BS-PSYCHOLOGY (VII)

COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT NO: 01

TOPIC: Multigenerational Family Therapy

SUBMITTED BY: FATIMA TARIQ, KHADIJA BIBI, LAIBA KHAN, AIMEN

MUKHTAR, NIMRA ARSHAD & MARYAM AZAD

SUBMITTED TO: MA’AM SHAKEELA

DATE: 22TH MARCH, 2023

Batch BS_V 2k19

ARMY BURN HALL COLLEGE FOR GIRLS

ABBOTTABAD
 TABLE OF CONTENT

CONTENT GROUP MEMBERS

INTRODUCTION KHADIJA BIBI

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND LAIBA KHAN

MURRAY BOWEN NIMRA ARSHAD

BOWENIAN FAMILY SYSTEM &

MARYAM AZAD
THERAPY

EIGHT INTERLOCKING FATIMA TARIQ

CONCEPT & GOALS

EFFECTIVENESS & AIMEN MUKHTAR

CONCLUSION
 Multigenerational Family Therapy
What is Therapy?
Therapy is a broad treatment system with many far-reaching branches. In this context,
therapy refers to the use of psychological methods and systems to treat people with
depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a type of treatment designed to help with issues that specifically
affect families' mental health and functioning. It can help individual family members
build stronger relationships, improve communication, and manage conflicts within the
family system. By improving how family members interact and relate to one another,
family therapy can foster change in close relationships.
Multigenerational
The term "multigenerational" refers to approaches that focus on three or more
generations of a family; "transgenerational" and "intergenerational" are also
sometimes used.
Multi-generational Family
This means that as a parent you have your parent(s) or older family members living in
the home with you, your partner and your children. When this occurs every member
of the family faces challenges about how to live together in harmony. It can be harder
to have clear and consistent roles as well as structure in a home where there is
multiple generations’ present. Parenting roles and authority can easily become unclear
and confused. Whether your parent disagrees with a parenting decision you make in
front of your child or you disagree with your parents, these types of dilemmas and
dynamics are difficult for children. As a result, children who experience these types of
family scenarios can exhibit a number of emotional and behavioral problems.
Multigenerational Family Therapy
Murray Bowen, an American psychiatrist and professor, developed multigenerational
family therapy. He views the family as a major resource system of an individual. He
explains an individual’s dysfunction or pathology with consideration to the
individual’s family. Multigenerational family therapy is based on Bowenian family
systems theory, which emphasizes the importance of family functioning in
influencing the members’ respective behaviors. The importance of the family was
virtually not considered or understood prior to the development of Bowen’s theory;
thus, Bowenian family systems theory is considered a first-generation family therapy
theory. This theory seeks to understand how a family’s functioning affects the
family’s individual members. Multigenerational therapy has Bowenian theory as its
foundation and seeks to identify how the family’s current dysfunction is a result of
generational patterns. The multigenerational family therapist focuses on the facts
related to the family rather than the family’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Multigenerational family therapy aims to help family members, from different
generations, have a non-aggressive and non-anxious communication, which paves
way for unity as well as healthy separateness when needed. It views present family
dysfunctions as a product of generational patterns. Hence, this approach looks into
family facts as they can give structure to repeated generational behaviors.
For instance, a child’s anxious behavior was traced to be influenced by his mother’s
anxieties, parents’ conflicts, grandfather’s stories of the war, and aunt’s social phobia.
Thus, the child’s symptoms are not mainly attributed to the mother; it is result of
interactional patterns within the nuclear as well as extended families. A receptive and
supportive communication was then encouraged among the family members to
promote consistent security and togetherness, which may eventually help each one of
them, deal with their anxieties.
MURRAY BOWEN
Murray Bowen was a 20th century psychiatrist who developed family systems theory,
also known as Bowen theory.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Murray Bowen was the oldest of five children, born on January 31, 1913, in the small
town of Waverly, Tennessee.
He graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in science in
1934. Continuing his education at the University of Tennessee Medical School,
Bowen received his medical degree in 1937. Bowen worked as an intern at Bellevue
Hospital in New York City and Grasslands Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Shortly
after, he served in the military for five years, and he began to develop an interest
in psychiatry.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE:
Although the Mayo Clinic for a fellowship in surgery had accepted Bowen, he
accepted a position as a fellow in psychiatry at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka,
Kansas, in 1946. Bowen stayed with the foundation until 1954.
Bowen joined the National Institute of Mental Health in 1954 and began to form his
family systems theory. For several years, Bowen explored family relationships and
constructs while working with parents of schizophrenic children. He continued his
