Bowen’s Theory: Case Study Review in the Light of Differentiation of Self

Abstract

The major purpose of this paper is to illustrate the theory, practice, and outcome of Bowen’s Family Systems Theory. Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory is considered by many to be the most thorough and thoughtful set of ideas that family therapy has created (Nichols & Schwartz, 1995). Murray Bowen is a founder of the family systems theory and one of the pioneers in family therapy. Bowen defined the term “differentiation of self” as a capacity to gain a balance between emotional and intellectual functioning without fusion. Bowen established this term in light of the family system theory and he believed selfdifferentiation is closely related to an individual’s family life. Family system theory explains the causes of being undifferentiated in the concept of family relations, and it names some of the characteristics of the family that led to undifferentiation such as triangulation, marital conflict, sibling position, emotional cut off etc. A gap Bowen’s therapy is the fact that this theory lacks specific techniques to directly address the family issues. The focus is primarily on increasing individual differentiation and the therapeutic techniques may not be as explicit or directive as in other approaches. Bowen structured his work around the weekly 60minutes session. He invited family members for interview and saw fragments of whole families and individuals. The interviews resolved around a calm discussion of the clients struggle and situation. The question and response sequence provideds the structure of the session. Bowen found out that understanding one’s family story can help to understand their psyche, human relationship systems and how they operate within their physical an emotional nature. Bowen thus recommends that in psychosocial therapeutic counseling, the individual should not be attended without an understanding of their family story. According to Murray Bowen, based on clinical observations and client selfreports, the effectiveness of Family Systems Theory rests not so much on empirical research but on clinical reports of positive treatment outcomes, the personal benefits experienced by the families that underwent this kind of treatment, and the elegance of Bowen’s theory. He conducted more clinical observations of schizophrenic families than controlled experiments. Current evidence for the effectiveness of Bowen’s theory reflects that one-third of the clients get no better or worse, one-third of the clients improve some- what, and one-third of the clients significantly improve (Nichols & Schwartz, 1995). This article involves emphasizing the formulation of Bowen theory and application to a case example of an individual who struggles with differentiation. First, this paper will review the development of Bowen’s theory, then, it will illustrate Bowen’s eight interlocking terms. Finally, this paper will present a clinical example, applying family systems therapy to an individual who struggles with differentiation and discusses the outcomes.