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Exosystem in Family Systems Theory

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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy

Name of the Concept

Exosystem in Family Systems Theory

Introduction

The exosystem is one of four primary levels of the environment, or ecosystem, which are described in the bioecological theory of human development (Bronfenbrenner 1986, 1977). Understanding the different levels of the ecosystem, and how they can impact the development and experiences of individuals, can help therapists to better understand underlying causes to presenting problems, thus enabling a more effecting and change-promoting therapeutic process.

Theoretical Context for the Concept

Family systems theory assumes that families operate as a system which cannot be fully understood by looking at one individual without also including all of the other individuals which comprise the system, or family (Cox and Paley 1997). The way in which different aspects of families and the environment can influence the development and experiences of the individual can be understood through the bioecological systems theory...

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References

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32, 513–531.

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  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as context for human development. Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723–742.

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  • Cox, M. J., & Paley, B. (1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 243–267.

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  • Lerner, R. M. (2002). Concepts and theories of human development (3rd ed.). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marriage and Family Therapy/Applied Developmental Science Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Amy D. Smith

  2. Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

    Kelley Quirk

Authors
  1. Amy D. Smith
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  2. Kelley Quirk
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amy D. Smith .

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. Iowa City, IA, USA

    David Kearns Ph.D.

  2. The Family Institute at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Bahareh Sahebi Psy.D., AMFT

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Smith, A.D., Quirk, K. (2018). Exosystem in Family Systems Theory. 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_266-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_266-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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