PYC4808
Exam Prep
,INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY (Western) vs SYSTEMIC PSYCHOLOGY
Most of us have been socialised into a Western, Lockean scientific tradition. Most
individual psychology approaches rest on the assumptions of this linear worldview.
Systems theory directs our attention away from the individual and moves towards and
emphasis on recursion, reciprocity and mutual influence. Discuss this
fundamental shift in worldviews by referring to the fundamental assumptions of both
traditional individual psychology approaches and systems theory. (10)
‘Individual psychology approaches are based on assumptions that are fundamental to the
western, Lockean tradition, while systemic family therapy rests on a very different set
of assumptions. Discuss this statement by comparing the assumptions of systems
theory. In your answer provide a definition of epistemology. (20-25)
Whereas individual psychology approaches are based on assumptions
fundamental to the Western, Lockean tradition, systemic family therapy rests on a
very different set of assumptions.
Western, Lockean, scientific tradition.
Modernism Linear casualty (A causes B)
In Individual psychology, the assumptions are consistent with such basic American
values as individual responsibility and autonomy.
Socialised in this way of thinking – consistent without communities + our culture
Reality is out there, outside our minds and the truth is to be discovered
Objective reality – break down into smaller components and uncover laws
according to which the world operates
Pursue knowledge by means of observation + experimentation
These results are measurable and objective. The subject (observing) remain
separate from object and be value free
In Systemic family therapy, however, the underlying assumptions are
contradictory to the traditional ways of thinking in Western society.
Hence, our use of the term ‘counter-cultural’ to characterise systems theory and
cybernetics.
Systems theory/cybernetics directs our attention away from the individual and
individual problems viewed in isolation and toward relationships and relationship
issues between individuals.
In contrast to the Lockean tradition, systems theory is consistent with the tradition
labelled as Kantian.
Accordingly, the observer replaces the observed as the focus of attention.
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, Subjectivity is seen as inevitable based on the assumption that the one who is
observing perceives, acts on, and participates in creating his or her own reality.
In addition, the interdependence of observer and observed is an important aspect
of a holistic perspective that takes into account the context of their interaction.
Such interaction is seen as a non-causal, dialectical process of mutual exchange
in which both have influence.
Finally, understanding a family or other system requires assessing patterns of
interaction, with an emphasis on what is happening, rather than why it is
happening.
Individual Psychology (Western, Systemic Psychology
Lockean)
Asks WHY? Asks WHAT?
Linear cause-and-effect A -B Reciprocal Causality A and B exists = give and
take actions
Subject or object dualism Dialectical
Either or dichotomies Holistic
Value-free science Subjective /Perceptual
Deterministic /reactive Freedom of choice / pro-active
Laws and law like external reality Patterns
Historical Focus Here and now focus
Individualistic Relational
Reductionistic contextual
Absolutistic relativistic
Focus on content Focus on process
Judgements about clients Logic behaviour in context
Reality – out there How we each participate in creating our own
realities
The truth A story about stories
What caused the problem How the problem is being maintained and the
solutions desired by the client
Treating patients Interaction, recursion, mutual influence,
perturbation
People in isolation People in context/interdependence
Who is in the room How the therapist THINKS about who is in the
room
Define the following concepts and provide appropriate example in each one:
Epistemology (2-3)
A set of rules about what reality is, based on how a group of people think, talk and
act.
Epistemology pertains how rules that govern our thinking are created and shared
– how we know what we know.
How knowledge is created
Your epistemology will shape your thinking as well as how you view and
understand the world.
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, the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and
scope,
and the distinction between justified belief and opinion.
Defined narrowly, epistemology is the study of knowledge and justified belief.
Example : Social Constructionism and Systems Theory
Example :African Epistemology which includes the African conception of validity of
knowledge, the purpose of the pursuit of knowledge and the role that knowledge
plays in human existence.
For example, a lie cannot be truth because it is not factual and false
Theory (2-3)
Set of connected principles serving to explain a group of phenomena of interest to
the researcher
Serving as a statement of relations believed in a body of observations
Theories are informed and specified by particular epistemologies
A theory is a formal idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain something.
A theory is a based upon a hypothesis and backed by evidence. In science, a the-
ory is not merely a guess. A theory is a fact-based framework for describing a
phenomenon.
A theory presents a concept or idea that is testable. Scientists can test the theory
through empirical research and gather evidence that supports or refutes it.
Example: Psychoanalytic theory, Behaviourist theory, General Systems Theory,
etc.
Model (2-3)
Projection of the substance of a less understood or developed domain onto the
structure of a more developed system
You take what you see and project it onto something else
Models are embedded within particular theories, which are also informed by
specific epistemological assumptions.
Example: Models based on the works of psychosexual developmental stages of
Sigmund Freud.
Models based on the works on Relational Analysis of C. Jung, etc., Operant
Conditioning of B.F Skinner
Technique (2-3)
Rehearsed or practised procedure or skill to achieve a particular end/outcome in
accordance with a model used
Example: Interpretation (as used in Psychoanalytic theoretical framework).
Conditioning (as used in Behaviourist theoretical framework), etc.
Interpretation; conditioning; reflection; reframing; restructuring; free association;
dream analysis
Circularity may be viewed as a key principle in cybernetic thinking. With the aid of
examples, distinguish among the concepts: circularity, positive feedback, recursion,
recursion/mutual causality.
Circularity (2-3)
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