- Watzlawick's interactional view focuses on understanding individuals as part of a family system, with systemic factors being more important than personality traits in explaining family communication. - Families create their own "rules of the game" through communication patterns and tacitly agree to maintain the status quo. - Communication is both content and relationship-based, with the relationship layer interpreting and dominating the content, especially during crises. People also tend to see themselves as reacting rather than provoking.

1. INTERACTIONAL VIEW Of Paul Watzlawick

2. Basic Ideas Individuals must be understood as part of a family system Systemic factors more important than personality traits and motives in understanding family communication Focus is on how individual behavior affects the group

3. Rules of the Game Theory involves a number of axioms and these comprise “rules of the game” Games are sequences of behavior governed by rules Each family creates its own homemade rules Families tacitly collude to maintain status quo

4. Axioms One cannot not communicate / influence Communication = content + relationship; relationship interprets the communication Relationship more important than content and dominates in crisis Relationship depends on how parties punctuate : i.e. how each person marks the beginning of an interaction People tend to see themselves as reacting rather than provoking

5. Symmetry/Assymetry Comm’n tends to be either symmetrical (equal power) or complementary (unequal power) One-up comm’n tries to control the exchange (not necessarily successful) One-down comm’n yields control One-across comm’n neutralizes control

6. Double Bind Families highly resistant to change People often caught in double bind of mutually exclusive expectations In a double-bind the higher-status person often behaves as THOUGH the relationship is symmetrical

7. Reframing Destructive rules can be changed only when participants can see them as though from outside Reframing involves “re-punctuation” or looking at things in a new light Accepting a new frame means rejecting old ones This is a process that usually involves outside help