PYC 4808 ASSIGNMENT 6

Introduction The way in which mental health and mental illness is understood by the individual, mental health practitioner and general society within which they operate impacts the nature of psychological treatment and prognosis. Because of this influence, a thorough understanding of the underlying epistemological mechanisms of a particular society could shed light on appropriate and effective intervention strategies for that society. Such an understanding of a people’s meaning-making processes and cultural interpretations of psychological symptoms is all the more indispensable in a society where a majority of knowledge systems are either adopted or adapted from another greatly different society. So, an analysis of the various systems that constitute our lives is warranted for a clear understanding of our individual, familial and collective psychology. Ecosystemic Psychology provides a theoretical framework to guide such an exploration while it embraces the incorporation of indigenous knowledge systems. Johan Truter Assessment 6: 30 September 2020 PYC4808 Ecosystemic Psychology 5 Question 1: Ecomap (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013) Mary Age 35 Paul Age 37 Simon Age 9 ♀ 1 ♂ st Generation – Information Unknown Depression Withdrawal Separation Anxiety B e h a v i o u r 2nd Generation – 10 Years of Marriage Therapist’s – Objective Analysis (FOC) of | Influence as Cocreator (SOC) on – System Marital Instability 3 rd Generation View of Behaviour as Problem View of Behaviour as Problem Johan Truter Assessment 6: 30 September 2020 PYC4808 Ecosystemic Psychology 6 Question 2: Developmental Frameworks A developmental perspective could shed light on the state of the family’s functioning. One can analyse the family’s development in reference to the predefined frameworks of personal development, the family life cycle and the stages of marriage (Becvar & Becvar, 2014). As for the family members’ personal development, Mary and Paul would be in the seventh stage of Erikson’s Eight Ages of Man model, the stage of adulthood (Becvar & Becvar, 2014). Accordingly, the developmental tasks they are faced with wou