I liked the video presentation by Victor Henson he liked a family system to homeostasis. This was a great analogy to use because if a family does not abide by the rules in place this will break down the family structure. I feel that if a family is a structure in which each person has a role to play and rules to respect and with those rules they are expected to react in a certain as determined by their role within the family. I feel in a family that should work together within the limitations of the family system. When a family interacts as a unit when there is a leader that by setting and following rules, consistency, loving and supportive it makes for a healthy family. When the rule structure is broken, then it makes way for bad things to happen within the unit. Victor Henson used the term equilibrium therefore breaking the strong family organization. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (NIV, 2011). This scripture resonates to me a good healthy family when they place the word within their family structure.
How can one discern a healthy family system?
No one is perfect and you will find some bickering and tension and bad emotions toward one another, but not all the time. In a healthy family you can see that emotional expression is allowed and accepted and they work through it. Attention is given freely and equally. The rules they are to follow are staple and consistent, but do allow for flexibility or compromise for adaptation for individual needs. Watching a healthy family you can see that each member will have their own individuality and it is respected and they are encouraged to pursue his or her own interests and the boundaries within the family are respected and honored. The parent’s role and the children roles are apparent in a healthy family the parents are not treating the child as an adult and healthy families I have seen where a healthy family allow mistakes will be made and mistakes are acceptable because no one is perfect. Healthy families rejoice in one another spending time together and loving one another unconditionally.
What are the determining factors that distinguish healthy family systems?
Self love is to me one of the biggest determining factors to a healthy family because one must learn to love and respect themselves in order to know how to love and respect others. I especially feel when a person can accept their short comings and not blame someone else for their actions shows a healthy family structure. Spirituality is so important when distinguishing a family because if you have a relationship with God it truly is reflective of being a healthy person you see a power outside of your parents that keeps you in line. Communication is another factor so important in the family dynamic because one is comfortable going to their family and discussing the hardest of things going on in their life. In my undergraduate class a distinctive sexual scheme is also important it allows for difference between the sexes.
The Effects of an unhealthy family system on Development
In this 21st century there are so many different things going on within a family promoting unhealthy development. I think economic instability is the biggest of them all when a parent is out of work or not making enough money in the house hold this can bring about all kinds of unhealthy development in a child because you will be anger more stressed than usual because you may have a mortgage due, car note due and