Virginia Satir & Family Therapy

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; mari

. . .
his father to think he wanted to use the car, resulting in an anger producing miscommunication. A second type of communication trap is what Satir terms "the mind-reading method." Here the communicator believes that no matter what is said (or how it is said), the listener should understand the message. The assumption that one knows what the other means, according to Satir, is one of the largest hurdles in human relationships. The truth is that others do not know what others mean despite what they say and feel. As a result, those who are supposed to be the mind-readers report that they feel themselves to be in a kind of no-man's land in their attempts to emotionally interrelate with the communicator who holds this assumption. 10) List and describe the four patterns of communication presented in the course text. What is a fifth pattern and the only positive response for effective communication? The four communication patterns described in the course text are as follows: (1) Placate - The placater assumes an agreeable disposition in order to avoid the anger of the other. (2) Blame - The Blamer is a fault-finder who feels innately worthless, but can experience a sense of superiority and strength when he or she blames others
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
According Satir, Boss Parents, Blame Blamer, , Brains Communication, Sense Organs, Talk Words, according satir, nurturing family, course text, nurturing families, satir feels, satir reports, family blueprint, families family, living humanly, blended family consists, conception pregnancy, conception pregnancy birth, people treated persons, wife wife's children, husband husband's children,
Approximate Word count = 4669
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Virginia Satir & Family Therapy