a stable force with a strong edifice. But, without clear boundaries and with a weak hierarchical structure, the family unit can crumble and collapse under the pressure of the diffuse boundaries.

Theoretical Context for Concept

The concept of hierarchy within the family was a central tenet in structural and strategic family therapy theories (Haley 1976; Minuchin 1974). Hierarchies help us to understand the structure of the family and how the subsystems within the family help to regulate how decisions are made. The hierarchy refers to the...

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References

  • Becvar, D., & Becvar, R. (2009). Family therapy: A systemic integration. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

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  • Haley, J. (1976). Problem-solving therapy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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  • Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Boston: Harvard University Press.

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  • Nichols, M. (2013). Family therapy: Concepts and methods. Saddle River: Pearson Education.

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  • Nichols, M., & Schwartz, R. (2007). The essentials of family therapy. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

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  • Shaw, D., Criss, M., Schonberg, M., & Beck, J. (2004). The development of family hierarchies and their relation to children’s conduct problems. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 483–500.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA

    Lorna London

Authors
  1. Lorna London
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lorna London .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    David Kearns

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Bahareh Sahebi

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© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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London, L. (2019). Hierarchy in Family Systems Theory. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_280-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_280-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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