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Systemic optimism--systemic pessimism: two perspectives on change.

H Stierlin1

  • 1Department of Psychoanalytic Basic Research and Family Therapy, University of Heidelberg, West-Germany.

Family Process
|June 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Family therapists aim for rapid change, but this essay critically examines change itself. It explores problematic aspects and presents two views: systemic optimism and pessimism regarding therapeutic outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Family Therapy
  • Systems Theory
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Therapists, particularly family therapists, are mandated to facilitate change.
  • The effectiveness and nature of change in therapy warrant critical examination.
  • Clinical experience reveals that change can be rapid or slow, desirable or undesirable, and have unintended consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically reflect on the concept of change in therapy.
  • To examine the problematical and contradictory aspects of therapeutic change.
  • To delineate two contrasting perspectives on change: systemic optimism and systemic pessimism.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the notion of change.
  • Review of historical perspectives on change.

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  • Examination of clinical experiences with therapeutic change.

    • Main Results:

    • Change in therapy is complex and can manifest in various problematic ways (e.g., speed, endurance, desirability).
    • Therapeutic change can have equitable or inequitable outcomes.
    • The consequences of change can be beneficial or disastrous when considering broader systemic levels.

    Conclusions:

    • The mandate for change in therapy requires careful consideration of its multifaceted nature.
    • Two distinct viewpoints, systemic optimism and systemic pessimism, offer frameworks for understanding therapeutic change.
    • A nuanced understanding of change is crucial for effective and ethical therapeutic practice.