Family Systems Theory and Peace-Makers

Hope everyone had a great week! This week was especially interesting and enlightening to me because I learned more about my own family and particularly, my role in it. In class we were taught about different theories as they relate to families. Family systems theory is where a family is a whole of individual, contributing parts. Exchange theory is the weighing of costs and benefits; symbolic interaction states that everything is symbolic and we are always creating meaning; and conflict theory where everything is based off of the inequalities that exist among certain persons or groups. I believe that most families probably consist of a combination of each of these but I see family systems theory as dominant in my home. I can see how each member truly has their own role and provides in a special and necessary way to make our family complete. Another concept we learned was that of homeostatic mechanisms which are ways of trying to regulate feelings, emotions, and attitudes. Someone who continuously uses homeostatic mechanisms in a family is often called a "peace-maker." As I considered what a peace-maker does and why, I was able to understand more about myself.