Name of Concept
The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems
Synonyms
Couple and Family Map (Olson et al. 2014).
Introduction
The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems was originally developed by David Olson, Douglas Sprenkle, and Candyce Russell with the goal of bridging the gap they saw existing between theory, research, and practice in family therapy (Olson 1989). The model brings together three important theoretical concepts: Adaptability, Cohesion, and Communication, in a manner useful to both researchers trying to understand family dynamics and interventionists (therapists, educators) trying to help families functionally improve.
Theoretical Context for Concept
The term “circumplex” was coined by Louis Guttman to describe a circular relation of correlated variables organized around two orthogonal dimensions (see Strauss 1964, and Schaefer 1959). Olson and colleagues based their circumplex model in Family Systems Theory and organized it around the orthogonal...
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References
Olson, D. H. (1989). Circumplex model of family systems VIII: Family assessment and intervention. In D. H. Olson, C. S. Russell, & D. H. Sprenkle (Eds.), Circumplex model: Systemic assessment and treatment of families (pp. 7–50). New York: Routledge.
Olson, D. H. (2011). FACES IV and the circumplex model: Validation study. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 37, 64–80.
Olson, D. H., McCubbin, H. I., Barnes, H. L., Larsen, A. S., Muxen, M., & Wilson, M. A. (1989). Families, what makes them work. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. (updated edition).
Olson, D. H., DeFrain, J., & Skogrand, L. (2014). Marriages and families: Intimacy, diversity, and strengths (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Schaefer, E. S. (1959). A circumplex model for maternal behavior. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 59, 226–235.
Strauss, M. A. (1964). Power and support structure of the family in relation to socialization. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 26, 318–326.
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Wilde, J.L. (2019). Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems, The. In: Lebow, J.L., Chambers, A.L., Breunlin, D.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_413
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_413
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