research when he left NIMH for a position at Georgetown University Medical Center.
As a clinical professor and director of Family Programs, Bowen was responsible for
researching and teaching, and he founded the Family Center at the University. Bowen
spent more than two decades at Georgetown, during which time he studied the
emotional, physical, and social aspects of psychiatry as it related to family systems.
Bowen received many awards for his years of work in the field of psychiatry,
including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Tennessee-
Knoxville and the Alumnus of the Year from the Menninger Foundation. He was a
member of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Board of Psychiatry
and Neurology and was the president of the American Family Therapy Association in
1961.
CONTRIBUTION TO PSYCHOLOGY:
Bowen developed family systems theory because he believed that the family was the
primary source of emotions and personality. While working with schizophrenic
clients, Bowen studied the symbiotic relationship between children and their mothers.
He argued that schizophrenia was the result of several generations of dysfunction,
with each generation experiencing more dysfunction, until eventually a child-
developed schizophrenia. While Bowen's family systems theory is an outgrowth of his
work with schizophrenic patients, he went on to further develop the theory,
and family systems therapy continues to be a popular form of therapy.
Bowen emphasized that differentiation of the self is an important goal for every
family member, particularly children. Differentiation requires that people see
themselves as independent from their families. People who are poorly differentiated
are more likely to internalize family conflicts and more likely to struggle emotionally.
For example, children who have not differentiated themselves from their families
might be more likely to blame themselves for their parents' divorce, their siblings’
emotional problems, or other family conflicts. People with high self-differentiation,
by contrast, are more likely to remain calm and stable during times of emotional
turmoil and are less likely to make impulsive emotional decisions.
HISTORY
The pioneers of family therapy recognized that current social and cultural forces
shape our values about ourselves and our families, our thoughts about what is
“normal” and “healthy,” and our expectations about how the world works. However,
Bowen was the first to realize that the history of our family creates a template which
shapes the values, thoughts, and experiences of each generation, as well as how that
generation passes down these things to the next generation.
Bowen was a medical doctor and the oldest child in a large cohesive family from
Tennessee. He studied schizophrenia, thinking the cause for it began in mother-child
symbiosis, which created an anxious and unhealthy attachment. He moved from
studying dyads (two way relationships like parent-child and parent-parent) to triads
(three way relationships like parent-parent-child and grandparent-parent-child)
afterward. At a conference organized by Framo, one of his students, he explained his
theory of how families develop and function, and presented as a case study his own
family.
Bowen’s theory focuses on the balance of two forces. The first is togetherness and the
second is individuality. Too much togetherness creates fusion and prevents
individuality, or developing one’s own sense of self. Too much individuality results in
a distant and estranged family. Bowen further expanded his family systems theory
with the belief that the behavior of each family member was influenced by his or
her birth order and position in the family construct. As he delved deeper into the
psychological depths of the family dynamic, Bowen realized that family members had
different strategies for diffusing a highly emotional situation. Some members would
leave the room, while others would look away or become silent. Each of these
behaviors is a form of “emotional cutoff” that increases distance in order to avoid
conflict and pain. Emotional cutoff is a temporary strategy that minimizes pain but
does not get at the underlying problem. Open family relationships, by contrast, do not
require these coping skills, and these close relationships that allow each family
member to be an individual are goals of family systems therapy.
Through all of his work, Bowen always maintained a belief in differentiation. He
thought that people could achieve emotional maturity during the course of their
lifetime, develop close intimate relationships, manage reactions and behaviors, and
ultimately develop a sense of full individuality.
Bowen also developed the theory of triangulation, a well-known concept in popular
psychology. Triangulation occurs when a person refocuses their attention. For
example, a couple tha\t fights frequently might refocus their attention on a new baby
rather than dealing with the conflict.
Bowenian Family Therapy:
Bowenian family therapy is a form of family therapy that helps people decrease
anxiety and improve their relationships by addressing the family system and
dynamics.
It seeks to identify how the family's current dysfunction is a result of generational
patterns.
The Bowen Family Systems Theory posits that understanding someone’s family story
can help to understand their psyche, their relationship systems, and how they operate
within other aspects of their life as well as their physical and emotional nature and
processes. While not all families are close, families are typically impacted by one
