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

Neurobiology in Couples and Families

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Name of Concept

Interpersonal Neurobiology

Introduction

Family therapy originated as a reaction against biological reductionism. However, recent decades have witnessed a rapprochement between neurobiology and family therapy both in understanding mental health problems and in designing more effective interventions for relational problems. The impact of neurobiology in couple and family therapy can be seen in several domains described in the Application section.

Theoretical Context for Concept

Diverse contributions have created the theoretical context for interpersonal neurobiology including works on self-regulation, emotional regulation, attachment theory, behavioral biology, genetics, and basic neuroscience. These theoretical concepts are interrelated. For example, attachment behaviors of a mother rat (licking and grooming her young) facilitate brain development (myelination) that in turn facilitates self-regulation skills. These core concepts have led to applicable clinical models...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marital and Family Therapy Program, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, Mother Rosalie Hill Hall #225F, 92110, San Diego, CA, USA

    Jo Ellen Patterson & Todd Edwards

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The George Washington University, 2120 L Street, NW, Suite 600, 20037, Washington, DC, USA

    James L. Griffith

Authors
  1. Jo Ellen Patterson
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  2. Todd Edwards
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  3. James L. Griffith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jo Ellen Patterson .

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. California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Sean Davis Ph.D., LMFT

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Cite this entry

Patterson, J.E., Edwards, T., Griffith, J.L. (2017). Neurobiology in Couples and Families. 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_540-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_540-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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