Murray Bowen's Family Systems Theory: Interlocking Concepts

At some point or the other, most of us have heard the delightful squeals of a baby who has figured out, by touching just one toy on the mobile above the crib, he can shake all of the parts. The game involves allowing the mobile to stabilize so the baby can do this over and over again. As that child grows up, he will learn when one family member is touched profoundly or has an intense emotional reaction, he will also shake, and wait anxiously for the family to stabilize. The baby’s mobile is illustrative of an important theory of human experience called Family Systems Theory. Murray Bowen, who developed this new theory in 1974, described the act of shaking as emotional reactivity in response to anxiety that does not exist within the individual …show more content…
The fact that these concepts connect to one another speaks to the logical way his theory is organized. In addition to being logical they are applicable to most, if not all families because they include a broad scope of experience. The interlocking concepts have persisted through time, therefore, being relevant in different historical periods, allowing future researchers to build on it. Bowen once said, “this is an open theory, open to be tested, expanded, enriched or even disapproved…..”. Again, he intended for his ideas to be digestible, relatable, enriched since they originated from what Bowen observed as qualitative similarities existing in all families. In addition, there is a practical way theory guides practice in that clinicians aim to educate families about the concepts and normalize the processes and patterns of relating. Unlike other working models whereby the therapist is integral in the change process, the goal of psychotherapy from a systemic perspective is to get family members to accept responsibility for themselves and enact change. Despite having been trained psychoanalytically, he saw change stemming from what the client learned along the side of the therapist rather than evolving from the emotional process between the therapist and client. A real advantage to this way of working is that almost anyone can come into the therapy room and work towards positive change in their family. …show more content…
For the scope of this paper this will not be explained in depth. Briefly put, Bowen talked about change and influences starting at a cellular level and drew from what he knew about the natural sciences. Bowenians refer to animal studies to explain the way in which parents of other species have a significant influence on the stress responses and adaptability of the young over time. This demonstrates the importance of attachment between parent and baby as well as speaks to the how the relationship dynamics between animals impact survival. We know stress can greatly affect the ability to think clearly and respond in the way intended. For example, high levels of stress can catapult people into a fight or flight response rather than thoughtfully driven behavior. Therefore the goal of a Bowenian therapist is to coach the family in calming down. I often consider the influence of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on family system theory because it includes a focus on thinking. I suspect, Bowen’s theory nevertheless, may go more in depth than CBT in terms of considering the influence of generational and emotional processes and seeing the individual in the context of a broader multigenerational system rather than an individual with maladaptive thinking patterns. Another criticism of the