Intergenerational Theory (Bowen) Flashcards
Underpinnings
●Problems develop through a lack of differentiation: contamination of intellect/emotion which leads to anxiety.
●Problems also develop through fusion (enmeshment & symbiosis): a blurring of the psychological boundaries between self and others
Theory of Change
●Anxiety is lowered within the current family system and between the current family and families-of-origin as a result of understanding multigenerational or current family dynamics.
Role of the Therapist: Couples Therapy
●A triangle is formed -avoid taking sides
●Couples need to be forced to deal with each other
●The therapist takes an “I” position
●Make non-reactive observations and statements of opinion
○This technique makes it easier for family members to define themselves and each other.
Role of the Therapist: Individual Therapy
●Goal is to develop the person-to-person relationships.
●See family members as people rather than emotionally charged images.
●Learn to recognize triangles.
Triangle
A three person system
Triangulation
Occurs when two people in conflict bring in a third person as a ‘release’ for anxiety, however it only freezes that conflict
anxiety
core concept, associated with fusion of intellect & emotion
Differentiation of self
Independence of self from others and the ability to separate intellect from emotion
Differentiation of Self Scale
A100 point scale broken into quadrants, with zero equaling no self and 100 equaling realized self.
Family projection process
The mechanism by which parental conflicts are projected onto a child or spouse.
Multigenerational transmission process:
The concept of passing on chronic anxiety from one generation to the next
Undifferentiated family ego mass:
Emotional stuck-togetherness or fusion of the family -prominent in schizophrenic families
Emotional cutoff:
Bowen’s term for flight from an unresolved emotional attachment.
Fusion:
A blurring of psychological boundaries between self and others.
Genogram:
Schematic diagram of the family system. Diagrams the family over three generations to help determine critical turning points in the family emotional process, characteristics of family members, and provide an evolutional picture of family.
Normal Family Development
Optimal family development occurs when:
●Members are well differentiated
●Anxiety is low
●Partners are in emotional contact with their own families
Development Of Behavior Disorders
●Stress that exceeds a person’s ability to manage leads to a behavior that then exceeds the system’s ability to effectively manage it.
●It’s not the crisis, but the response to it that creates the behavior disorder
●The underlying factor in the beginning of psychological problems is emotional fusion passed down from one generation to the next
●Emotional fusion is based on anxious attachment which may be manifested as either dependency or isolation
Treatment Goals
●Distinguishing and choosing between intellect and emotion
●De-triangulation
●Emotional neutrality
●Help individuals learn more about themselves and their relationships, so they can assume responsibility for their own problems.
●Increase parents’ ability to manage their own anxiety and thereby become better able to handle their children’s behavior.
●Fortify the couples’ emotional functioning by increasing their ability to operate independently from their families-of-origin.
Interventions
●Genograms
●Homework: Client gathers information on family dynamics; becomes a detective in their own family.
●Therapist as coach or teacher: Teach communication skills to the family.
●”I” Position: Teaching family members how to state their needs and thoughts without over-reacting
