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Murray Bowen developed a theory of family functioning and individual functioning within the family system. The Bowen theory most importantly takes into account the need to balance individuality with togetherness in tight social systems like families ("Bowenian Family Therapy," n.d.). There are eight basic concepts to the Bowen theory. The first is the differentiation of self, which is important for psychological health and well-being. An example of differentiation of self is when the person is able to hold a different opinion on a political or social issue than a parent without that difference causing a problem in the relationship. When the self is not differentiated, the person might have internalized the beliefs of mother, father, sister, or brother and cannot tell what is really "me" versus what is a result of programming, the desire for approval or absorbing others' beliefs.
The second concept to Bowen's theory is triangulation. Bowen believes that relationships are most stable when there are three parties, and that people tend to form triangles naturally in their relationships. A perfect example of triangulation is when the child first asks one parent for something and that parent says no, so the child immediately...
Or, a sibling who is angry at the other sibling might use the parent to form a triangle by "telling" on the brother or sister.
A third concept in Bowen's theory is the emotional processes of nuclear families, consisting of parents and children only. Bowen believed that in a nuclear family, the parents do not only pass down their genes but also their emotions, values, and beliefs. For example, if the mother is afraid of dogs, she might pass on that fear to the child who accepts the mother's belief that dogs are dangerous. If the child later meets a partner who has a dog, he or she has the choice between learning to like dogs in spite of the emotional processes of the nuclear family, or succumbing to those processes and rejecting the romantic relationship.
A fourth concept in Bowen's theory is family projection, in which the parents may project their anger or anxiety on the child, which can have a detrimental impact on the child's psychosocial development. For example, a parent who was never able to succeed professionally might start to project that failure onto the child by criticizing her actions or making defeatist comments like, "Oh, you cannot…
References
"Bowenian Family Therapy," (n.d.). Retrieved online: http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/counseling/bowen.html
Vermont Center for Family Studies (n.d). What are the eight interlocking concepts of Bowen Family Systems Theory? Retrieved online: http://www.vermontcenterforfamilystudies.org/about_vcfs/the_eight_concepts_of_bowen_theory/
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