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Family Systems Thinking as a Guide for Theory Integration: Conceptual Overlaps of Differentiation, Attachment, Parenting Style, and Identity Development in Families With Adolescents
Author(s) -
Bortz Patrick,
Berrigan Miranda,
VanBergen Alexandra,
Gavazzi Stephen M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of family theory and review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.454
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1756-2589
pISSN - 1756-2570
DOI - 10.1111/jftr.12354
Subject(s) - attachment theory , unification , identity (music) , psychology , interpersonal communication , family systems theory , style (visual arts) , social psychology , developmental psychology , computer science , archaeology , physics , acoustics , history , programming language
There is both the necessity and the capacity for unification across the discipline of family science. This article offers another step toward a comprehensive, integrated body of theory and research shared across our discipline. Specifically, we address how family systems thinking has been reflected in attachment, parenting, and adolescent identity literature, and we present bidimensional models and integrated spectrums emphasizing how levels of differentiation, adolescent internal working models of attachment, parenting styles, and adolescent identity statuses are conceptually intertwined as systemic intrapsychic and interpersonal processes. These theories and concepts, when considered as an integrated whole, invite theoretical complexity that advances the understanding of family processes and guides new research questions. We propose that family systems theory is a holistic framework that is ideal for integrating these concepts in a way that goes beyond highlighting their common factors. We conclude with the benefits and barriers to comprehensive integration across family science.