title: Family: a systems approach.
abstract: The family is a social system with elements of structure, bonding, boundaries and function. The person and the dyad are the building blocks (subsystems) of the family. A systems approach allows the family physician to elucidate specific areas of disruption, describe problems in terms of family elements and intervene at the appropriate hierarchic level to promote optimum health to family members.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012933:Social Identification; D013597:Systems Analysis