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FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY.
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Development by Murray Bowen; his findings; differentiation & role of emotional reactivity & anxiety.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Development by Murray Bowen; his findings; differentiation & role of emotional reactivity & anxiety.
Paper Introduction:
Family Systems Theory
Introduction
Family systems theory conceives of the family as an emotional unit and the individual as part of that unit. The theory assumes that an order and predictability common to all human family relationships regulates the family system. This natural family system operates as a single mutually-influencing unit from which each person must differentiate herself, particularly the children as they move through the process of self-definition. A healthy family system is composed of well-differentiated parents who provide the resources their children need to differentiate themselves, thereby reducing unhealthy behaviors such as emotional reactivity and chronic anxiety.
Family Emotional Process
Dr. Murray Bowen dev
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[1 ] Ibid. Family Systems Theory Introduction Family systems theory conceives of the family as an emotional unit andthe individual as part of that unit.[1] The theory assumes that an orderand predictability common to all human family relationships regulates thefamily system.[2] This natural family system operates as a single mutually-influencing unit from which each person must differentiate herself,particularly the children as they move through the process of self-definition. Whereone family member is dominant, another will be submissive; where one isdecisive, another will be indecisive.[11] Bowen also observed that theserelationships were particular to the family situation. [15] Kerr, M. [2 ] Kerr, K., 3. [2] Ibid. September, 1988. Nonetheless, people achieve different degrees of emotional separationfrom their families. Rather, the child's acts are reactions. [26] Ibid., 42. [33] Ibid. Differentiation further operates on a basic and a functionallevel.[31] A person's basic level of differentiation is the degree fromwhich he is emotionally separate from his family of origin. People with chronicanxiety are reactive and less thoughtful and emotionally needy. If these relationships exist at a poor functionallevel, her family's reactions to her emotional disturbance will upset theemotional equilibrium of the entire family system. [8] Ibid. Defining the Self The process of becoming differentiated from one's family system is theprocess of defining one's self. That is, within thefamily, each member would adopt certain behavioral characteristics thatwere different from the way he or she was with people outside thefamily.[12] Consequently, Bowen's family systems theory adopted the concept ofbalance within the family system, where symptomatic behavior is seen as animbalance in relationships rather than an imbalance in the individual.[13]This system sees individual actions as inseparable from relationships, theemotional process of those relationships, and the way those relationshipswere balanced before the symptomatic behavior occurred.[14] Differentiation Family systems theory assumes that all human beings are born with aninstinctually rooted life force that propels them to be an emotionallyseparate person.[15] This life force is called differentiation and itforces an individual to want to think, feel, and act for herself. [28] Kerr, M. However, it also revealed that a patient'sinterfamilial relationships were so emotionally intense as to make thefamily emotionally interdependent. Generally speaking, anything that affects a person'slevel of anxiety may affect her functional level. Generally, a child's ability to differentiate from the family isinfluenced by that child's degree of emotional separation from the family.The ideal situation occurs in a well-differentiated family where the childis not influenced by the emotionality and pressure for togetherness of thefamily.[18] Thus, the child is able to arrive at an appropriate self-imagethrough free and thoughtful consideration of his beliefs, values, andconvictions. However, the level of chronic anxiety in aperson's important relationships determines his functional level ofdifferentiation.[32] Anxiety in the System While a person's basic level of differentiation generally remainsfixed throughout her life, her functional level of differentiation can varydepending on her level of anxiety.[33] People with low anxiety arethoughtful and active and they tend toward stable, nurturing relationships.On the other hand, when a person's anxiety increases, they lose theirobjectivity and perspective when the anxiety reaches a 'criticalpoint.'[34] A person's critical point varies according to their level ofbasic differentiation. "An Overview of Bowen Theory and Organizations,"Understanding Organizations. [7] Ibid., 37. Such contact allowed him to study the inter-relationship of thesymptoms of one family member to the relationships and emotional processesin the rest of the family members.[5] During his studies, Bowen observed that the emotional impact inpatient-and-family relationships was always very intense, especiallybetween the patient and his or her mother. Kerr, Michael, "Application of Family Systems Theory to a WorkSystem," Understanding Organizations. Chronic Anxiety and Defining A Self. "An Overview of Bowen Theory and Organizations,"Understanding Organizations. (1988), 36. (Georgetown University Family Center, 1982),2. [23] Ibid. Thetheory also assumes another instinctually rooted life force that propelsfamily members to connect emotionally with one another and operate inreaction to one another. [3 ] Ibid. On the other end of the scale, a person is completelyundifferentiated when she has achieved no level of emotional separationfrom her family and she is incapable of asserting her individuality in agroup.[25] The characteristic that polarizes the two ends of the scale isthe degree to which the individual can separate her feelings from herthought processes.[26] A well-differentiated individual can separatethinking from feeling. While other psychiatrists basedthe symbiotic nature of this relationship on the unconscious motives andconflicts of the mother and patient, Bowen argued that a mother's intimateinvolvement with her child during its early years was typical of allmammals.[6] This relationship merely intensified when the child wasmentally ill.[7] Bowen's subsequent research confirmed the emotional intensity of themother-patient relationship. (September,1988), 35. The child's acts,values, and beliefs are based solely on opposing others, rather than on anattempt to define himself, and are often inconsistent.