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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1192–1194Cite as

First-Order Change in Couple and Family Therapy

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Name of Concept

First-Order Change in Couple and Family Therapy

Introduction: Where Did It Come From?

First-order change is derived from the field of mathematics. An illustration of this concept is: a numerical group is written with whole numbers where the mathematical rule of operation is addition, the elements are arranged in diverse ways that doesn’t change the meaning of the group (Lyddon 1990). Essentially, there are changes among the members, while there is no change to the group. It differs from second-order change due to interactions of elements (members) and wholes (groups) and the forms of variations that can happen with specific rules of operation (Watzlawick et al. 1974).

Theoretical Context for Concept

Marriage and family therapists seek second-order change to the family system to cause long-lasting change. This is different from first-order change, where only an individual attempts to make a change. Unless the family system collaborates interactively, first-order change...

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References

  • Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R. J. (2009). Family therapy – A systemic integration (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

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  • Hoffman, L. (1981). Foundations of family therapy: A conceptual framework for systems change. New York: Basic Books.

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  • Lyddon, W. J. (1990). First- and second-order change: Implications for rationalist and constructivist cognitive therapies. Journal of Counseling & Development, 69(2), 122.

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  • Nichols, M. P., & Schwartz, R. C. (2004). Family therapy: Concepts and methods. Boston: Pearson.

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  • Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J. H., & Fisch, R. (1974). Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York: Norton.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, TX, USA

    Diana Padilla & Linda S. Metcalf

Authors
  1. Diana Padilla
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  2. Linda S. Metcalf
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diana Padilla .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Jay L. Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Anthony L. Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. The Family Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

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Padilla, D., Metcalf, L.S. (2019). First-Order Change in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_1074

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