1. Discuss the historical events in Family Counseling. The textbook has many new terms that represent a whole new language. Two people who worked with schizophrenia were Gregory Bateson and J. Haley. Bateson helped create the Palo Alto group, and he is sometimes called the Father of Marriage and Family Counseling. These men did work on how families relate to the schizophreniac. They found that strong patterns arose in the relationships of the family in both verbal and non-verbal (communication and meta-communication (non-verbal)) communications. The children were the ones that showed the pattern, and as a result of this research, the Double Bind was developed. Families communicated in such a way that it might have caused the schizophrenia in the kids.

The final event, in the 1950s to 1970s, was that there was a movement in the United States government to study families in order to solve problems of abuse, dropouts, and teen pregnancies. Healthy and unhealthy families were studied, and it was found that there were family issues causing the family problems. From Presidents Kennedy to Nixon, the emphasis was on trying to repair the families.

2. Discuss some important definitions (Double Bind). When a person receives two related but contradictory messages on different levels but finds it difficult to detect or comment on the inconsistencies or leave the relationship. There are 6 characteristics of the double bind. First, there must be two or more people in an important relationship. Second, the relationship must be ongoing and not broken. If it is broken, then the double bind will not be there. Third, a primary negative injunction must be given. This means that one person tells another to not do something or be punished or will be punished for doing something. Fourth, a second injunction must be given that conflicts with the first but at a different, more abstract level. Must also have a threat of punishment on this one, too, or it will not work. Often, this injunction is at the non-verbal or meta-communication level. Fifth, a terciary negative injunction prohibits an escape from the field yet demands a response. Hence, the person cannot get away but must respond. Sixth, once the victim is conditioned to perceive the world in terms of the double bind, the necessity of every injunction is not needed.

Two of the common responses to the double bind are panic and rage. A simple example is a mom who strictly sticks to the philosophy that mom and dad must do everything to take care of the household. Then, dad tells the child to take out the trash or be punished. The child will be in trouble no matter which course is taken, and this can create stress, rage, and/or anger. The second injunction is the mother's philosophy. The primary injunction comes from the dad because this is the one actually given. For the child, there is not an escape. The Palo Alto group discovered that these type situations led to schizophrenia in children. An example similar to this is in the Family Crucible, but in that instance, the girl is not schizophrenic.

				Tom of Bethany

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