From Dysfunctional Families to Dysfunctional Schools: A Systems Paradigm.

This paper develops a systems-theory-based paradigm to argue that the characteristics of dysfunctional relationships found in families are also found in schools. To develop this thesis, the characteristics of systems theory as applied to a natural system such as the family are described. The family is defined as a primary intergenerational natural system in which the feelings, thoughts, and behavior of each member are influenced reciprocally by the feelings, thoughts, and behavior of other family members. It is suggested that the relationships and interpersonal processes forged in the family are replicated in the other relationships that family members establish later in life with spouses, peers, colleagues, authority figures, and subordinates. The emotional system, as defined by family systems theory, is presented as an information processing system which allows a person to both respond to and form relationships with itself, others, and its environment; this, in turn, influences and is influenced by the feeling system and the intellectual system. An application of family systems theory to understanding the relationship processes occurring in the school is described. A matrix using family systems theory is presented as a means of illustrating those relationships, and implications for schools are discussed. (TE)