Family Systems Issue 4.1

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Table of Contents: 4.1

FROM THE EDITOR
Michael E. Kerr, MD

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

THE TRIADIC NATURE OF PRIMATE SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Frans de Waal, PhD and Molly Embree
A review of current literature on coalitions and alliances among primates indicates that primates may understand social relationships within their groups at a higher level of sophistication than most other mammals. Apparently of critical importance to primates’ social complexity is triadic awareness, a term from biology which refers to the ability to understand relationships of others independently of one’s own involvement. This ability to recognize relationships among multiple items (whether individuals or objects) in the environment may lie at the heart of primates’ success using tools to achieve a physical goal (that is, obtaining termites from inside a mound) or using coalitions and alliances to achieve social goals (that is, secure the alpha position with the support of another). Though humans have developed this “triangulating” capacity to an extreme, expanding research on primate species shows this ability to be characteristic of the primate order rather than a human invention.

NATURALLY CONSTRAINED SOCIAL SYSTEMS
Patricia A. Comella, JD
Drawing upon research across a broad spectrum of species, this paper examines how emotional process, especially anxiety and its sources, naturally constrains the behavior and functioning of members of social systems, and then applies this to a brief examination of one kind of human social system, the work system.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN INFANTS
Janet Mann, PhD
This paper explores some of the characteristics that are shared by dolphins and primates and distinguish them, with particular emphasis on the development of individual differences. Some preliminary data on the development of wild bottlenose dolphins are presented. These data illustrate the stability of mother-infant contact over time, a striking contrast to the patterns found in most mammals, and the individual variability of exploratory behavior (time away from mother). The latter is consistent with the inhibited-disinhibited, bold-shy, or restrictive vs. laissez-faire differences found in many species of primates, including humans. These patterns are discussed in relation to the dolphin’s social ecology and life history. 

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

FAMILY EMOTIONAL PROCESS, REACTIVITY, AND PATTERNS OF OVULATION 
Victoria Harrison, MA
This pilot study investigated aspects of family emotional process, levels and patterns of reactivity, and patterns of ovulation for ten women over three months. Basal body temperature and physiological and hormonal measures indicated differences between women who did and did not ovulate. Sustained levels of reactivity were present for women with anovulatory cycles. Anovulatory women and their mothers reported absence of contact with a higher number of family members than did those women who ovulated. For those who ovulated, patterns of delayed ovulation were consistent with increases and decreases in reactivity in the course of family life.

These observations about contact and emotional cutoff between family members, about reactivity and about patterns of ovulation suggest ways in which relationships within the family influence variation in human reproduction. Although the small number of subjects prohibits statistical correlation, the differences noted in this pilot study provide a basis for extending this study to a broader population. 

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

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EEG BIOFEEDBACK AND FAMILY THEORY
Priscilla J. Friesen, LCSW
This clinical case report is based on a presentation at a Faculty Case Conference in February 1997. Identifying data have been altered to ensure confidentiality. This clinical case presentation is a report on the author’s learning about EEG and how family theory and EEG are related. EEG (electroencephalogram) bio-feedback is the process of measuring brain waves and returning that information to an individual through auditory or visual feedback. This process promotes the ability of the person to learn and change his or her brain wave patterns and decrease symptoms. 

EEG biofeedback is a field that in recent years has developed a number of clinical applications. Remarkable results have been reported with symptoms such as attention deficit disorder and alcoholism. Since 1994 the author has sought to understand these findings in a context beyond the individual and the symptom. What happens in the broader emotional unit when there is significant change in the functioning of one person? What is the nature of the way the brain operates that is reflective of the emotional unit?

BOOK REVIEWS: Reviews on books relevant to Bowen theory and its many applications. All four reviews are in one article.

The Witch Doctors: Making Sense of the Management Gurus
John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge

Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman

Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration
Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman

The Living Company 
Arie De Geus 

Reviewed by: Katharine G. Baker, DSW
Over the past fifty years there has been an outpouring of ideas from managment theory about how to make organizations work better—what are the most effective leadership strategies, how to make decisions, how to optimize quality and productivity, how to promote teamwork among employees, how to boost morale, resolve conflicts, retain good employees and get rid of bad ones. This review takes a look at some of the recent popular literature on management theory, examining its strengths and weaknesses, and explores the possible contribution that Bowen family systems theory can add to the debate about human functioning in the workplace.