Name of Concept
Perverse Triangles in Family Systems Theory
Introduction
Several family therapy approaches – Bowen’s transgenerational model (Bowen 1981), structural family theory (Minuchin 1974), and strategic family therapy (Hoffman 1981) – use the term triangle to describe a pathological interaction pattern. While triangle primarily refers to a three-person subsystem within the family, Jay Haley used the term perverse triangle to represent a specific form of triangular dysfunction within a system.
Theoretical Context for Concept
A perverse triangle has its roots in family systems theory which proposes that families are interactional systems that self-correct to maintain homeostasis (Whitchurch and Constantine 1993). In other words, family members change their behavior or interact in ways that provide a sense of stability. This cyclical system utilizes members’ interactions to indicate whether things are calm and predictable (negative feedback) or dynamic and necessitating...
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References
Bowen, M. (1981). Family therapy in clinical practice. New York: Jason Aronson.
Haley, J. (1967). Toward a theory of pathological systems. In G. Zuk & I. Boszormenyi-Nagy (Eds.), Family therapy and disturbed families (pp. 11–27). Palo Alto: Science and Behavior Books.
Hoffman, L. (1981). Foundations of family therapy: A conceptual framework for systems change. New York: Basic Books.
Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Whitchurch, G. G., & Constantine, L. L. (1993). Systems theory. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 325–352). New York: Springer.
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Frey, L.M. (2017). Perverse Triangles in Family Systems Theory. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_339-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_339-1
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