Triangulation
Conclusion
As suggested by early family therapists such as Bowen and Minuchin, and echoed by empirical researchers such as Robert Emery, Frank Fincham, and Mark Cummings (1992), the family is more complex than a simple collection of dyadic relationships and children's development is intimately intertwined in this web of reciprocal family inter-actions. Triangulation of children into ongoing marital disputes, whether it be through scapegoating the child, detouring marital conflict through the child, or the establishment of an overly close parent-child alliance that excludes the other parent, has been linked to marital dysfunction as well as child behavioral and emotional problems. Ongoing areas of research and clinical work are focused on better understanding the complex reciprocal nature of family relationships and the development of effective interventions that can reduce the likelihood of triangulation as well as reduce impact of problematic interaction processes (such as triangulation) on child development.
See also: BOUNDARY DISSOLUTION; CONFLICT: COUPLE RELATIONSHIPS; CONFLICT: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; CONFLICT: PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS; COPARENTING; FAMILY, DIAGRAMMATIC ASSESSMENT: GENOGRAM; FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY; INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT—EFFECTS ON CHILDREN; THERAPY: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; THERAPY: PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
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KRISTIN LINDAHL
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Theory & Types of FamiliesTriangulation - Systemic And Structural Family Theories, Detriangulation, The Empirical Study Of Triangulation, Conclusion