Crazy Idea Bigb... - Familytherapy Marilyn Masters A

Family Therapy: A Concise Guide

Part 4: The "Big B..." – Big Backlash and Big Legacy

Naturally, the conservative psychological establishment attacked. The "crazy idea" was called:

  • "Mechanical reductionism" (reducing love to physiology).
  • "Unholy collaboration" (a male and female therapist working alone? Scandalous!).
  • "Simplistic behaviorism" (ignoring the deep unconscious).

But the results spoke. By the 1980s, co-therapy was mandatory in most marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate programs. The "crazy idea" became the industry standard. FamilyTherapy Marilyn Masters A Crazy Idea BigB...

Today, every time a family therapist:

  • Asks a couple to argue in front of the therapist (instead of privately).
  • Prescribes paradoxical homework (e.g., "Tonight, try to have a fight").
  • Uses a co-therapist in high-conflict divorce cases.

...they are walking in the footsteps of Masters and Johnson’s "Big Gamble." Family Therapy: A Concise Guide Part 4: The "Big B

2. Treating the "Marital Unit," Not the Symptoms

They refused to see a partner alone. If one partner refused to attend, they refused treatment. "Mechanical reductionism" (reducing love to physiology)

  • The logic: "There are no dysfunctional individuals, only dysfunctional systems." This is now the core axiom of Family Systems Therapy.

Common approaches

  • Structural family therapy (focuses on family organization and boundaries)
  • Strategic therapy (problem-focused, directive interventions)
  • Bowenian (focus on intergenerational patterns and differentiation)
  • Narrative therapy (reframes problems as external to persons)
  • CBT-informed family therapy (skills, behavioral change, psychoeducation)

Practical techniques you can try

  • Structured family meetings: 20–40 minutes weekly with set agenda (check-in, problem discussion, solution planning).
  • The "I-message" script: "I feel X when Y happens because Z. I would like..."
  • Time-limited speaking rounds: each person speaks for 60–90 seconds without interruption.
  • Behavioral contracts for specific changes (e.g., chores, screen time) with clear rewards/consequences.
  • Genogram: create a 3-generation family map to spot repeating patterns.
  • Role-reversal exercise: swap perspectives to build empathy.