Which theorist would most likely consider John's behavior to manifest a problem within the family?

Which theorist would most likely consider John's behavior to manifest a problem within the family?

• A. Erikson
• B. Minuchin
• C. Parod
• D. Kivinte

Answer: (B)

Minuchin emphasizes how a family’s structure shapes behavior. In structural family therapy, problems are seen as emerging from how family members relate—the boundaries between parental and child subsystems, who holds authority, how rigid or enmeshed those boundaries are, and how coalitions or triangles keep patterns repeating. If John’s actions are a reaction to— or a signal of—these maladaptive interactions, changing the family organization can reduce the behavior. The therapist would work on realigning boundaries, clarifying roles, and strengthening healthier subsystems, so the environment supports different, more functional responses from John. Erikson, by contrast, focuses on an individual’s psychosocial development across the lifespan, not primarily on family structure as the source of a behavioral problem. The other listed theorists don’t center on the family-system perspective in the way Minuchin does, so they’re less aligned with viewing John’s behavior as a manifestation of the family’s organization.

Minuchin emphasizes how a family’s structure shapes behavior. In structural family therapy, problems are seen as emerging from how family members relate—the boundaries between parental and child subsystems, who holds authority, how rigid or enmeshed those boundaries are, and how coalitions or triangles keep patterns repeating. If John’s actions are a reaction to— or a signal of—these maladaptive interactions, changing the family organization can reduce the behavior. The therapist would work on realigning boundaries, clarifying roles, and strengthening healthier subsystems, so the environment supports different, more functional responses from John.

Erikson, by contrast, focuses on an individual’s psychosocial development across the lifespan, not primarily on family structure as the source of a behavioral problem. The other listed theorists don’t center on the family-system perspective in the way Minuchin does, so they’re less aligned with viewing John’s behavior as a manifestation of the family’s organization.