Applying Systems Theory to Counselling and School Bullying

The word system is derived from the Greek sunistánai, meaning ‘to cause to stand together’. Systems thinking emphasizes that the properties of the system are properties of the whole which none of the parts possesses. An important feature of systems theories is their transdisciplinary nature. This is at odds with the tendency towards neatly compartmentalizing the understanding of a phenomenon, and instead proposing the need to embrace complexity. 

Systems thinking has been informed by a long and distinguished group of philosophers, writers and scientists. The early Greek philosopher Hesiod, writing in the Theogony, emphasised the idea of order - the world for Hesiod was an interconnected place. Aristotle’s writings alerted us to the purpose of all things with his interest in biology leading him to advance the idea that all living things exist for a reason and have a purpose (telos) or direction to their life. His dictum that the ‘whole is more than the sum of its parts’ (Metaphysica 10f-1045a) is well-known and highlights the reductionism inherent in behavioural approaches to psychology. Roman stoicism (developed from earlier Greek thinking), was informed by the thinking of Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Stoic epistemology rejected reductionist thinking that focused on a single part of nature emphasising the interconnected nature of things and the need for overarching ‘cataleptic impression’ (knowledge about the world arising from the gathering together of perceptions, memories and experiences). The interconnected nature of all things is also reflected in the world views of many Indigenous cultures.  As Jennifer Browne and colleagues have written (2021,p.2) regarding Australian indigenous people ‘While  systems science is relatively new in the Western world, elements of systems thinking have been strongly present in Aboriginal communities for thousands of years”.

Conventional western mechanistic and causal ways of thinking direct us to search for the faulty or broken part or problematic individual in order to fix the ‘problem’. Schools for example  are, however, based around systems, and systems within systems (e.g. community, home, school, year level, classroom and peer groups). The various systems interact, and within the systems individuals are viewed as active agents in construing their own world. From a systemic perspective, people are viewed in terms of their relationships with one another, rather than simply being understood principally on the basis of their individual development. As such, a child’s misconduct in school (e.g. bullying others) is understood to serve some purpose within the system or to reflect something about the system itself. That is, the  behaviour is not just the result of some inner psychic disturbance or carried out for some reward. The student’s behaviour may be viewed as a window through which we can look to understand his or her place in the system, providing an important insight into the various roles and relationships within the system.

Clinical Case Study

A primary school age child was referred to me by his general practitioner for treatment for his anger and aggression as he had been suspended from school. His clinical notes indicated a history of bullying and in extreme cases physical assaults on his classmates and occasionally his teachers. Working within a family systems framework the  therapeutic team saw him and his family and worked to externalize his  bullying, anger and aggression, giving a form and substance to what he came to call - ‘Mr Angry’. Working across the school, classroom and family systems over a number of months he learned to not  to’invite’ ‘Mr Angry’ into his life and a graduated program was developed to overturn his school suspension. Over the course of therapy his parents and siblings became better at recognizing when he did not let ‘Mr Angry’ into his life when faced with some frustration and were better able to point this positive development out to him. In follow-up visits his successes were celebrated and his set-backs were reflected upon as he learned  how ‘sneaky’ and ‘cunning’ Mr Angry could be along with skills in successfully addressing the ‘sneakiness’ of Mr Angry’.

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References

Browne J, Walker T, Brown A, et al. (2021). Systems thinking for Aboriginal Health: Understanding the value and acceptability of group model building approaches. SSM - Population Health. Sep;15:100874. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100874. PMID: 34355056; PMCID: PMC8325093.

Hesiod., & West, M. L. (1999). Theogony: and, Works and days. Oxford University Press.

Shute, R. H., & Slee, P. T.(2022). School bullying and marginalisation: Harmonising paradigms. Springer Singapore.

Shute, R., & Slee, P.T. (2026). (3^rd Edt.). Child Development. Thinking about  theories, Routledge, Singapore.