1) What is Satir's picture of a human being living humanly?
Satir states that when human beings are living humanly they are mentally alert and physically healthy; also, they exhibit several qualities: (1) honesty about self and others; (2) willingness to take risk, to be creative and responsible and to change a situation when change is necessary; (3) lovingness;
(4) playfulness; (5) authenticity; and (6) productivity.
Satir characterizes the person living humanly as one who stands on his own two feet, loves deeply, fights fairly and effectively. Such people, she states, can be both tough and tender. Such people accommodate what is new and different, keeping that part of the old that is still useful but willingly discarding that part which is no longer useful.
Also, Satir links the concept of living humanly with each individual learning how to be "congruent." Congruent people, she reports, are models that exhibit creative ways of understanding each other, and of carrying for themselves and others. Satir feels that, as models, such people give their children a sturdy foundation from which to learn of strength and wholeness. As parents, congruent people make a difference in their children's upbringing by helping them to develop strong levels of self-esteem.
2) What are the four aspects of family life that keep popping up in the troubled family?
According to Satir, no matter what kind of presenting problem families bring to the office (e.g. a psychotic offspring; marital infidelity, one or more addicted family members, etc.) she found the same four characteristics or aspects of family life which, if the family was to be happy and functional, had to be changed.
These aspects which kept popping up were:
(1) low feelings of self-worth on the part of family members;
(2) indirect, vague, and dishonest communication among family members;
(3) social interaction rules were rigid, inhuman, non-negotiable, a...