Current Issue — Volume 19.1

Please select either print + digital or the digital only subscription option.

FROM THE EDITOR:
Robert J. Noone, PhD

ARTICLE: Journal articles reflect natural systems thinking or are relevant to it. These may include concept papers as well as research studies.

A REVIEW OF TRIANGLE THEORY: THE DYNAMIC STRUCTURE OF THE FAMILY EMOTIONAL SYSTEM
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW
The concept of the triangle, one of the eight concepts that formally constitute Bowen theory, stands alongside the concept of the scale of differentiation of self as at the heart of the theory. This concept describes the flow and counterflow of emotion and associated behavior among the three relationships that form the triangle. The tendency to form three-sided relationship units appears to have a deep evolutionary history, beginning with the appearance of mammals and the evolution of emotional bonds between individuals.
Keywords: Bowen theory, triangle, triangling, regulation of emotional tension, family stability, networks of triangles

BRIEF REPORT: Brief reports present important ideas in development and promising research in its early stages.

BOWEN THEORY FOR CONGREGATIONS: POTENTIAL FOR VITALITY THROUGH DEFINING SELF
Terri C. Pilarski, MDiv, LCSW
The decline of churches in America is a major source of stress and chronic anxiety in many congregations. Church decline is evidenced in empty pews, church closures, and polls about shifting values for Americans. Lay and ordained leaders are actively (anxiously) searching for solutions to prevent the death of their congregations. In many ways, churches are looking back to earlier times, grieving for the way things used to be, yet what we’ve known before, to one degree or another, no longer exists. Because of the many occasions when churches intersect in nodal moments of family life like baptisms, weddings, and funerals, church relationships feel more like family than relationships in other organizations. Similar to an individual defining self in the emotional process of a family, and thereby lower anxiety in the system, might a congregation through its mission make an effort to intentionally define self? And in so doing, might this effort to define self by articulating a thoughtful, principle and value-based mission, lower anxiety in the emotional system of the congregation, and increase vitality?
Keywords: congregational decline, differentiation of self, mission, intercultural partnerships, church vitality

FACULTY CASE CONFERENCE: Presentation of a faculty clinical case, followed by a discussion with faculty members of the Bowen Center.

IMPROVING FINANCIAL FUNCTIONING AS A PATHWAY TO DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF
Presenter: Mariana Martinez, PsyD
Differentiation of self is reflected in the way we manage our money. Financial functioning represents an aspect of life that is heavily determined by our level of fusion, that is, to the way we handle the intermix between the emotional and intellectual systems, and our level of dependency on others. In this case presentation, the presenter describes her journey with money, which is an aspect of her efforts to differentiate a self. She explains how Bowen theory was—and continues to be—instrumental in informing her decisions about managing money individually and in the family. This description illustrates the impact that theory-guided principles can have in creating greater family stability, in this case through creating the conditions to attain financial security.
Keywords: money, financial functioning, differentiation of self, over/under functioning, marital relationship, material resources

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A special feature of Family Systems is a previously unpublished manuscript by Murray Bowen and other researchers in the family field.

MULTIGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION PROCESS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SIBLING POSITION #3
Murray Bowen, MD
Introduction by Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW
As with the preceding two lectures, this third manuscript gives the reader a look at Bowen’s mind at work as he presents his thinking about the functioning of the human family system.  How does the family adapt to changing conditions?  What can be anticipated about individual and family functioning?   As with the other two lectures, comparing the text with the videotape expands the experience. This is as close as one can come today to experiencing the man, his thinking and his theory.

BOOK REVIEWS: Reviews on books relevant to Bowen theory and its many applications.

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
by Zoe Schlanger
Reviewed by Robert J. Noone, PhD

Making Sense of Human Life: Murray Bowen’s Determined Effort Toward Family Systems Theory
by Catherine Rakow
reviewed by Randall T. Frost, MDiv