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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy pp 1–3Cite as

Triangles and Triangulation in Family Systems Theory

Name of Concept

Triangulation

Synonyms

Triangles; Triangulated

Introduction

Triangulation or triangling is defined in the AAMFT Family Therapy Glossary as the “process that occurs when a third person is introduced into a dyadic relationship to balance either excessive intimacy, conflict, or distance and provide stability in the system” (Evert et al. 1984 p. 32). This concept is associated with Murray Bowen (1978) who saw triangulation as a way to reduce anxiety in a dyadic relationship. Nichols and Schwartz (1998) note that Bowen developed the concept of triangulation in the late 1950s when he was involved on a NIMH project working with hospitalized families of a family member with schizophrenia. The use of triangles has also been found in the work of Salvador Minuchin (1974) and the “rigid triad,” as well as Jay Haley (1967) with the “perverse triangle,” among others. Although different in perspectives, they all share the same foundation of a third person being brought into a...

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References

  • Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. Northvale: Jason Aronson.

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  • Evert, C. A., Russell, C. S., & Keller, J. (Eds.). (1984). Family therapy glossary. Washington, DC: AAMFT.

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  • Nichols, M. P., & Schwartz, R. C. (1998). Family therapy: Concepts and methods. Boston: Ally and Bacon.

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  • Rootes, K. M. H., Jankowski, P. J., & Sandage, S. J. (2010). Bowen family systems theory and spirituality: Exploring the relationship between triangulation and religious questing. Contemporary Family Therapy, 32(2), 89–101.

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  • Wang, L., & Crane, D. R. (2001). The relationship between marital satisfaction, marital stability, nuclear family triangulation, and childhood depression. American Journal of Family Therapy, 29(4), 337–347.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Jerry Gale

  2. Human Development, Virginia Tech, Falls Church, VA, USA

    Bertranna Muruthi

Authors
  1. Jerry Gale
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  2. Bertranna Muruthi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jerry Gale .

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. University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Eli Karam Ph.D., LMFT

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Gale, J., Muruthi, B. (2017). Triangles and Triangulation 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_758-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_758-1

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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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