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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–3Cite as

Perverse Triangles in Family Systems Theory

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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.

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  • 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.

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  • Hoffman, L. (1981). Foundations of family therapy: A conceptual framework for systems change. New York: Basic Books.

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  • Minuchin, S. (1974). Families and family therapy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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  • 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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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Louisville, 136A Burhans Hall, Shelby Campus, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA

    Laura M. Frey

Authors
  1. Laura M. Frey
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura M. Frey .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Jay Lebow

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Anthony Chambers

  3. The Family Institute at Northwestern, Evanston, Illinois, USA

    Douglas C. Breunlin

Section Editor information

  1. University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Eli Karam Ph.D., LMFT

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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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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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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