The Olson Circumplex Model: A

systemic approach to couple and

family
By Catherine Sanders MAPS and Dr Jordan Bell MAPS, Bower Place¹, Adelaide

In recent years, family therapists have sought to establish the credibility of their therapeutic approach
by building the evidence base for models of practice. One such family therapy model - Olson's
Circumplex Model - is supported by over 1,200 studies conducted over the last 30 years (Olson,
2011), making it highly attractive to psychologists working with families under stress.

Modelling family dynamics

The Olson Circumplex Model (Olson, 2000) conceptualises flexibility, cohesion and communication
skills as three central variables that define family interactions. Based on a conceptual clustering of
many concepts designed to describe family and couple dynamics, the model "is specifically designed
for clinical assessment, treatment planning and research on outcome effectiveness of marital and
family therapy" (Olson, 2000, p.144).

The Circumplex Model suggests that "balanced levels of cohesion and flexibility are most conducive to
healthy family functioning. Conversely, unbalanced levels of cohesion and flexibility (very low or very
high levels) are associated with problematic family functioning" (Olson, 2011, p.65). The model also
provides a means of discussing these concepts with couples and families, and can provide them with
tools to manage stress into the future.

Flexibility - between chaos and rigidity

Olson's model addresses flexibility through examining the amount of change that is possible in
leadership, role relationships and family rules (see boxed information). Both stability and change are
necessary in healthy family and couple relationships, and the ability to allow change when it is needed
distinguishes functional from dysfunctional families.

Too little flexibility leads to rigidity, with the family or couple relationship unable to shift or evolve in
response to change, whether it arises internally through individual members' development or is
imposed by the environment. Too much flexibility results in chaos, with family members unable to
create shared agreements that govern their actions and inter-relationships, providing no firm base on
which to stand. In between these two extremes lies the balanced options
of flexible orstructured families, where the balance between rigidity and chaos is negotiated from a strong base
of shared understanding of rules and roles within the relationship.

DIMENSIONS OF FLEXIBILITY (after Olson, 2000)

 Chaotic Flexible Structured Rigid

Lack of Shared Leadership Authoritarian

leadership leadership sometimes shared leadership

Erratic Democratic Somewhat Strict discipline

discipline discipline democratic
discipline

Dramatic role Role-sharing Roles stable Roles seldom

shifts change change

Too much Change when Change when Too little change

change necessary demanded

Unbalanced Balanced Balanced Unbalanced

Cohesion - not disengaged, not enmeshed

The level of emotional bonding between family members is measured in the Circumplex Model through
the degree of cohesion - the extent and nature of connections, boundaries and shared interests within
the family. Cohesion refers to the balance between family members' independence and their
togetherness (see boxed information). Once again, both appropriate levels of connection to, and
independence from, family are important for maintaining healthy relationships.

Too much closeness results in enmeshment - families exhibit extreme amounts of emotional closeness
and may be dependent on, and reactive to, one another. High levels of family loyalty and consensus
are required and there is little tolerance for private space or relationships outside the family. Too
much separateness causes disengagement, where families exhibit little emotional closeness, instead
remaining focussed on individual experiences and activities. There is limited commitment to family
interests, and members are often unable to turn to one another for emotional or practical support or
assistance. The balance is found for separated or connectedfamilies, where a balance between individual
and group interests supports optimal family functioning.

DIMENSIONS OF COHESION (after Olson, 2000)

Disengaged Separated Connected Enmeshed

'I' 'I - We' 'I - We' 'We'

Little closeness Low-moderate Moderate-high Very high
closeness closeness closeness

Little loyalty Some loyalty High loyalty Very high loyalty

High Interdependent Interdependent High dependency

independence (more (more dependence)
independence)

Unbalanced Balanced Balanced Unbalanced

Communication - a facilitating skill

Olson's model regards communication as a ‘facilitating' skill - one which has the potential to support
families and couples to move to more functional levels of flexibility and cohesion. Families which show
balanced levels of engagement and openness to change tend to score higher on measures of listening
skills, self-disclosure, and demonstrating respect and regard in communication.

