Which systemic technique is designed to create clearer generational boundaries by encouraging parents to spend time with each other rather than with children?

• A. Rituals
• B. Odd/Even Day Ritual
• C. Invariant Prescription
• D. Circular Questioning

Answer: (C)

Invariant prescription is a strategic technique where the therapist gives the family a concrete, unchanging directive to follow, creating a stable pattern that reshapes interactions and boundaries. By prescribing that parents spend dedicated time together, the family system is reoriented to emphasize the parental dyad and establish clearer generational boundaries between the parents and children. This fixed rule makes the couple’s relationship a constant frame in the household, reducing enmeshment and the tendency for children to become the focal point of the system.

Rituals are routines that organize family life and can support boundaries, but they’re broader and don’t inherently mandate a specific parental dyad focus. The odd/even day ritual centers on alternating time with each parent and the child, which can redistribute caregiving time rather than specifically strengthening the couple's bond. Circular questioning is about mapping perspectives and relationships to reveal patterns, not about prescribing a lasting boundary-changing behavior.