Come back later this week for a question related to Contextual Family Therapy! This post does not include everything about Contextual Family Therapy. I would encourage you to look up this theory on your own. Research how this theory views maladaptive behavior, and the process and techniques in addition to what is below...
Today's theory topic will focus on Contextual Family Therapy. We have covered other theories before today that you can search for using the search bar at the top of this page. Other theories we have covered include: Symbolic-Experiential, Milan Systemic, Play therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Human Validation Process Model, Group Therapy, Systems Theory vs Postmodernism, Feminist Theory, General Systems Theory, CBT, Strategic, Structural, Narrative, Solution-Focused, and Extended Family Systems...
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Founder: Boszormenyi-NagyÂ
Integrates existential philosophy, object relations theory, and general systems theory. Like other transgenerational models, it is based on the assumption that patterns of behavior are passed down from one generation to the next. However, it is distinguished from other forms of therapy by its emphasis on “relational ethics” which refers to “fair and trustworthy interpersonal interactions in which the welfare and entitlements of oneself and all other family members are acknowledged, valued, and respected” (Kaslow, Kaslow, & Farber, 1999, p. 774).
Dimensions of Relational Realities: The four dimensions of relational realities are categories of the primary determinants of behavior in relationships: Facts are the “givens” in a person’s life and include age, gender, race/ethnicity, physical health, and basic historical information. Individual psychology refers to the inner dynamics of a person’s life and includes the person’s thoughts, emotions, motivations, aspirations, and memories. Transactional patterns are the ways in which people interact with one another and include communication patterns and actions. Finally, relational ethics is the primary focus of contextual therapy and refers to the fairness (the balance of give and take) in relationships. The four dimensions are omnipresent in relationships – that is, relationships are always influenced by facts, individual psychology, transactional patterns, and relational ethics.
Ledger of Merits: Each person has a ledger of merits, which is an unconscious “balance sheet” of entitlements and obligations (credits and debts) that accumulate over time. When new partners experience a high degree of fairness and trust in their families-of-origin, they are beginning their relationship with balanced ledgers that allow them to meet each other’s relational needs and recognize and successfully negotiate any imbalances that arise. However, when partners experience unfairness and a lack of trust in their families-of-origin, their ledgers are imbalanced, which can lead to dysfunction in their relationship. For instance, if a person was neglected by a parent as a child and is unable to resolve this injustice with the parent, the person may seek compensation in a current relationship in an unjust or destructive way (e.g., by making unfair demands on his/her spouse).
Legacies and Loyalties: A legacy is a multigenerational mandate that indicates how a person should act or what a person should expect. For example, by betraying the trust of their children, parents may pass down the expectation that people are untrustworthy. Loyalty refers to a person’s commitments and obligations to others that the person has a close relationship with and provides the person with the incentive to act according to his or her legacies. When loyalties become unconscious and covertly influence behaviors, they become “invisible loyalties” that can lead to problematic behaviors. A goal of contextual therapy is to “loosen the chains of invisible loyalty and legacy, so each person can give up symptomatic behaviors and explore new options” (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Ulrich, 1981, p. 174).
Entitlement: Entitlement refers to what people believe is owed to them and can be destructive or constructive. Entitlement originates from a child’s right to be cared for but becomes destructive when the child does not receive adequate care, the child’s needs for love and trust are violated, and/or the child is blamed for problems between adults (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Krasner, 1986). Destructive entitlement underlies a person’s problematic emotions and behaviors that the person justifies on the basis of the unfairness that he/she experienced in the past. For example, a person is claiming destructive entitlements when the person attempts to make up for abuse or neglect by his/her parent by acting in untrustworthy or unfair ways toward his/her spouse or child. In contrast, a person earns constructive entitlements when he/she is fair, trustworthy, and giving in relationships and acknowledges what he/she has been given by others.
The primary goal of therapy is to “help dysfunctional families rebalance the give-and-take and emotional ledgers between members and develop a sense of fairness, trust, and accountability in interactions with one another” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2012, p. 238).