The idea that family problems are embedded in dysfunctional family structures has led to the criticism of structural family therapy as pathologizing. Critics see structural maps of
dysfunctional organization as portraying a pathological core in client families. This isn’t
true. Structural problems are generally viewed as a simple failure to adjust to changing circumstances. Far from seeing families as inherently flawed, structural therapists see their
work as activating latent adaptive structures that are already in client families’ repertoires
(Simon, 1995).