Integrating the model

Olson views flexibility and cohesion as two dimensions on a grid (see Figure 1), so that families can
be, for example, flexibly connected, or structurally separated, or chaotically enmeshed, orrigidly
disengaged. Families and couples which are characterised by more balanced characteristics tend to be
more functional over the developmental cycle, and tend to have better communications skills and
habits (white boxes in Figure 1). Families and couples who possess more unbalanced tendencies find it
challenging to deal with the pressures caused by changes in working arrangements, illness and injury,
infidelity, challenging child behaviours, or the intersecting developmental arcs of different family
members (black boxes in Figure 1). They tend to have poor communications skills. Families with a
mixture of balanced and unbalanced styles (grey boxes in Figure 1) will find it challenging to deal with
pressures and changes, but have a stronger foundation on which to base a move to a more balanced
mode of interaction, especially if they can also develop their communications skills.
The model is particularly useful when working with families or couples who are entrenched in their
positions to explain that the situation doesn't have to be black or white, all or none. It demonstrates
clearly how incremental change can be helpful, provides clues as to how individual actions can bring
results, and visibly illustrates the ‘shades of grey' that lie between the simple considerations of
‘balanced' and ‘unbalanced'. Interventions which improve communications skills can support families
to move closer to optimal flexibility and cohesion, and changes in one dimension can have flow on
effects to other dimensions.

The Circumplex Model operates on the fundamental assumption that families naturally progress
through cycles of change in response to altered environmental demands and the evolving needs of
family members. This is termed ‘second order change', which involves a change in the rules which
govern the system and effectively creates a ‘new' family better suited to its conditions. Functional
families understand change - that a couple's relationship will alter once a baby arrives, that it's not
appropriate to parent a 16-year-old in the same way you parented a 6-year-old, that when adult
children leave home the degree of closeness with parents will alter - and adjust their interactions to
meet the required levels of flexibility and cohesion. Balanced families flexibly transform from one
arrangement to another in times of stress and as the life cycle unfolds. Conversely, unbalanced
families tend to remain condemned to their dysfunctional patterns, which further increase the
pressures on the system.

Having the ability to understand and respond to needs for increased or decreased closeness or
flexibility in a relationship is a protective mechanism. Once presenting symptoms are addressed, the
family is empowered with the tools to respond functionally to future pressures, environmental changes
and the developmental trajectories of its members.

Case study  

Roy and Jenny had been unhappily partnered for years, ever since
the birth of their son Ben, now 13 years old. They had separated
three years previously, and attended therapy following an extended
custody battle. With the end of Jenny's previous relationship they
were spending more time together and struggling to agree on how
to manage their son. Ben was described as having been ‘difficult'
since kindergarten, was refusing to attend school and had recently
been arrested for shoplifting. He spent most of his days with his
mates on the street and appeared to have little or no respect for
either parent or any other authority figure.

When the family attended for the first session it was clear that
communication was a serious issue. It seemed impossible for any
family member to complete a sentence without interruption from
another, and Roy and Jenny were unable to agree about any issue.
Jenny believed her son had a psychiatric disorder which could only
resolve with time, while Roy was of the view that if they could "work
together as a family" they may be able to influence Ben. While
initially surly, Ben soon engaged in the session by describing how
both his parents contributed to the family's difficulties, and, in
particular, the fighting between them. As this unfolded, the younger
children quietly slipped out of the room. Despite the fact that they
were divorced, it was apparent that Roy and Jenny remained highly
reactive to eachother, and Ben to each of them. They were, in
Olson's schema, chaotically enmeshed, without the communication
skills to resolve the changing needs of this family as a separated
unit with an adolescent who required a flexible blend of
independence and parental control.

Work with the family focussed on improving communication and

respect between the parents in order to cooperatively join in
managing Ben's difficult behaviour. Practically, this involved an
agreement to ‘stop yelling', disengage from conflict and to respond
to Ben's challenges in a planned way, utilising the best of each
parents' skills. Each has been encouraged to set firm, yet
reasonable limits which can be effectively enforced. Gradually
change is occurring, with Ben irregularly attending school,
spontaneously tidying his room and reacting less negatively to
parental demands. Jenny has reduced her yelling and chooses not
to respond to Roy's efforts to engage her in conflict. She is now
actively seeking greater independence from Roy. While there is still
a need for further change, the family could now be characterised as
moving towards flexible connection.