Introduction
Bowen’s family systems theory is a psychological approach that many people have analyzed. The model reveals that an individual’s actions consider the Family as an emotional force and utilize systems to explain the unit’s specific communications. The book Family Evaluation was published in 1988 and referenced by many researchers when focusing on domestic issues. Bowen argued that the book was a great inspiration to his forty years of work towards a science of human behavior and adaptation. Murray Bowen and Michael Kerr attempted to advance a family analytical model according to biological theories. Their theory is mainly applied to the Family by health providers in the mental health section. This paper reviews the book Family Evaluation and discusses the various ideas that the authors have used to ensure that the audience can understand the message being conveyed.
Brief Biography of Murray Bowen
The first and only psychiatrist to describe a hypothesis amplifying human behavior is Murray Bowen, born in 1913. From 1946 to 1954, he worked at the Menninger Clinic and examined a mother and her schizophrenic son while at the research facility (Erdem & Safi, 2018). Later, Bowen became a researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He expanded his research at NIMH to include the father-mother-child triad. Bowen’s family systems theory was designed from this research. Bowen was appointed director of the National Institute of Mental Health’s family division in 1954. Today, Bowen’s concept is the only family therapy approach that holds a personal name linked to a theory.
Brief Biography of Michael Kerr
Michael Kerr worked as Dr. Bowen’s right-hand man for several years, which led to their excellent relationship. He is a therapist who specializes in family therapy based on the Bowen principle (Erdem & Safi, 2018). Kerr also became the Bowen Theory Academy president in Islesboro, Maine, and the director of the Bowen Centre for the Family. In addition to Family Evaluation, he also published Bowen Theory’s Secret and Exposing the Hidden Existence of Families, which showcases the Family System Theory’s unique insights.
Purpose and Focus of the Book
The book explains the relevance of Bowen’s theory for health care workers and families. It is one of the vital family systems theories in the history of family therapy. Moreover, it compares and contrasts the relationship of the approach to evolutionary neurology theories (Erdem & Safi, 2018). The book’s intended audience includes psychologists, individuals interested in studying human behaviors, and social workers. The authors focus on crucial ideas, such as emotional fusion and triangles in households.
Summary of the Book
The book Family Evaluation is primarily based on Bowen Theory and contains a detailed presentation of Bowen’s Family Systems Theory and how people can apply them in their daily activities. The theory’s main goal was to reduce chronic anxiety, which is experienced in many families. The book has used different themes to ensure that the audience can enjoy and learn from its concepts. Readers can understand the eight topics that form this theory in Family Evaluation.
Critique of the Book
The Concept of Differentiation of Self
In his research, Bowen suggests that fluctuating steps of fusion are unavoidable in all relations. He describes diversity as a person’s capacity to work alone by making personal choices while remaining connected emotionally to a robust relationship with other people. The authors describe fusion as the reaction of an individual in a relationship. In a fused relationship, an individual reacts immediately to the apparent demands of the other person. “That which is created in a relationship can be fixed in a relationship” (Bowen & Kerr, 1988, p. 167). Bowen also maintains that the theoretical essence of estimating a degree of differentiation is complicated by variables such as stress and individual variations in stress reactivity.
Theme of Triangles
Triangles are the smallest steady relationship unit which is central to Bowen’s theory. Even though they emerge under stress, it is difficult to identify them under calm conditions. Correspondingly, they are linked to differentiation, where the higher the degree of fusion, the greater the pull to reserve emotional stability by founding a triangle (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). According to the novelists, the definition is a helpful way of grasping the idea that the initial stress is played out elsewhere. For instance, if a third party interferes with a dyad’s ability to make decisions, problems may occur.
Nuclear Family Emotional Process
This definition illustrates the dynamic system of a family throughout a single generation. According to the authors, marriage is the start of a nuclear family partnership, and true fusion does not exist if there is an option to end the relationship (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). Furthermore, too much fusion can cause anxiety in a relationship. The authors suggest keeping emotional distance or emotional divorce as the best way of dealing with stress. Lastly, conflict localizes in the frailest and most inadequate person in the theory’s triangle.
The Concept of Family Projection
Two external impacts that affect the level of adaptation needed by the triangle are analyzed in the book. First, the level of anxiety applied externally in the Family can affect the relationship of members. Second, the nuclear Family’s emotional connection to its extended Family is another factor analyzed by the authors. Psychopathology is increased if there are unresolved emotional differences and anxiety (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). Intergenerational consequences, according to the writers, decide which child becomes the target of family anxiety.
The Concept of the Sibling Position
Bowen points out that being a sibling can help you understand the various roles people play in relationships. Moreover, the authors argue that these generalized personalities are not universally applicable and that a younger sibling may take the eldest’s role (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). Therefore, these differences concerning sibling positions have been discussed in the book to show how different families assign their members responsibilities.
The Idea of Emotional Cutoff in the Family
This concept examines how individuals control the force of generational fusion, according to the writers. The authors suggest that if individuals feel left out in the system, they have the option to change the people they interact with or withdraw from them (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). Contrary to that, if one feels like part of the system, he or she has the opportunity to stay connected and change themselves.
Multigenerational Transmission Process and Emotional Process in Society
The book has focused on the multigenerational transmission to show how roles in a triangle are inherited from generation to generation through parents’ projection to children. The authors focus on generations of a family when dealing with a presenting symptom. The ideas presented help individuals learn more about their Family’s history. Additionally, society has emotional forces that reduce people’s intellectual functioning (Bowen & Kerr, 1988). Thus, authors have used this hint to ensure they can help readers develop strategies to influence the group’s undifferentiated ego mass.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bowen and Kerr’s book Family Evaluation explains the connection between health environments and family relationships. The book focuses on comparing and contrasting the relation of Bowen’s theory to evolutionary neurology theories. Bowen’s theory comprises eight vital concepts, the emotional process in society, multigenerational transmission process, emotional cutoff, sibling position, family projection process, triangles, and differential of self. Thus, the text is essential for the audience can learn about various aspects of a household.
References
Bowen, M., & Kerr, M. E. (1988). Family evaluation. WW Norton & Company.
Erdem, G., & Safi, O. A. (2018). The cultural lens approach to Bowen family systems theory: Contributions of family change theory. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 469-483. Web.