The first pioneers in systemics were philosophers wanting to understand and explain complex things in the universe. However, the systemic approach in psychology as we know it today was born in California, USA at the beginning of 1950’s with “The School of Palo Alto”. The approach has been known and practiced in Europe since the 1970’s and became increasingly known with the creation of the Centre of Family Research in Milan. in France, the approach arrived thanks to psychodynamic psychology and the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
The systemic approach in psychology
The systemic approach is a recent discipline that merges theory, practice and methods, as well as taking into account the complexity of our environment. Although the approach is commonly known in relation to biology, ecology, economy and company management, it is also used in psychology to understand the interactions between people in terms of verbal and non-verbal communication. It is therefore more and more frequent to observe the application of these ideas into developmental psychology. In this branch of psychology, we can understand development only by considering all the intra-personal aspects as well as the inter-individual aspects influencing it. Specifically, this widen our focus and no longer puts the individual at the center but it rather highlights the importance of the environment around us.
Definition
The role of the systemic approach in psychology is therefore to account for the complexity of the interactions between people as an important part of the environment that shapes the person. These reciprocal interactions can be classified as different systems. In this context, Jacques Lesourne (1976) defines a system as a “set of dynamic elements in interaction” (pp. 45). This large definition is at the core of the systematic approach, allowing us to consider processes at the within-person level to the cultural level. In other words, we could argue that there are an infinite number of systems that influence us in different ways through our life.
According to Lesourne all systems obey to certain assumptions. A system is, for example, a whole that equals to more than the sum of its individual parts. A change occurring to any given individual in that system, will therefore affect the system as a whole. It is also assumed that the purpose of the system is not linear, because the interactions between the individuals represent a complex feedback-loop. Furthermore, the balance of the system reflects a dynamic balance rather than a fixed state, leaving the actors in the system free to change, to move; in the symbolic sense of the word.
The eco-systems
Bronfenbrenner devised five principal systems when he considered the systems that surround children in their development. The microsystem accounts for the child’s close interaction with one particular other, for example the interactions and the mutual adjustments between a child and the mother. The mesosystem is a system that encumbers two or more microsystems, for example between the parents and the grandparents or with a school teacher. As a whole they take part in one mesosystem (i.e. a family). The third system is the exo-system which represent the interactions that happens at a higher level, for example parental stress caused by work, socioeconomic factors, laws etc. The latter includes the influences of the culture and society on the child in for example the form of implicit norms. As psychologists, we can take advantage of this knowledge to position ourselves as an observant and actor around the child. We believe that in taking a step back to look at the development in this manner, we can better understand the difficulties of children.
Practical implications for the psychologist
The systemic approach appears to be quite useful as a reading grid for the developmental psychologist. It leads us to consider the possible difficulties of the child in another view. Focusing in particular on the current interactions between the child and his parents favors a much more global perception of the disorder. Moreover, this theory makes it possible to involve the child’s environment. In addition, it helps to raise awareness and improve the positioning of each member within the family and the communication between them. For example, because of the parents’ authority, they can issue paradoxical injunctions to their child. It is a message with two incompatible statements, such as “be spontaneous”. This type of demand, by definition impossible to fully satisfy, can contribute to the appearance of a disorder in children. The systemic approach, thanks to the emphasis on interactions, makes it possible to highlight and modify this type of dysfunctional communication. This theory, focusing on the interactions between the members of the family, gives concrete keys to understand and improve a problem situation. For example, when the psychologist receives a child, he or she may be led to explore the child’s social environment, its place and its interactions within each system. This may give rise to family therapy, where the psychologist receives at the same time the different members of a family in order to appreciate the current interactions within the family system of the child.
Conclusion
The systemic approach appears to be complementary to other approaches in developmental psychology, such as the cognitive approach. Indeed, the latter approach focusing on children’s disorders, on understanding them and taking them into account, it focuses solely on children and their disorder. The systemic approach allows the psychologist to place this symptom in the social context of the child and to consider the interactions within multiple systems of the child.
(Written by Charline, Ramona and Pierre)
