ACOMPARISONOFTHEEPISTEMOLOGIESGOVERNINGTHE1STAND2NDORDER CYBERNETICAPPROACHES 1.VIEWOFREALITY: Infirstordercybernetics,realityisseentobeexternaltotheindividual.Therapistsandtheorists examineeventsfromapositionoutsideofthesystem.Theyevaluateandtrytochange behaviouraccordingtotheacceptedstandardswithinsociety.Problemsaredefinedasexisting outthereinareal,knowablereality. Secondordercybernetics,ontheotherhand,understandsrealitytobeformedasafunctionof thebeliefsystemaccordingtowhichindividualsoperate.Problemsarenotviewedalone,but withinthecontextthattheyoccur.Furthermore,behaviourisnotdiscovered,itiscreatedbyus, howweviewanddescribesomethingiscrucial.Inotherwords,thereisnosinglecorrectwayto liveoneslife,andtherefore,realityisnotagiven. Bothapproachesagreethatrealityiscreatedperceptually.Butinfirstordercybernetics,itis possibletoexplainrealityfromanisolatedremoteposition,andinsecondorderitisnotpossible tounderstandanotherpersonsrealitywithoutbeingapartofit.

Bothalsofocusoncontextand communication,inordertogainanunderstandingofthesituation. 2.HOWEACHAPPROACHADDRESSESHEALTHANDPATHOLOGY: Firstordercyberneticstreatsthesymptoms,thepathologyisseentoexistintheorganism. whereassecondordercyberneticstakesintoconsiderationthecontextwithinwhichthe symptomstakeplace.Theviewofsecondordercyberneticsismoreholistic,asopposedtofirst orderwhichisfocusedontheproblemitself. Infirstordercybernetics,thesystemisobservedandthenadecisionismadeabouthowhealthy orpathologicalitis.Secondorder,however,doesntacceptanydefinitionaboutthesystem, goodorbad.itsapproachisthatnothingisseenasbeingnegativeinitself,anditonlybecomes negativewhenthesystemdiscernsittobeso. 3.HOWEACHAPPROACHDEALSWITHTHERAPY: Infirstordercybernetics,theapproachtotherapyemphasisesthedegreeofopennessand closednessoftheboundaries.Adefinitionismadeabouttherelationshipbetweenstabilityand change.bothviewchangeasachangeincontext,butsecondordercyberneticsputsan emphasisonmeaningandunderstanding.Theparticipantsintherapyuselanguageand conversationtoconceptualisememoriesandwhattheysignify.Lastly,insecondorder cybernetics,achangeisnotspecified,ratheranewcontextissetinordertofacilitatethe change.

