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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–3Cite as

Negentropy in Family Systems Theory

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Introduction

Negentropy can be defined as the degree of order, organization, and adaptiveness in a family (Beavers and Hampson 2000). On the other hand, entropy can be defined as the degree of chaos, randomness, disorganization, and disorder in a family (Beavers and Hampson 2000). Negentropy exists opposite from entropy on an infinite continuum. In general, a distressed family may come to therapy in a state of entropy while the therapist works with the family in making changes that allow movement towards negentropy (Hecker et al. 2003). Negentropy describes family functioning as working towards optimal organization (Beavers and Voeller 1983). Families are theorized to be drifting towards entropy unless effort is made to maintain the structure, boundaries, and order of a more negentropic family system.

Theoretical Context for Concept

Negative entropy (i.e., negentropy) and entropy are terms from the field of thermodynamics. Originally coined by Erwin Schrödinger (1944), they are...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Heather A. Love, Eric T. Goodcase & Jared A. Durtschi

Authors
  1. Heather A. Love
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  2. Eric T. Goodcase
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  3. Jared A. Durtschi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather A. Love .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

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

    Jay Lebow

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

    Anthony Chambers

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

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Eli Karam

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Love, H.A., Goodcase, E.T., Durtschi, J.A. (2018). Negentropy 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_293-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_293-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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