You do not have to be related to someone to consider them a part of your family
system.
Families are living organisms because they grow and change
Families have structure with boundaries to maintain
The family boundaries must be maintained from within the family
Stressor event – life events that impact the family unit and have the potential to change the
family system.
Perception is important because it determines how an event is viewed by the family and
individuals within the family
How the family sees the stressor determines how they handle it
Normative/Non-normative Stress
Chronic/Acute Stress
Ambiguous/Non-ambiguous Stress
Ambiguous stress- do not know the facts surrounding the event. So unclear that you
are not sure it is happening.
o Family member’s cancer is in remission, father abandons family
Non-ambiguous stress – when the facts are clear & available about the event. No
question about what is happening
Volitional/Non-volitional
Accumulation/Isolated
Accumulation – events that pile up, one right after the other, so that there is no
resolution before the next one occurs
Isolated – an event that occurs alone. It can be pinpointed easily
It is important to take into account the contexts of family stress within community and
cultural contexts in which a family resides to understand why and how families are
stressed, as well as to understand how families respond to stress.
Includes the environment in which the family is embedded – family ecosystem
External context – stress caused from outside the family. Things the family cannot
control such as unemployment, terrorism, illness, natural disasters
o Historical context – time in history in which an event occurs
Great depression, recession
o Economic context – the state of the economy influences how the family reacts
to a stressful event.
o Developmental context – the stage in the life cycle of both the family and
individual members in which the stressful event occurs.
o Hereditary context – (genetic context) affects the health and physical strength
of the family members. Some families are healthier than others
o Cultural context – the culture that the family lives within. May belong to a
subculture that sets its own rules.
Internal context – stress caused from within the family. Things the family can control
o Structural context – form and function of the family boundaries
o Psychological context – the family’s perception, appraisal, definitions, or
assessment of a stressful event.
o Philosophical context – the family’s values and beliefs. An individual family can
have their own specific rules.
Coping – how a family or individual handles a stressful event. Management of a stressful event.
Coping is cognitive, affective, and behavioral.
Coping strategy – strategies used alone or in combination to bring about family adjustment.
Resilience – a family’s ability to handle stress or crisis. Doing well in the face of adversity. The
ability to bounce back from an event.
Refers to the characteristics, dimensions, and properties of families which help families
to be resistant to disruption in the face of change
Families that learn how to cope with challenges and meet individual needs are more
resilient to stress and crisis
Physiological strengths, psychological resourcefulness, and interpersonal skills that
enable them to respond successfully to a challenge
o Risks include stressors and demands on the family system
o Protective factors include resources and coping strategies utilized by the family
Family Resources – the properties, attributes, or skills that individuals or families have at their
disposal when adapting to stressor events.
Boundary Ambiguity – not knowing who is in and who is out of the family
Physical presence – bodily present but does not function as part of the family
o Person is vegetative state or has Alzheimers
Psychological presence – not physically present, but still effects the family’s functioning
o Incarceration, kidnapping, abandonment
Ambiguous loss – loss where closure has not taken place. Grief or distress associated with loss
that is uncertain.
Ambivalence – a family member feels conflicting emotions about a stressful event or crisis
A child is upset about their father leaving the family, but feels guilty because the family
is happier without him.
Ambiguity happens in the family structure, while ambivalence happens inside the
individual
Not all ambiguous loss leads to ambivalence
Denial – the refusal to believe what you see or hear. Refusal to believe an event is taking place.
Family values and belief systems – influence how stressor events are handled.