Family Systems Issue 6.1

Full Issue Unavailable

Use links to purchase individual articles.

CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS: For digital access to all journals you’ve subscribed to login to our sales platform, Gumroad. (Please note: Digital access begins with issue 13.1.)
Login or create a Gumroad account.
Need help? info@thebowencenter.org or 202-965-4400.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CURRENT ISSUE OF FAMILY SYSTEMS ON OUR JOURNAL PAGE.

Table of Contents: 6.1

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.

COMPLEXITY, VARIABILITY, AND CHANGE IN SYMBIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS
Mary Beth Saffo, PhD 
Symbiosis—the intimate association between two or more species—is a surprising biological phenomenon, because the presence, in all organisms, of defense mechanisms against “nonself” would seem to preclude the persistence of intimate, protracted interspecies associations. Nevertheless, symbiosis is a very common way of life. This paper reviews several examples of this evolutionarily and ecologically important interaction, illustrates some of the complexities of symbiosis dynamics, and introduces some questions and methodological issues of symbiosis research 

SUICIDE: A FAMILY EMOTIONAL REGRESSION
Hal DeShong, PhD
Suicide, viewed from a Bowen systems perspective, is a manifestation of a family emotional system in disorder. This paper examines the facts in one family’s regressive emotional system. It is hoped that this examination will stimulate interest in the question: If a family had a way of understanding emotional process—how the functioning of each member influences the system, particularly how certain positions collect uneven portions of chronic anxiety, and how the functioning of each member either promotes or undermines this process—could a regression be slowed enough to reduce the lethality of the situation?

THE FAMILY AS A SOURCE OF NONGENOMIC HERITABLE VARIATION
Robert J. Noone, PhD
The study of the family and recent developments in the neurosciences raise interesting questions for evolutionary biology regarding the nongenomic transmission of characteristics over multiple generations. Observations relevant to these questions will be presented along with some discussion about their relevance to evolutionary biology.

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

TRIANGLES: THE “GLUE” OF BOWEN FAMILY SYSTEMS THEORY 
Patricia A. Comella, JD
Bowen family systems theory is a descriptive theory about emotional process in the human species. The theory describes several interlocking concepts. This paper presents a brief discussion of the concept of the “triangle,” which was critical to integration of the theory. Until Bowen “saw” the centrality of triangles to emotional process, integration of the theory eluded him. Once Bowen saw triangles, he “became a different person.” The paper also offers several comparative examples from the realm of human and nonhuman behavior to illustrate the concept of the triangle.

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

MULTIPLE FAMILY THERAPY
Kathleen B. Kerr, MSN, MA
A presentation at a Faculty Clinical Conference in April 2001 is the basis for this presentation of multiple family therapy at a local court’s Family Services Unit with three families. Approximately thirty-one years ago, this multiple was established for staff training. Dr. Francis Andres was the consultant who did the multiple. In 1998, the court contacted the Family Center for a new consultant since Dr. Andres was moving from the area. The presenter began doing the multiple in July 1998. It is the only court-sponsored therapy for the families that participate, although they may be doing outside therapy for any number of reasons. It is exciting to see how the multiple format potentiates change in three families who are making substantive change in their functional if not basic level of self.