Annual Symposium 2019

This presentation will briefly describe the evolutionary basis for the significant level of interdependence observed among the members in the family, necessary for the development of the complex human brain. The multigenerational family process results in variation in the degree to which individuals can self-regulate and be other-regulated. Emotional cutoff serves the adaptive function of allowing individuals to separate from their parental families despite the level of unresolved emotional dependence remaining on reaching young adulthood, thus allowing them to move into the future. Maladaptive aspects of this process will also be described.

At face value, estrangement and cutoff look similar in the severing of contact between parents and adult children. Research on estrangement generally reflects sociological trends, tending to cite issues or differences in values between generations. Cutoff, which is a systems concept, addresses the intensity of dependence between generations which becomes overwhelming for one or both family members.

This presentation will consider the emotional process between mothers and first-born daughters in one family over five generations. The presenter will first discuss the unresolved emotional attachment and follow with a look at what happened over time when family members made efforts to become more aware of unresolved emotional attachment and worked to manage the anxiety that goes along with it.

Dr. Pillemer has noted that the Symposium will be the first time he will present major findings from the Cornell Estrangement and Reconciliation Project, a five-year program of research which included collecting first-person accounts of estrangement and reconciliation from over 500 people; a national survey of 1,340 American adults to determine the prevalence of estrangement; and a survey of 60 family therapists from a variety of orientations regarding their views about estrangement. He will review the study’s outcomes, and the audience will have the opportunity to engage in interpreting them and exploring the relevance for Bowen theory.

The concept of cutoff arose from Dr. Bowen’s observations of family behavior and his discovery that training psychiatrists who returned to their origin families to work on managing themselves more maturely showed rapid progress in addressing relationship challenges broadly in the family. He also observed that anxiety levels in a nuclear family appeared less intense when that family was in viable contact with earlier generations of the family. While those observations have significantly influenced clinical practice (the idea of “bridging the cutoff”), there has been little effort to develop the theoretical hypotheses concerning the interplay of pressures within the family that lead to cutoff and to cohesion. The presenter would like to take the opportunity provided by Dr. Pillemer’s visit to grapple with the theoretical underpinnings of cutoff.

How does one face the challenge of remaining objective toward a topic as emotionally charged as the Catholic Church abuse scandals? And what does Bowen theory have to add to this discussion? Ms. Cauley will speak about her experience in gaining neutrality through the gathering of facts, encouraging person to person relationships, understanding distance and cutoff, and knowing one’s principles.

Leadership is a principle component in the long-term viability of the family system. This presentation will focus on three families of wealth where a spouse has led the family through significant challenge toward progression and better functioning.

Bowen family systems theory is used to account for the disruption that occurred within a nuclear family after the death of the father. The presentation describes the emotional shockwave experienced within the family. Three variables that impact the time it takes for a family system to establish equilibrium after a family member’s death will be reviewed.

Physical and social pain have similar nervous system effects. While threats of rejection trigger the same sense of sudden danger and alarm experienced with the threat of physical harm, social connection calms the nervous system. On a continuum, individuals more sensitive to social stress are more governed by the triangle, with an increased need to be in an inside position associated with approval and a greater reactivity to the outside position.

Ms. Fogel will demonstrate the impact of identifying triangles in court-related legal matters involved in guardianships (older adults and minors), will preparation, advanced medical directives, and distribution of estate assets. Conclusions are drawn from over 35 years of experience, approached through the lens of Bowen theory and birth order research of psychologist Walter Toman.

Dr. Pillemer has thought and written for many years about how to better translate social science findings to practitioners. In an effort to conceptualize the kinds of knowledge that would benefit the work of Bowen theory practitioners and to gain a better understanding of the types of research studies that could be done, he will propose some methods for better bridging the gap between science and service.

This presentation will explore data from a pilot study of the use of a manualized parent intervention program based on Bowen theory. It explores potential pitfalls/distortions to theory, alongside emerging benefits in facilitating application of Bowen theory.

Through more than 100 hours of research in The Murray Bowen Collection at the National Library of Medicine, the researcher has identified informal communication patterns in Dr. Bowen’s letters and interviews. This presentation will highlight the incisive questions, colorful descriptions, and self-disclosures that have been chronicled from his archives.

Jake Morrill, MDiv, LMFT
Playfulness can be anxious avoidance of responsible functioning. But it can also be principled, effective leadership. Drawing on research from Gordon Burghardt, Stuart Brown, and others into the origins and purpose of play across species, the presenter will compare playfulness with differentiation of self.