What is a Pathological System? How does this translate to the Family System?
What is a Pathological System?
A pathological system is a system that functions abnormally, characterized by dysadaptive behaviors, ineffective feedback loops, or unstable, emergent patterns that deviate from its intended or healthy state. Rather than simply failing, a pathological system may become stuck in destructive cycles, develop novel but detrimental behaviors, or exhibit instability due to internal failures or environmental pressures. These deviations can occur in biological organisms, mechanical systems, or even complex social structures, highlighting how internal dynamics and feedback mechanisms can lead to non-functional or harmful outcomes.
A pathological system within healthcare refers to the network or framework through which diseases and abnormalities are identified, studied, and managed. This system encompasses the methods and processes used in pathology, including the examination of tissues, organs, bodily fluids, neurology, human behavior and environmental influence to diagnose disease.
Pathological systems are critical for understanding disease mechanisms, guiding treatment decisions, and advancing medical research.
Characteristics of a Pathological System
The system's actions are no longer constructive or beneficial for its overall health or goals, leading to a harmful outcome for the organism or structure.
Normal negative feedback mechanisms, which would normally correct deviations, become ineffective, allowing the system to remain in or accelerate toward a dysfunctional state.
In some cases, positive feedback loops can become stabilized, locking the system into a dysfunctional pattern of activity that resists correction.
The pathology arises not from a single failed component but from the complex interactions of many parts within the system, leading to unpredictable behaviors.
The system can become trapped in undesirable states, such as a computing machine caught in a continuous loop, or an organism unable to break a harmful pattern of activity.
How does this translate to pathological family systems?
A pathological family system is a dysfunctional family dynamic in which patterns of behavior, communication, and roles contribute to emotional or psychological harm to one or more family members. These systems often involve unhealthy interactions such as enmeshment, or rigid control, which prevent healthy development and well-being. In pathological family systems, boundaries are often blurred or violated, and problems are typically maintained across generations due to repeated maladaptive patterns. This environment can lead to lasting negative effects on individual family members’.
“While considering theoretical intergenerational insights on intergenerational transmission mechanism through which dysfunctional familial patterns may perpetuate across generations, the transmission of mental health morbidity could be explained across generations (vertically) as well as within the nuclear family (horizontally). Within the vertical intergenerational process, parents may transmit varying degrees of their immaturity to successive generations” (Bowen, 1993; Cepukiene & Neophytou, 2024, p. 3387).
Reference
Čepukienė, V., & Neophytou, K. (2024). Intergenerational transmission of familial relational dysfunction: A test of a complex mediation model based on Bowen family systems theory. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 41(11), 3385-3408
