The nurse is caring for a patient who reports having marital difficulties. When experiencing heightened anxiety related to his health issues, the patient chooses to discuss his feelings with a female friend rather than with his spouse. The nurse recognizes the patient's actions as a defensive way of reducing, neutralizing, or defusing heightened anxiety known as

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Triangles refer to a defensive way of reducing, neutralizing, or defusing heightened anxiety between two family members by drawing a third person, or object into the relationship. If the original triangle fails to contain or stabilize the anxiety, it can expand into a series of "interlocking" triangles, for example into school issues or an affair. Systems' thinking maintains that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, with each part reciprocally influencing its function. If one part of the system changes or fails, it affects the functioning of the whole. Feedback loops describe the patterns of interaction that facilitate movement toward morphogenesis, or morphostasis; they impact goal setting in behavior systems. Multigenerational transmission refers to the emotional transmission of behavioral patterns, roles, and communication response styles from generation to generation. It explains why family patterns tend to repeat behaviors in marriages, child rearing, choice of occupation, and emotional responses across generations, without understanding why it happens.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Patient Who Reports Having