Transgenerational Family Therapy

ransgenerational Family Therapy Methods

The Transgenerational perspective maintains that generational conflict can remain unresolved through out generations. The views does not imply causation of conflict, only that unresolved issues can continue to affect families throughout generations, (Jolly 2015). Murray Bowen is considered to be the founder of Transgenerational Family Therapy. It was due to his founding if family therapy and systemic therapy that led to exploring families across multiple generations.
According to Jolly (2015), Bowen’s work originated in psychiatry and observing the interaction between schizophrenic children and their mothers. Jolly as stated that the core issue for Bowen was helping clients balance family togetherness

and individual autonomy. He believed that the successful balance of family intimacy while maintaining differentiation would lead to a healthy psyche, according to Jolly (2015).
Bowen detailed his theory using eight interlocking concepts which follows his development sequence. The eight concepts are as follows:
First, Differentiation of Self is considered the most important concept, (Rabstejnek 2015).

This is the concept that deals with the intellectual and emotional functioning.
Second, Triangles deals with fusion and distancing. Two family members need a third to reduce stress and anxiety within the relationship (Rabstejnek 2015).
Third, Nuclear Family Emotional Process deals with the maternal conflict and emotional divorce. Bowen believes that people will choose mates with similar levels of differentiation.
Fourth, Family Projection Process focuses on the child. All the attention is placed on their children by the parents.
Fifth, Multigenerational Transmission Process is the severe dysfunction is the conceptualized as the result of chronic anxiety transmitted over several generations (Jolly 2015).
Sixth, Emotional Cutoff deals with the origin of family, and when the child emotionally seeks distance from the family.
Seventh, Sibling Position deals with the personality and birth of the child in the family. This typically means that a first-born will marry a first-born.
Eight, Societal Emotional Process, according to Bowen occurs when society continues to decrease in differentiation over the decades and called for better differentiation attempts, (Jolly

2015).
Genogram
Jolly (2015), recommends are Genogram as a Family System Tool. Using a genogram is a graphic way to investigate the genesis of a presenting problem (Jolly 2015). Genograms typically traces back to at least three generations and is worked out with t a family session. Jolly (2015) concluded that a genogram is an excellent tool for a therapist to reference and add throughout the course of therapy.