Families are dynamic, family interaction involves

Families are dynamic, family interaction involves more than what we say, or how we say it.  People speak a different language when confronted with distress.  The Family Structural Theory is an avenue of change from negative behavior to positive behavior.  This teaches that everyone in the family is part of a whole but functions in their subsystems, they know their role and act accordingly in their clear boundaries (Vetere, 2001, p. 134).  Family Structural Theory emphasizes team work and practical problem solving.  It operates on giving clear feedback and responding to the presented problem.

Families are difficult enough to foster harmony in from the start, let alone the concept of blending new families together who are already set firm in family structures from a first marriage.  In the article by Cartwright and Gibson (2013) on blending families, the picture alone speaks a thousand words.  It shows a couple in conflict and the pained look on their faces reveals how damaging relationships can become.  The hard part of this picture is to get all participants to be a willing agent to embrace their subsystem and work to improve the family as a whole.  In this study conducted by Cartwright and Gibson, questions were asked of blended family participants and most of the battles were over financial matters, where stepchildren were to live, members not pulling their weight, uncooperative and negativity towards step family (Cartwright & Gibson, 2013, p. 21).  This would indeed cause a rift between the parents.

Solutions:  the Family Structural Theory seeks to find solutions for the hard challenges of coming together as a new whole.  Minuchin believes change must be gradual taken in baby steps so that it will become lasting (Wikipedia, 2012).  I liked how it stated “A well functioning family is not defined by the absence of stress or conflict, but by how effectively it handles them…” (The Minuchin Center for the Family, 2012).