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Family systems theory principles
Family systems theory principles
Family systems theory principles
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Analysis of Bowen’s Family Emotional Systems Theory in the Clark Case Study This paper explains family emotional systems theory, as developed by Murray Bowen, as it applies to the Clark Family Case Study. I will begin this paper with a broad overview of family systems theory and focus specifically on Bowen’s family emotional systems theory and its interpretation of family emotional and relational dynamics and symptom formations. My explanation of this theory will be based on course readings, class handouts, and supplemental research. I will assess which of Bowen’s eight interlocking key principles and concepts were the primary generators of anxiety in the Clark family (Bowen, 1978). Most notably, I will examine the emotional fusion and lack of differentiation between Bob and Marie. I will also examine the role of emotional triangles that exist within the Clark family, as a tool to shift anxiety and divert focus and also as a means for understanding the father-mother-child relationships. Finally, I will examine the intergenerational transmission of patterns, themes and roles of the members of the Clark family. In conclusion, I will critique the merits and the shortcomings of Bowen’s family emotional systems theory using Hutchinson’s (2010, p.30) five criteria for evaluating theories in the practice of Social Work. Literature Review Murray Bowen’s family emotional systems theory (BFST) is an outgrowth of Freud’s psychoanalysis of the individual (Kerr, 1981). Bowen was an analyst by training and applied the “unconscious mental processes” to the study of family systems (Walsh, 2010, p.91). Bowen’s theory exists as a branch under the umbrella of the more general systems theory. System theory posits that a whole system is more tha... ... middle of paper ... ...se cut-off with him in the next generation” (Bowen, 1978, p.382). The emotionally cut-off individual may experience profound difficulties in intimate relationship. Further, this individual “does not see himself/herself as part of the system, his only options are either to get others to change or to withdraw”(Kerr and Bowen, 1988, pp. 272-273). This individual is usually unaware or in denial of the strength of the pull of the primary relationship (Walsh, 2010). Finally, the act of cutting-off does not resolve the underlying issues. Bowen’s family emotional systems theory is a dynamic theory that places the individual within the family system. The theory examines the family system’s level of anxiety by highlighting the types of fusion, triangling, the nuclear familyprojecting, multi-generational transmission of patterns, the emotionally cutting off of an individual,
For Bowen, the family is the unit of observation and the emphasis is put on emotional forces that are common to all families, this helps to reduce the significance of which family member is causing the problem. Bowens approach to change is understood within the context of striving to understand life’s forces, the very principal that gives coherence to Bowens approach to therapy. (Friedman, 1991). When attempting to achieve change within a client the source of the issue is less important, but rather trying to locate the systematic forces within a family as well as those that are transmitted from generation...
In understanding others, one must first understand our own family background and how it affects our understanding of the world. Conversely, family systems draw on the view of the family as an emotional unit. Under system thinking, one evaluates the parts of the systems in relation to the whole meaning behavior becomes informed by and inseparable from the functioning of one’s family of origin. These ideas show that individuals have a hard time separating from the family and the network of relationships. With a deeper comprehension of the family of origin helps with the challenges and awareness of normalized human behaviors. When interviewing and analyzing the family of origin, allow one to look at their own family of origin
“The popularization of the term codependency among the general public through the self-help literature has had positive and negative consequences for the practice of psychotherapy. On one hand, the popular usage of the term has been helpful in raising public awareness regarding the complex interrelationships that transpire within American families. On the other hand, widespread usage of the term has resulted in misunde...
Family systems have been studied since psychologists began studying people and their behaviors. The family is a dynamic system—a self-organizing system that adapts itself to changes in its members and to changes in its environment (as cited in Sigelman & Rider, 2009). Allowing the focus of a family system to grow beyond the mother and child relationship did not happen overnight. For many years, there was no connection made between other members of the family and the developmental issues of the children involved.
