Comparing the Epistemologies Governing the First and Second Order Cybernetic Approaches

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in training are tasked with helping a family work through conflict and arrive and more intimate and interdependent relationships, which can seem daunting or maybe even terrifying. However, the interaction patterns that show up in families can find some context and clarity for a therapist who knows systems theory. Systems theory suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from their family context because families create relational processes and generate a “sequence of interactions” and behaviors in order to maintain dynamic stability of the self-regulating family system (Nichols, 2013, pp. 58-59). How does this general systems theory help an MFT guide a family in therapy? In this paper I will take three systems theory principles and apply them to a movie in order to demonstrate how it provides a language and context for MFTs, thus making it an essential tool in family therapy.

The two theories I will utilize from this course in order to explain my patient’s behavior are the psychodynamic theory and the systems theory.

Cybernetics shows the self-regulation of the system. It is the “theory of control of mechanisms in technology and nature and founded on the concepts of information and feedback” (Bertalanaffy, 1969, p. 17). Cybernetics is highly dependent on feedback and information. Internally, the feedback would be considered closed and therefore information would only able to be decreased; while externally, information would be able to increase or decrease in order to become more or less organized, aiding in attaining is desired value or goal (Bertanalaffy, 1969, p.150).

described as holistic (Ryan et al., 2006). The medical model was the overriding philosophy in social care and managed care settings up to recent times. The most common criticism of the medical model is that it views the individual as the problem. The medical model then assumes a more mechanical view of illness and indeed health, illness is purely a fault in the machine and diagnoses are formulated about functional and structural failings of that machine. Concepts of mind, family and social environment are not viewed as having much relevance or real impact on the machine. Thus, the person, the body, and ultimately the machine, is thought to function autonomously (Zigmond, 1976).

This paper provides a brief overview of the three core elements of the PCC model and then seeks to explore how they are likely impacted by the evolution of the fast-paced realities of computer and technological immersion. Clients and therapists are already finding themselves engaged together on many fronts in the dynamic universe of cyberpsychology where the rules about what is real or ideal and how human perceptions of these transfer to real life are just beginning to be understood.

In The Family Crucible, Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker’s form of therapy was strongly influenced by family systems theory, a burgeoning theory of the time. General systems theory examines relationships between elements that constitute a whole (Andreae, 2011, p. 243). When applied to families, this theory views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit (The

Nevertheless, the term “mental disorder” is applied to a set of categories and classifications of abnormal human functioning. Millon (1969) grouped perspectives on mental disorders into four different categories. First, there are biophysical theories, which assume that physiological processes are the primary determining factors of psychopathology. Second, there are intrapsychic theories which assume that psychological factors determine abnormal psychological behavior. Third, there is phenomenological theory which talks about the unique experience and perception of each individual, and how that perception is lived out. Lastly, behavioral theories assume that the process of learning through reinforcement shapes pathology in the individual.

“All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace: Part 2” highlights the main theory of cybernetics, and all of its faults. This second episode looks at how ecological theories would later inform the growth of computer systems. This episode further discusses how mechanical concepts such as cybernetics and systems theory were once applied to natural ecosystems, and how this relates to the false idea that nature is perfectly balanced. Cybernetics is a fantasy view of nature. A monstrous push was made for cybernetics to be applied to humanity as a way of building societies with no central control. This idea of a self organized

The use of the internet has become a way of life for most Americans. According to the Pew Research Center, only “13 percent of U.S. adults do not use the internet.” The number of non-internet use has dropped significantly since 2000, when forty percent of American adults did not utilize the internet. With the growing use of the internet and the convenience it provides, there was a natural evolution for providing therapy in an online format. The progression of internet usage in therapy, created subsequent issues and the need to develop parameters for ethical tele practice, interstate practice and issues related to privacy.

The paradigmatic shift of system theory is the evolution of systematic thinking which is made up of two systems; the simple cybernetics (first order) and cybernetics of cybernetics (second order). The first system of the cybernetics also known as the simple cybernetics is the level in which we view lives from a perspective in which we observe from a different aspect of the outside view. I feel as though when it comes to the first order cybernetics, everything such as the personal view becomes irrelevant to the situation because our focus is on describing what is happening from a different pattern. As for the second order also known the cybernetics of cybernetics transform our view where we are no longer viewing from the outside looking in. In the system, we are now observing the situation from a standpoint which we are involved. In the book, I have acknowledged that it is best to view things that I can observe from the outside looking in and also being and participate in a situation which set my viewpoint than how others view certain situations. In my opinion, in most cases as humans, individuals go through different phases in their lives to learn, and to experience a different perspective when it comes, a prospect of our lives. When the book talks about the system theory/cybernetics it is a little frustrating to comprehend from my understanding and how to connect the theory to a real life situation. As I continue to read I’m trying to think how I would connect the

Indirect observation sources included: informal interviews with A, the client’s primary instructor therapist. As well, a through review of the client’s personal binder was completed. The client information and reporting sections of the binder provided the client’s date of birth, diagnosis, treatment history, and program start date. The behaviour management section identified, in detail, the current behaviour protocols for the client. Additionally, the client’s ABLLS-R book was reviewed and showcased reports detailing current skill levels and abilities, as well as the learning progression of the client. Lastly, binders containing current and mastered programs were also examined to provide information on the client’s pre-requisite skills.

The metaframeworks perspective extracts concepts from various modalities that complement its unique way of dealing with systems, while unburdening itself from the constraints of previous models. Metaframeworks places emphasis on six separate domains that is believed to assist a therapist in understanding the client. Metaframeworks draws from family systems theory, when observing an individual, but it expands family systems in order to include the individual’s internal processes (EFEF). Metaframeworks holds the position that family systems thinking has made the therapist focus on either the entire family, the subsystems of the family system, or the family’s interactions with systems besides its own (EEEE). By pairing the external and internal

(E) Lastly, when determining which paradigm matches which proposed theory, there is little room for deviance in which set of ideals align. In Freudian framework, it appears mind functions differently then that of the mind. The unconscious mind harbors ones’ conflicts and may only be resolved with this respect. In opposition, the Biomedical framework can be clearly described in terms of the Neurological Disorder Theory in which brain functions improperly and mental illness exists upon the brain, not the

Cybernetics has been called “the science of purposeful behavior” (Dooley, 1985, as cited by Anchin, 2003); and can apply to any system. Cybernetics began as a way to self-regulate systems and grew into the science of control by feedback, applicable to any system. Case conceptualization is a skill that therapists utilize to synthesize collected data. These two concepts can aid the family therapist in ushering in changes in client well-being.

At the moment, there are different trends that psychology is at and will progress to regarding demographics, technology, and innovation of ideas. An article by the Monitor of Psychology demonstrates through a survey of health providers the reality of the demographic they are reaching out to. It also addresses the different ways that practitioners are treating clients. According to the study, thirty-nine percent of respondents shared electronic medical records with other professionals. And while only 19 percent saw patients alongside other professionals, 36 percent participated in multidisciplinary team meetings and 33 percent reported integrated treatment plans (Clay 2016). This is showing an integration and community within the circle of therapists.