Inthefirstorderapproach,theuseofMnuchinsstructuralapproachisusedwhenfacilitating

change.Theorganisationofthefamilyischanged.Thisstructurechangeisbelievedtohavean effectonthebehaviourandinternalpsychicprocessesofthemembersinthesystem,and therebychangingtherelationshipsbetweenthemembersaswellastheirperspectivesof themselvesandoneanother. inthesecondorder,changecomesaboutthroughtherapistandclientcocreatinganewcontext inwhichold,problemsaturatedconstructsaredemolishedandnew,solutionfocusedstories arewrittenthroughmutualinteractionandfeedback.Therapistsincorporatingthisapproach knowthatonedoesnotchangesystemsortreatfamilies,butratherchangesbehaviour, examinesthereactionstothisbehaviour,andthenreactstothosereactions.Itsaprocessof continuouschange,andastheclientchangesthetherapistmustadjusthis/herunderstandingof theclient. 4.THEROLEANDFUNCTIONOFTHETHERAPISTINEACHAPPROACH: Firstordertherapistsviewthesystemfromanoutsidersperspective.Theyassessand endeavortochangebehaviouraccordingtonormativestandardsandsocietalapproval.The therapistisregardedastheexpert,andsetsgoalsaccordingtohis/hertheory.Thereal problemistreatedandisseentobetheunderlyingstructuralflowbuiltintothesystem.These approachesmakeobjectiveobservationsinordertodiscoverfacts.Thefactsarethenusedto formatheorythatexplainsthefacts.Thetheoryleadstoapredictionandthepredictionistested bymakinganotherisolatedobjectiveobservation. Inthesecondorderapproach,thetherapistispartofthatwhichisobserved,andthereforecan describethecombinationofobservingsystems.Therapyisacollaborativeprocess,thetherapist andclientconstructanewstorythatsolvestheproblemsofthecurrentstory.Thecontextin whichtheclientsproblemexistsisamajorconcern,aswellasthemeaningoftheproblem givenbytheclientandtherapist.Theclientisthemainfocus,andthegoalisnottoimposesome normativewayacceptedbysociety. 5.ETHICALCONCERNSTHATCOULDBERAISEDABOUTEACHAPPROACH: Firstorderapproach: Whendealingwithafamily,nottakingintoaccountthedevelopmentalprocessoffamily subsystemsisarisk.Thereforeatherapistmayjoinasubsystemtoviewhowitfunctionsand thisrisksthetherapistjoiningandsupportingonlyonesubsystem.Disequilibrium,wherethe therapistintervenesinthefamilysysteminordertoimbalanceit,andtherebytransformthe family,ispossiblyunethical.Furthermore,transformationreferstothefactthatthefamilyneeds tochangeaccordingtohowthetherapisthasjudgedthemagainsthis/herownvalues.The secondorderapproach,incontrast,doesnotconsiderthetherapistasallknowing,andfamily

transformationdoesnotrelyonthetherapistasitdoesinthefirstorderapproach.Thetherapist causesdistressinthefamilyinordertohelpthem,butifthetherapistdoesntknowwhathe/she isdoing,biggerproblemscanarise.

Firstorderapproachesmakeuseofpathology,andusecategorisationsofhealthyand unhealthy.Treatmentisinitiatedwithoutbeingawareoftheecologyofwhichthesymptomsare relatedtothesystemandhowtheassumedcurewillmanifestinthesystem.Careful considerationisnecessaryaboutthenatureofaninterventioncomparedtotheassumedgoodit canprovide,andifitisconstructiveordestructive. Firstorderapproacheshaveanidealiseddefinitionofhealththatsnotalwaysattainablebymost systems.Theapproachmaynotbefunctionalforaparticularsysteminaparticularcontext. Secondorderapproach: Sincediagnosingandlabellingdonotoccurintherapy,clientsmayhavetroublewithmedical aidswhowanttoknowthediagnosisinordertoagreetopay.Therapistandclientshould negotiatethisandfindasolution. Sincesecondorderapproachesmostlymakeuseoflanguageasameansfortherapy, awarenessofwordchoiceandgenderstereotypesisnecessary. Neutralityisviewedasafavourableattitudeduringtherapy,thusallowingthemembersofthe systemtosaythatthetherapisthasnttakenanysides.However,thisexemptstheidesoftaking moralstanceasthismeanstakingonesside.Remainingneutralcomesasaresultofthe therapistengagingincircularquestioning,allowingthetherapisttoengageinconversationwith differentmembersofthesystem.Thesamesituationmaybeviewedindifferentways,and throughcircularquestioningthetherapistacknowledgesthisaswellasthefactthatnoonehas accesstothetruth. 6.INTEGRATINGBOTHTHEFIRSTANDSECONDORDERAPPROACHESINAUSEFULAND COMPLEMENTARYWAY: Bothapproacheshavevaluablecontributionsinatherapeuticcontext.Firstorderapproaches dontadequatelyaddresstheconnectingrelationshipbetweenclientandtherapist,whereas secondorderapproachesdo.Theystressthetherapistsbehaviourduringsessions,language, posture,attitude,andvalues.Therefore,ifatherapisttakesthefirstorderapproachtotherapy andviewsthesystemfromanoutsidersvantage,he/sheshouldnotlethis/hervaluesblind his/herjudgementsaboutthesituation.Anopenandacceptingframeofmindshouldbekept.

REFERENCES Becvar,D.S.&Becvar,R.J.(2009).Familytherapy,asystemicintegration.U.S.A:Pearson