The reason I’m thinking about this now is because of what is happening in Chicago and other “woke” cities. I have always been a moderate Democrat. I have never voted for a Republican in my life . What bothers me now is that I love Chicago, but at this time don’t want to go there because of what is happening with violence and the political upheaval.
How is this related to Structural Family Therapy? It seems that some of the social structures that have been used to organize society are misaligned. Recently on April 14 & 15, 2023, groups of young people took over downtown Chicago. They harassed adults, set cars on fire and caused a lot of damage. The police were overwhelmed and the new Mayor of the City, Brandon Johnson, seemed to give the young people a partial excuse for their behavior He said we shouldn’t blame them because of their lack of resources and recreational activities. He said violence was unacceptable, but don’t demonize youth. In the past he has called on defunding the police. Over the past six to eight years the morale of the police has suffered. They hear negative comments about overreacting from the media and politicians. They arrest violent criminals and see them out on the street in a number of hours. Criminals are given ankle bracelets to monitor their whereabouts, but often the system is overwhelmed. Guns seem to be everywhere. Hardly a week goes by without some tragic story of a small child being shot in a crossfire. The city need more police, but is having a hard time recruiting because of the current situation .
I hear politicians saying this is a mental health problem.
No it is a problem of control. I keep thinking if I was still working, would I want to be called out in the middle of the night for an attempt to defuse a violent episode. The answer is no. The situation has to be under control before therapy can be attempted.
I think Dr. Minuchin would look at the current problems and try to get the adults in the room on the same page. He would not give excuses for problematic behavior. He would not want any individual who acts out to not have a consequence. It would be like promising an acting out child a new video game as a way to stop problematic behavior. The police need to be supported. They are our primary protectors. The legal and political systems need to work together to provide this support. If this doesn’t happen I doubt if any real changes will occur.