[23] A person'semotional reactivity is a direct result of his level of differentiation. In other words, people reduce their level of anxietyby engaging in relationships that offer relief from their particular fearor anxiety. [18] Ibid. [31] Ibid., 42. [4] Ibid., 36. (1988), 46. Generally, thisis established by the time a child reaches adolescence and usually remainsfixed throughout life. Kerr, Michael. [16] Ibid. [34] Kerr, Michael, "Application of Family Systems Theory to a WorkSystem," Understanding Organizations. In a poorly differentiated family, the child is subject to thefamily's emotionality and pressure for togetherness and is unable tofunction independently. A self-sustaining independent person maysuccessfully modify his basic level of differentiation but it will take aconcerted, focused effort. Differentiation isa product of a way of thinking that translated into a way of being.[29] Toachieve a higher level of differentiation, a person must increase hisability to remain emotionally contained during difficult, emotionallycharged situations. Consequently, they are only willing to be individuals when thefamily unit or other group does not object.[28] They are afraid of beingrejected by the group and, consequently, they do not achieve completedifferentiation. Georgetown University Family Center, 1982. The level of emotional separation one is able toachieve from one's family is based on the level of emotional separationone's parents achieved from their families of origin and the nature of therelationship one has with one's parents, siblings, and other importantrelatives.[17] Consequently, children within one family unit may achievedifferent levels of emotional separation from their family due to differinginterfamilial relationships. [12] Ibid. [32] Ibid. Family Emotional Process Dr. Murray Bowen developed family systems theory during the 195 s andearly 196 s.[3] Bowen's professional interest in the family began when hewas a psychiatrist at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas in the late194 s, where he treated various clinical problems, including schizophrenia,alcoholism, and depression.[4] Bowen's psychiatric practice differed fromthe prevailing norm because he had substantial contact with his patients'families. The woman's anxietyunbalances the entire family system because most people bind anxiety intotheir relationships. Bowen developed a scale of differentiation to describe the varyingdegrees of emotional separation people may achieve from their families oforigin.[24] A person achieves complete differentiation when she fullyresolves her emotional attachment to her family and attains sufficientemotional maturity to assert her individuality whenever she feels it isnecessary. For example, loners bind anxiety by avoiding people whilesocial people bind their anxiety through social relationships. [21] Ibid. [3] Ibid., 35. The family actually operated as aninseparable emotional unit with reciprocal relationships.[8] For example, amother's anxiety about a child's perceived emotional problem resulted inthe child exaggerating the symptoms that gave rise to the mother's anxiety.The mother's anxiety would then increase, and the child's symptoms wouldconsequently increase.[9] Bowen also observed that the family itself wasnever aware of the reciprocal nature of its emotional relationship. [29] Ibid. This life force is called togetherness.[16] Due tothe counterbalance of these two life forces, no human being ever achievescomplete emotional separation from his or her family. There are two types of anxiety to which a person may succumb. Bowen's research further demonstrated that reciprocal functioningcould be so precise that whenever a significant personality trait was foundin one family member, its mirror-opposite would be found in another familymember.[1 ] For example, in a family where one member acts as the personwho does everything right and can handle any problem, there will be areciprocal family member who does everything wrong and cannot cope. A poorly differentiated individual remains unable toseparate the two. [17] Ibid. They tendto have difficulty maintaining long-term relationships.[36] Many things mayinfluence chronic anxiety, but no one thing causes it. (Georgetown University Family Center,1982), 122. [19] Ibid. The child tries todifferentiate himself by opposing his parents, who are also unsure ofthemselves and thus react by opposing his behavior. (1988), 47. Acuteanxiety generally occurs in response to a real threat and is of limitedduration.[35] Chronic anxiety, on the other hand, occurs in response toimagined threats and appears to have no end in sight. [27] Kerr, K., 3. [35] Kerr, M. [13] Kerr, K., 2. (1988), 41. [9] Ibid. [6] Kerr, M. Differentiation is the degree to which aperson defines himself from within himself versus the degree to which hisself is dictated by the emotional forces surrounding him.[27] Most peoplewant to achieve individuality but are afraid to sacrifice togetherness todo so. [14] Ibid. Bibliography Kerr, Kathleen. Emotional Reactivity In a poorly differentiated family, a child will react to the highlevels of emotionality, subjectivity, and pressure for togethernessinflicted by the family unit.[19] Kathleen Kerr describes the emotionalprocess that drives the family system as a "basic biological kind ofautomatic reactivity" of which we are unaware and over which we havelimited control.[2 ] This reactivity drives our irrational acts andinflexible thinking and is a driving force in physical, social andemotional dysfunction.[21] Michael Kerr offers the example of a rebellious child who acts inopposition to his parents and others.[22] The child's rebellion is actuallya symptom of a person whose self is poorly developed. [22] Kerr, M.(1988), 41. [36] Ibid., 46. A completely differentiated person does not rely on the approval orcooperation of others in his attempt to define himself. For example, aperson may feel anxiety about the death of her parents or a fear of losingher job. If a person who suffers from chronic anxiety should lose her job, shewill become emotionally unbalanced and lean on her important relationshipsfor additional support. [5] Kerr, Kathleen. [25] Ibid. [11] Ibid. Georgetown University Family Center,1982.----------------------- [1] Michael Kerr, Chronic Anxiety and Defining A Self. This allows him to consider his emotional responseswithout having them dictate his actions.[3 ] Thus, when faced with theinevitable discord within the family unit to which his process ofdifferentiation may give rise, a well-differentiated child is able to relyon his thinking process and his growing tolerance for intense feelings tonavigate the emotional discord on his way to self-definition. [24] Ibid. A healthy family system is composed of well-differentiatedparents who provide the resources their children need to differentiatethemselves, thereby reducing unhealthy behaviors such as emotionalreactivity and chronic anxiety.
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