Family Systems Issue 7.2

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Table of Contents: 7.2

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.

A CASE STUDY: EFFORTS TOWARD DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF AMONG SLAVES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS
Mignonette Nunn Keller, PhD
In the late 1970s Dr. Murray Bowen asked, “How does a slave develop a self in an oppressive, dehumanizing system forcing him into a no self-position?” This case study addresses that question by following the life course of the progenitor of one African American family. The family historical information for the analysis was taken from a larger study of four black and four white families with a common heritage. In the original study, statistical and historical documents were utilized to verify the accuracy of the data collected, using a semi-structured questionnaire as an adjunct to the family diagram. Findings in the case study indicate that protective factors which positively influenced the functioning of the slaves included: (1) caring, nurturing relationships, (2) timing and circumstances of the sale of slaves, and (3) the relationships of slaves with their de facto families. The findings further suggest that slaves who had a higher level of functioning possibly: (1) exercised independent thinking in relation to many customs and traditions of slavery, (2) accepted their black and white heritage, (3) maintained open, fluid relationships with both black and white family members, and (4) openly discussed their enslavement following their emancipation. 

OBSERVATIONS OF SOCIETAL EMOTIONAL PROCESS: THE ANXIOUS CONFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Ernest G. Hall, DMin
This paper observes societal emotional process at work in religious organizations, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, in political organizations, and as a driving force behind the unprecedented cooperation between these two distinct parts of society in what has become known as the culture wars. The rise of orthodoxy in the Southern Baptist Convention, the increasing polarity characterizing political discourse, and the topic-focused arguments characterizing the culture wars are seen as symptoms of increased togetherness in response to societal anxiety. Underlying sources of societal anxiety are identified. Included in the paper are suggestions for organizational leaders to slow the anxious reactions at work in each group. 

A CASE STUDY IN OBSERVATIONAL BLINDNESS
Patricia A. Comella, JD
This paper presents a multi-year effort to describe the phenomenon of observational blindness using a frame of reference based on Bowen family systems theory. The paper first lays out the theoretical basis for correlating observational blindness and “undifferentiation” (the fusion of intellectual and emotional functioning) described in Bowen theory. The paper also describes the research methodology Murray Bowen employed in developing Bowen family systems theory in which a well-articulated frame of reference is central to making and interpreting the naturalistic observations of human behavior and functioning on which the concepts of Bowen theory are based. The paper then presents a detailed case study that describes a multi-year process to apply the research methodology to study the phenomenon of observational blindness in me. The case study applies my understanding of Bowen theory as articulated in a series of evolving frames of reference to unraveling the significance of information my father revealed to me in a secret in the early 1980s. The case study examines the interplay between the evolution of the frames of reference and the augmentation of the data, which ultimately covered three generations of family history, to understand the phenomenon of observational blindness as it affected my capacity for accurate observation of human behavior and functioning.

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

BOWEN THEORY AND THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION PROCESS IN AN AMAZOOGLE WORLD
Katherine Kott, MSLS
This paper provides a brief overview of the scholarly communication process and looks at the challenges and opportunities the structure of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family offers as an independent organization. Digital distribution of information may provide new opportunities for communicating Bowen theory. This article suggests future directions using both traditional print and new digital avenues.

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

EFFORTS TO DIFFERENTIATE A SELF IN RESPONSE TO A CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Michael E. Kerr, MD
The diagnosis of a serious illness often motivates people to take a hard look at how they have been living their lives. It is easy to put off examining the emotionally charged aspects of relationships with important others. This case is of a person who had been recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer. She believed that the significant depression she had been experiencing, particularly in recent years, played an important role in her being vulnerable to cancer. She was able to make remarkable use of Bowen theory to address some relationship issues in her marriage and extended family and, in the process, overcome her depression. The improvement in her emotional state may possibly slow the growth of the cancer cells that biological treatments fail to eliminate.

This has been one of the more interesting clinical situations that I have encountered. It is interesting because of how quickly the wife in this family, Mrs. Brown, has grasped some basic ideas in Bowen theory and used them effectively. Mrs. Brown’s sister made the referral. I have been coaching the sister for several years related to problems in her nuclear family. When Mrs. Brown was diagnosed with cancer, her sister was convinced that emotional factors played a role in it and urged Mrs. Brown to explore the issue in therapy. Mrs. Brown had never had therapy but was receptive to her sister’s suggestion.

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

PATIENTS HAVE FAMILIES
by Henry B. Richardson, MD
reviewed by Monika Baege, EdD