Circumplex Model of Family Dynamics in Turkish Families: a Comparative Typological Perspective

Abstract

Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems is a major systemic theory that aims to define the balanced and extreme psychological patterns of family systems with a multicultural perspective. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Circumplex Model-based family typology in a collectivistic Eurasian country. Data obtained from 807 college students agreed to participate in the study. Latent profile analysis was performed to examine the validity of the proposed typology, and a series of linear trend analyses were performed to test whether family functioning and psychological outcomes differ significantly across family types in proposed models. Circumplex Model-based family typology emerged with unique profiles, and the analyses produced theoretically extreme but culturally normative typology for the collectivistic Turkish family system. Current findings supported the fundamental hypothesis of the Circumplex Model, in that even families with optimal functionality may not be completely free of unbalanced structural dynamics. © 2024 University of Toronto Press. All rights reserved.