According to Murray Bowen’s family systems theory, the family subsists in a system where as the individuals are inseparable from their network of relationships, but continue to strive to be individualized. Consequently, various forms of these networks are grounded in the domestic structure and the “normal” or “ideal” family and development derives from the interaction of the family members when they remain differentiated, unease is minimal, and partners have beneficial emotional communication with their own family members (Nichols, 2014). The concept of achieving individuality while remaining in a cohesive family unit may cause stress. Concepts such as differentiation of self, triangulation, emotional cutoff, and anxious attachment may aid in the elucidation of the family system. This theoretical concept along with these coinciding terms will be explored through one episode of the television series The Goldbergs called Rush.
According to Murray Bowen’s family systems theory, the family subsists in an arrangement, whereas the individuals are inseparable from their network of relationships, but continue to strive to be individualized. Consequently, various forms of these networks are grounded in the domestic structure and the “normal” or “ideal” family and its development is derived from the interaction of the family members as they remain differentiated, anxiety is minimal, and partners have beneficial emotional communication with their family members (Nichols, 2014). Subsequently, the idea of achieving individuality while remaining in a cohesive family unit may cause stress. Concepts such as differentiation of self, triangulation, emotional cutoff, and anxious attachment may aid in the elucidation of the family system. This theoretical concept along with these coinciding terms will be explored through one episode of the television series The Goldbergs called Rush.
Fred, Wilma, and Rose present an interesting perspective when looking at their family through a Structural Family Systems Theory. When trying to work with the family a social worker will utilize Functional Family Therapy in order to understand their structure and maybe ameliorate some of the family’s problems. Using Rose and her family as the clients it will be able explain what interventions we can use when we learn the constructs of the theory.
In the industrial age before World War II, when individual psychotherapy was born and thrived, human beings were essentially seen as machines, with broken parts—including the mind—that could be repaired; after World War II, the dawning information technology age brought a paradigm shift in the view of human life from mechanical to relational, and communication and systems theories provided family therapy with increased validity and prominence. (White, 2009, pp. 200-201). The modern family systems theories that grew out of this paradigm viewed families narrowly as functional or dysfunctional according to the delineation of each theory. Today, postmodern theory suggests that no absolute truth governs individuals or families; instead, people are
Nichols, M. P. (2013). Bowen family systems therapy. In M. P. Nichols & R. C. Schwartz, Family therapy: Concepts and methods (10th ed., pp. 76-96). Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R. J. (1999). Systems theory and family systems (2 ed.). Lanham, NY: University Press of America.
According to Richard Charles (2001) “the effectiveness of family systems theory rests not much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory” (p. 279). Bowen’s family systems theory views the family as an emotional unit and is a theory of human behavior. Systems thinking is used to describe the complex interactions in the unit. However, the client’s ability to differentiate himself/herself from the family of origin is the basis for Bowen’s family systems theory. In addition, the primary focus for growth within the emotional system is differentiation of self.
Each family unit exhibits concepts and themes found within Bowen’s Family System Theory. In my family unit, I see the following concepts and themes from a family system theory perspective exhibited through my genogram; boundaries, levels of differentiation, family projection process, and emotional cutoff. Each of these will be expanded on further below:
In the previous vignette I described Nate, an 18 year old boy who experienced dissonance between performative masculinity (Butler, J. 1990) and expressing grief. In this paper I will be analyzing the family system of Nate using Family Systems Theory (FST) and FST concepts. The FST concepts I will be using are messages, roles, and patterns of interaction. When Nate was 16 his father committed suicide, I will describe Nate’s family system prior to his death and the shift in it after.
Moreover, the foundational approach to structural family therapy are that families’ are views as psychosocial systems, attached within social systems, which operate in a transactional patters. The transaction patterns are how, when and whom to relate, and reinforce systems. As a result each family duty are carried ou...
Carl Whitaker, Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy, and James Framo expanded the field of psychology with their contributions to family therapy. They utilized various techniques that promoted family patterns, involving third-generation family members, and problems existing within a group of blood related people. Involving relatives and their normal series of obstacles provides insight into the family’s unresolved issues that are likely to cause conflict throughout each generation. This particular transgenerational concept offers a psychoanalytical approach to historical influences, which can affect a family’s current functioning (Goldenberg, Goldenberg, 2013, p. 204). Out of the listed leaders in family therapy, Murray Bowen developed and broadened the understanding of the emotional interconnectedness of families.