Name of Concept
First-Order Change in Couple and Family Therapy
Introduction: Where Did It Come From?
First-order change is derived from the field of mathematics. An illustration of this concept is: a numerical group is written with whole numbers where the mathematical rule of operation is addition, the elements are arranged in diverse ways that doesn’t change the meaning of the group (Lyddon 1990). Essentially, there are changes among the members, while there is no change to the group. It differs from second-order change due to interactions of elements (members) and wholes (groups) and the forms of variations that can happen with specific rules of operation (Watzlawick et al. 1974).
Theoretical Context for Concept
Marriage and family therapists seek second-order change to the family system to cause long-lasting change. This is different from first-order change, where only an individual attempts to make a change. Unless the family system collaborates interactively, first-order change...
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References
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Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J. H., & Fisch, R. (1974). Change: Principles of problem formation and problem resolution. New York: Norton.
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Padilla, D., Metcalf, L. (2018). First Order Change in Couple and Family Therapy. 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_1074-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_1074-1
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