Bowen's Family Systems Theory

The main goal of Bowen’s family systems theory is to study human behavior in relation to their family interactions. It is a scientific way of studying the eight concepts that comprises the theory. Bowen’s research is based on elaborate study of the development of schizophrenia where the mother and child relationship are crucial (Hall, 2016). Bowen views the family as an interconnected unit consisting of complex relationships and it influences an individual’s behavior and thinking process. Months of intense research with schizophrenic patients and family members, made him realize that the interaction between family members was more strong and influential than what he imagined. This emotional bonding not only existed primarily between

This anxiety can be transmitted across generations as the family members struggle to set themselves free from this bond but also trying to be emotionally connected to the family (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). According to Bowen, the degree of togetherness decides the amount of individual autonomy. If an individual is more connected emotionally towards his/her family, will eventually have a hard time to differentiate himself from the family. For example, in my family, my fathers’ elder brother had a hard time differentiating himself from his family. Differentiation of oneself from the family, is defined as the ability to function of their own, being able to take decisions. My uncle, Raju Das, faced emotional distress while trying to free himself from the family in a positive manner. My father’s parents were not financially stable to support their family. His father was an Ayurvedic doctor who struggled to provide the bare minimum to his family. They lived in a small village with a population of 5000 people, whose main occupation was farming and cattle rearing. This posed a problem for my grandfather as for his services rendered all he received was a handful of grains or some eggs. This was not proving to be sufficient for the family of seven. My father narrated how many a times in a week they would go to bed hungry and starving. Life took a worse turn when my grandfather died leaving behind a family who could barely take care of their needs. My grandmother was a home

In case of a death in the family, mostly the father then the eldest son just silently slips into his shoes. So was it in the case of my uncle who had to bear a lot of responsibilities at a tender age. In the process he became very emotionally attached to the family, handling every member problems as if his own. With the death of my grandfather, rest of the family members looked upon him and he diligently carried on his duties. Problems arise when he was around 25 years of age. His friend who was living in the nearby city managed to get a job for him in a garment factory. The family initially was reluctant to let him go for obvious reasons. Indian culture places too much importance on the role of the elder son and focuses on family togetherness, refusing to allow its members to disintegrate. Togetherness is a means to exert control on one another while disintegration is viewed to free oneself from this control which is taken in a negative manner. According to sources, my uncle himself had a hard time detaching himself from the family. However, on persuasion he did move to the city but often found himself excessively worrying about his family. He would refrain going out with his friends preferring to stay indoors, nor participate in any company gatherings or events. In addition, he used to take extended leaves from his job, and soon he was dismissed. Jobless his anxiety levels increased and soon he would find himself missing home