Intergenerational Theory (Bowen)

Question 1

Underpinnings

Answer 1

●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

Question 2

Theory of Change

Answer 2

●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.

Question 3

Role of the Therapist: Couples Therapy

Answer 3

●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.

Question 4

Role of the Therapist: Individual Therapy

Answer 4

●Goal is to develop the person-to-person relationships.
●See family members as people rather than emotionally charged images.
●Learn to recognize triangles.

Question 5

Triangle

Answer 5

A three person system

Question 6

Triangulation

Answer 6

Occurs when two people in conflict bring in a third person as a ‘release’ for anxiety, however it only freezes that conflict

Question 7

anxiety

Answer 7

core concept, associated with fusion of intellect & emotion

Question 8

Differentiation of self

Answer 8

Independence of self from others and the ability to separate intellect from emotion

Question 9

Differentiation of Self Scale

Answer 9

A100 point scale broken into quadrants, with zero equaling no self and 100 equaling realized self.

Question 10

Family projection process

Answer 10

The mechanism by which parental conflicts are projected onto a child or spouse.

Question 11

Multigenerational transmission process:

Answer 11

The concept of passing on chronic anxiety from one generation to the next

Question 12

Undifferentiated family ego mass:

Answer 12

Emotional stuck-togetherness or fusion of the family -prominent in schizophrenic families

Question 13

Emotional cutoff:

Answer 13

Bowen’s term for flight from an unresolved emotional attachment.

Question 14

Fusion:

Answer 14

A blurring of psychological boundaries between self and others.

Question 15

Genogram:

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Normal Family Development

Answer 16

Optimal family development occurs when:
●Members are well differentiated
●Anxiety is low
●Partners are in emotional contact with their own families

Question 17

Development Of Behavior Disorders

Answer 17

●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

Question 18

Treatment Goals

Answer 18

●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.

Question 19

Interventions

Answer 19

●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