In systemic family therapy, homeostasis refers to

• A. A state of systemic balance of relationships, alliances, power, and authority
• B. The breakdown of family boundaries under stress
• C. The process of differentiating boundaries
• D. The identification of the symptom bearer

Answer: (A)

Homeostasis in a family system is the tendency to maintain a stable, balanced pattern of relationships, alliances, power, and authority. When stress or change occurs, the family reorganizes to restore that familiar order, even if the pattern is dysfunctional. This ongoing effort to keep the relational structure the same helps explain why interaction patterns persist across time and generations. The best choice describes homeostasis as this system-wide balance of who relates to whom and who holds influence. The other ideas describe outcomes of stress (breakdown of boundaries), processes of changing boundaries (differentiation), or labeling who carries the symptom, but they don’t capture the system’s drive to return to an established equilibrium.