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Licensure > Ch. 3 Transgenerational Models: Bowenian Family Therapy > Flashcards

Ch. 3 Transgenerational Models: Bowenian Family Therapy Flashcards

1
Q

In which theories do the transgenerational models have roots?

A

Psychoanalytic and object relations – which emphasize intrapsychic conflict of the individual

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2
Q

Insight and working through

A

Transgenerational models require people to have insight about their problems so they can work through them (find new productive ways of dealing with issues).

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3
Q

How do symptoms develop in transgenerational models?

A

When the transgenerational issues remain unconscious

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4
Q

What is the best way to treat the symptomatic child in transgenerational models?

A

To work with the parents. Like Structural therapy, it searches for the structures underlying the presenting problem.
- therapy usually lasts 2 years - not brief!

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5
Q

Important practitioners of transgenerational models

A
  • Murray Bowen and his followers:
  • Philip Guerin
  • Betty Carter
  • Norman Paul
  • Monica McGoldrick
  • Nagy (contextual family therapy)
  • James Framo (combining intergenerational and object relations approaches
  • Fairbairn, Dicks and Scharff and Schraff
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6
Q

Bowenian Family therapy: intro

A
  • Worked at NIMH
  • studied schizophrenics and is known for hospitalizing full families for observation and research
  • observed the patterns of familial closeness and distance – formed the construct of “differentiation of self”
  • Ts need to not get sucked into the family process (undifferentiated ego mass)
  • Ts differentiation from his/her own FOO determines his/her success in resisting the tendency to become emotionally reactive with clients
  • In supervision he worked with supervisees to improve their relationships with their FOO
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7
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Highly differentiated individuals v. Poorly differentiated individuals

A

highly:
- react to the world rationally and enter into relationships while balancing competing needs for belonging and individuality

poorly:

  • Ruled by their emotions
  • lives center around acceptance and being loved
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8
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

solid self v. pseudo-self

A

solid self:
- more differentiated and functions based on a personally defined set of values, beliefs, and convictions,

pseudo self (externalized self):

  • not differentiated and may be fused with someone else
  • borrows values from someone else
  • makes emotionally reactive choices
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9
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

optimal family develop occurs when…

A
  • Family members are relatively differentiated
  • anxiety is low
  • when the parents are in good emotional contact with their own FOOs

inverse relationship between levels of differentiation in family members and chronic anxiety

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10
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Dysfunction occurs from…

A

a lack of differentiation

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11
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

3 places symptoms can be manifested in the system

A
  1. in the marital relationship
  2. in the health of one of the partners (physical or mental)
  3. in one of the children
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12
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Differentiation of self: 2 competing needs

A

belong to the group v. be an individual separate from it

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13
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

3 results of people who are emotionally reactive in the face of chronic anxiety

A
  • dependent
  • distant
  • avoidant
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14
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Differentiated people in relationships

A
  • don’t feel at risk of losing themselves
  • enjoy closeness and tolerate the small degree of fusion with partner
  • retain the essential self as differentiated from the other
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15
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Undifferentiated people in relationships

A
  • cannot think clearly for themselves and tend to be emotionally reactive
  • respond in patterned behaviors learned within their FOO
  • objective in relationships is to see love, approval, security and comfort
  • emotionally fused with partner and have little energy for other goal-directed activities
  • social dysfunction, and physical and emotional symptoms can be result of chronic disruption of the relationship.
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16
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Triangles

A
  • Bowenian concept
  • the smallest stable emotional unit in a family
  • describes a process by which two people will recruit a third person into the system to mediate the level of conflict or tension between them
  • how sibling rivalry starts
17
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Nuclear Family Emotional Process (Undifferentiated Ego Mass)

A
  • Bowenian concept
  • A fused family that is unstable and unable to cop with stress
  • characterized by conflict and dysfunction that are transmitted across generations
18
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Family Projection Process

A
  • Bowen
  • the lack of differentiation in parents often result in one of the parents becoming dysfunctional, immature, and fused with one of the children.
  • conflict in the parental sub-unit is avoided, but the kid’s emotional growth is sacrificed.
  • Symptoms and lack of differentiation is transmitted from parents to children
19
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dyfunction

Multigenerational Transmission Process

A
  • Bowen
  • Process by which roles, patterns, emotional reactivity, and family structure are passed from one generation to another
  • Poorly differentiated individuals tend to marry one another, and over several generations, produce offspring who are increasingly less differentiated and as a result suffer from severe mental disorders (including schiz.)
20
Q

Bowenian FT: Theory of Normal Development and Dysfunction

Sibling position

A
  • Bowen believed that sibling position was one factor that should be considered while understanding a family’s functioning
  • birth order tends to exert and influence on the characteristics that children develop
  • sib position could determine one’s level of diff.
21
Q

Bowen: Assessment and Treatment

Basics

A
  • if you differentiate from your FOO all your other relationships will improve
  • flexible and creative when determining the unit of treatment
  • worked with individuals, couples, nuclear families, multiple generations, multiple families
  • this model does NOT require all family members to be present
  • BUT family members need to understand how the entire system operates across multiple generations
22
Q

Bowen: Assessment and treatment

Tools he used

A
  • Education.. taught about function of triangle, coached them to be able to extricate themselves from existing triangles and avoid being pulled into another
  • Differentiation of self scale
  • Genogram to track triangles and patterns
  • Emotional cut off: just triangulates next least diff. person; doesn’t solve issue
  • Role of therapist: triangulate into the dyad but remain unreactive to induce a change in the relationship
  • Decrease emotional reactivity
  • Ask Process Questions
  • Person-to-person relationships (daughter who is triangulated meet with each parent separately and not talk to the other about it)
  • Coaching (not a solution focused model but a growth model. T teaches clients about family process and coaches them in their efforts to change)
  • I Position
  • Encourages discussion of facts rather than feelings
23
Q

Extensions of Bowen’s Model:

Philip Guerin

A
  • 1970s
  • Renamed and elaborated on the use of the genogram
  • Developed situation-specific techniques… in couple’s therapy he developed the “displacement story” = helps family members gain distance from their problems so they can become self-reflective and less blaming
  • Displacement story uses similar situation but in media or a different family
24
Q

Extensions of Bowen’s Model:

Betty Carter

A
  • Feminist who specializes in treatment with couples

- Believes that issues of gender inequality must be considered and discussed with families

25
Q

Extensions of Bowen’s Model:

Monica McGoldrick

A
  • Extended Bowneian model to include the role ethnicity plays in families
  • Feminist and believes Ts should not remain neutral regarding gender based imbalances in the family and economic disparity
  • Vastly increased the awareness of the powerful impact of culture and ethnicity on how families function and on what constitute culturally appropriate therapy
26
Q

What are Bowen’s 6 interrelated theoretic concepts?

A
  • differentiation of self-scale
  • nuclear family emotional system
  • family projection process
  • multigenerational transmission process
  • sibling position profiles
  • triangles
27
Q

Differentiation is facilitated by the development of what kind of relationship?

A
  • person-to-person relationships with as many people in the FOO
28
Q

Bowen: the 4 parts of a Ts stance and tasks

A
  1. T controls the emotional tone in the session, keeping it emotionally alive enough to be meaningful and toned down enough to minimize reactivity. Direct the flow of conversation towards T so the couple does not become emotionally reactive and can objectively hear one another.
  2. The T maintains a de-triangulated stance with the couple
  3. The T establishes a differentiated I position with them, opening the way for them to take I positions with each other.
  4. T teaches them how emotional systems operate and initiates the work of differentiation from their respective FOO

Licensure (9 decks)

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