Family System Theory: Social And Behavioral Science Foundations
Dr. Murray Bowen was a researcher, clinician, teacher, writer and a psychiatrist. After serving in the military for a few years, Bowen became interested in psychiatry. By Bowen being interested in psychiatry, he originated the family system theory in the late 1950s. Family system theory is also called the Bowen Theory. This theory is one that suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but as a part of their family. When using this theory, it is understood that we cannot have a clear understanding of relationships between the child and/or the parent, without understanding how effective the conditions around the family are. This theory hypothesizes the family as its own system. Some family may be a mother, father, and siblings, while others may say their family is a mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin. Regardless of what one’s definition of a family are, the combinations have an impact on each individual in one family. Research has proven that the mother is not the greatest influence on a child’s development. When treating a client using this theory, is first getting the client to understand their behaviors and relate those behaviors to their family. Bowen first introduced this theory while working with schizophrenic clients by studying the relationship between mothers and daughters.
Focus of Theory
Bowen’s primary focus of the family system theory is the family’s emotions and personality as a whole. He thought that even when one felt disconnected from their family, the family still had an impact on the individual. According to Bowen, he wanted to encourage one to think of issues in terms of a multigeneration family. He believed that the only way to understand an individual behavior is by studying the entire family.
Major Concepts
Bowen’s theory is divided into eight concepts: triangles, differentiation of self, nuclear family emotional process, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process, emotional cutoff, sibling position and societal emotional process. The first concept is the triangle concept is the smallest system. It is a three-person relationship system. It is a building block of a larger emotional system. The second concept, differentiation of self, is when families effect how people think and feel. Third, the nuclear family emotional process is a basic relationship pattern. This pattern explains where the problems develop in the family. The fourth concept is, family projection process. The family projection process is how the parents convey their emotional problems to a child. The family projection process has three steps to follow: the parent focuses on a child out of fear that something is wrong with the child, the parent interprets the child’s behavior as confirming the fear and the parent treats the child as if something is wrong with child. This process is helpful because the parents are trying to fix the problem they have conveyed in the child. The fifth concept, multigenerational transmission process, is how small differences between a parent and their off springs can lead over many generations. This process is because of how a child must respond to their parents’ actions and attitudes. Another concept is the emotional cutoff. The sixth concept is the emotional cutoff. The emotional cutoff is how an individual person is about to manage their unresolved emotional issues within one’s family. The individual is to do this by cutting off any emotional contact with their family. One can cutoff contact by moving away from the family or rarely going home. The seventh concept is sibling position. Sibling position is incorporated by the research of a psychologist name Walter Toman. This concept shows how a person that grows up in the same sibling position has common characteristics. The last concept is the societal emotional process. The societal emotional process shows how the emotional system can rule behavior on a societal level. With this concept, the parent usually gives in to the child.
Practice Interventions and Applications
Family systems theory is a type of therapy that is known to treat clients that is dealing with behavior and mental health situations. This theory is effective with individuals that is dealing with situations that is relatable within one’s family. This type of therapy is helpful is a family or family member is enduring emotional stress, depression, anxiety and many other mental illnesses. This therapy is recommended for a family that has communication difficulties. During therapist intervention, the therapy helps clients identify how their family functions as a whole. The therapy also helps all the family members, or clients, work on their problems together. The therapy will also give the family members assignments. The assignments will help the therapy with the number of sessions that is needed for the clients. Usually, the sessions depend on how severe the problems are within the family.
Family System Theory Usefulness
The family system theory became very effective. This theory is not only effective for families, but also couples and individuals. Using this theory can help the clients have a balance within their family system. This theory is effective for social workers when studying the behavior of a client. The social workers then use the information to try to attain positive solutions to the problem. Another way this theory is used is by understanding how the emotional system operates within a family. Once the social worker can understand the behaviors within the family, the social worker can understand why the client is behaving in such manner.
Works Cited
- Zastrow, C. & Kirst-Ashman, K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.) Cengage Learning: Boston, MA
- Kerr, Michael E. “One Family’s Story: A Primer on Bowen Theory.” The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. 2000. http://www.thebowencenter.org.
