Bowen Theory

     In the 1940s—an era predominantly focused on the individual as the etiology of mental illness—psychiatrist Murray Bowen expanded his psychoanalytic approach to treatment to examine the family unit and the complex interactions between family members (Nichols, 2014; The Bowen Center, 2015). At the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, Bowen studied the relational dynamics between children with schizophrenia and their mothers, and discovered a heightened version of the emotional reactivity he believed is evident in all human relationships (Nichols, 2014). In 1954, Bowen continued his interest in family systems at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he pioneered a project centered on hospitalizing entire families of persons with schizophrenia (Nichols, 2014; The Bowen Center, 2015). Five years later, Bowen left NIMH to join Georgetown University Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry, where he assumed the role of professor and, later, director of family programs (The Bowen Center, 2015). In 1975, Bowen founded the Georgetown Family Center and maintained his position as director until his death in 1990 (The Bowen Center, 2015).

     Bowen was one of the pioneers of family therapy. He reframed the etiology of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses such that problems were defined as symptoms of intergenerational emotional systems instead of particular mental disorders, a bold departure from the zeitgeist of mental health during the 1940s and 50s (Nims & Duba, 2011). Bowen’s work ultimately led to the development of the Bowen Family Systems Theory—renamed Bowen Theory in 1975—which remains one of the pillars in family therapy, today (Nims & Duba, 2011).

     Bowen theory is founded on the belief that all human relationships are created and maintained by two offsetting, symbiotic forces: individuality and togetherness (Gibson & Donigian, 1993; Kerr, 2000; Nichols, 2014; Nims & Duba, 2011). According to Bowen, an individual’s drive to simultaneously attain individuality and togetherness can create anxiety. Differentiation of self—the degree to which an individual is able to distinguish between emotional and intellectual processes to resolve anxiety—is the centerpiece of the Bowen theory (Gibson & Donigian, 1993; Kerr, 2000; Nims & Duba, 2011; Sohrabi, Asadi, Habibollahzade, & PanaAli, 2013). Bowen defined a differentiated individual as one who is able to harmonious balance the polarizing desires for togetherness and individuality. Bowen theory contends individuals’ struggles to achieve differentiation are interdependent with family systems in which members’ desires for individuality and togetherness are manifested (Kerr, 2000).