family emotional systems theory

1320 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Family systems theory principles

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,

Show More
Related

  • Murray Bowen's Family Systems Theory In The Television Show

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Bowen Approach To Therapy Essay

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Goldbergs Case Study

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Blended Family Essay

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    In attempting to understand the blended family system, one would be remised if we did not first look at, and understand primarily what a family system dynamic is. Unfortunately, this is a theory that once had very clear cut lines; today those lines are a little burred and more subjective than ever before. Given that the family is an ever changing system with fluid boarders, this author will illustrate some finite distinctions that may separate the typical family system from a blended family system. Family systems have been studied since psychologists began studying people and their behaviors.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Cognitivevior Therapy And Bowen's Family Systems Theory

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Murray Bowen that suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit. Bowen family systems theory is a theory of human behavior that views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit. It is the nature of a family that its members are intensely connected emotionally. Often people feel distant or disconnected from their families, but this is more feeling than fact. Families so profoundly affect their member’s thoughts, feelings, and actions that it often seems as if people are living under the same “emotional skin.” People solicit each other’s attention, approval, and support and react to each other’s needs, expectations, and upsets. The connectedness and reactivity make the functioning of family members interdependent. A change in one person’s functioning is predictably followed by reciprocal changes in the functioning of others. Families differ somewhat in the degree of interdependence, but it is always present to some

    Read More

  • Attachment Theory: Systematic Analysis Of The Family Of Origin

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Family Systems Theory

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Becvar, D. S., & Becvar, R. J. (1999). Systems theory and family systems (2 ed.). Lanham, NY: University Press of America.

    Read More

  • Codependency should be a Medical Diagnosis

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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...

    Read More

  • Family Systems Theory

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Structural Family Theory Case Study

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Structural Family Therapy

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Family Systems Theory And The Family-Development Theory

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the 20th century, researchers have sought out solutions to help assist families and the individual components that make up family systems overcome the challenges and schisms that can inhibit individuation and stability. Two theoretical perspectives, the family-systems theory and the family-development theory, were conceived to gain as Balswick & Balswick (2014) noted, gain “a wide-angle view of family life” (p. 22). Though these two theories have merit, one I found to be more advantageous in gaining a better understanding of the family as an actively metastasizing organism, which needs to be approached more adaptively.

    Read More

  • Family Therapy: Personal Integrative Therapy

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Nate's Suicide Case Study

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Murray Bowen Emotional Interconnectedness Of Family

    507 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about family emotional systems theory

Open Document