A Retrospective: Edwin Friedman, His Life and Work

Abstract

This article introduces Edwin H. Freeman, a key shaper of Family Systems Theory, in the context of his personal and professional life. It focuses on four nodal events: the death of his father, the death of his mother, and the entrance to and exit from his first and second congregations. A concluding section describes Friedman's use of Bowen Family Systems Theory in the management of his own health and his leadership within the mental health and religious professions.