another to some extent. What happens to one individual in the family may have a
positive or negative impact on others in the family, including influencing their
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Eight interlocking concepts:
Although the Bowen Family System Theory may inform care for families of
individuals experiencing mental health struggles, the theory is thought to apply to all
individuals; it is not meant to focus on those who have mental illnesses specifically.
Instead, the Bowen Theory is meant to look at big-picture patterns not only in family
systems but also within society. Bowen introduced eight interlocking concepts to
explain family development and functioning, each of which is described below.
Triangles:
Triangle relationships—relationships between three individuals—are considered the
smallest unit of stable relationships. Triangle relationships may be more stable than
two-person relationships, or dyads, because they may tolerate higher levels of tension.
Triangle relationships may demonstrate certain patterns that yield insight into broader
family dynamics. For instance, in a triangle relationship, one individual may
frequently be the outsider, while the other two individuals may gravitate toward one
another. Depending on the levels of tension within the triangle, the outsider position
may change or become more desirable. These shifting relational dynamics can
influence the emotional well-being of the individuals in the triangle.
Differentiation Of Self:
Bowen’s concept of differentiation of self posits that each individual has their own
unique level of self-differentiation, or individual identity, which develops as a result
of childhood experiences. Those with a highly developed sense of self may make
decisions more confidently and demonstrate more emotional maturity, while those
with a poorly differentiated self may be more susceptible to the opinions or criticism
of others. Individuals with a poorly developed sense of self may be more likely to
experience mental health challenges based on their individual circumstances.
Nuclear Family Emotional Process:
Bowen theorized that four basic relationship patterns influence family tension levels:
i. Marital conflict,
ii. Dysfunction in one spouse,
iii. Impairment of one or more children,
iv. And emotional distance.
Family Projection Process:
Parents who project their difficult feelings onto their child may increase their child’s
vulnerability to experiencing these feelings themselves. For example, many parents
hope their children will avoid their negative relationship habits, but some focus so
highly on preventing these problems in their children that they may inadvertently
cause these behaviors to develop.
Multigenerational Transmission Process:
This aspect of the Bowen Family Systems Theory posits that individuals are most
likely to choose a spouse with a similar level of self-differentiation. Over time, this
tendency may cause significant differences in relational stability, health, and success
between families.
Emotional Cutoff:
Individuals experiencing family conflict may be more likely to force emotional
distance, or a firm emotional cutoff, rather than attempt to resolve the underlying
issues. This practice may cause instability and vulnerability within other
relationships.
Sibling Position:
Bowen borrowed the concept of sibling position from the psychologist Walter Toman.
When incorporated into the Bowen Family Systems Theory, the sibling position
dynamic suggests that our birth order may influence some important personality
characteristics. These characteristics may then influence future relationship stability if
children become spouses or parents.
Societal Emotional Process:
Each concept in the Bowen Family Systems Theory can also be applied to non family
groups, such as work and social organisations. This theory is meant to reflect how
society operates on a behavioural level. In turn, societal expectations can affect the
family unit.
Goals of Therapy

Treatment entails

 Reframing the presenting problem as a multigenerational problem that is

caused by factors beyond the individual
 Lowering anxiety and the “emotional turmoil” that floods the family so they
can reflect and act more calmly
 Increasing differentiation, especially of the adult couple, so as to increase their
ability to manage their own anxiety, transition more effectively to parenthood,
and thus fortify the entire family unit’s emotional wellbeing
 Using the therapist as part of a “healthy triangle” where the therapist teaches
the couple to manage their own anxiety, distance, and closeness in healthy
ways
 Forming relationships with the family member with “the problem” to help
them separate from the family and resist unhealthy triangulation and emotional
fusion
 Opening closed ties with cut off members
 Focusing on more than “the problem” and including the overall health and
happiness of the family
 Evaluating progress of the family in terms of how they function now, as well
as how adaptive they can be to future changes
 Addressing the power differential in heterosexual couple based on differences,
for example, in economic power and gender role socialization (this is a
contribution of those who have reconsidered Bowen’s theory through a
feminist lens)
In general, the therapist accomplishes this by giving less attention to specific problem
they present with, and more attention to family patterns of emotions and relationships,
as well as family structures of dyads and triangles. More specifically, the therapist

 Tries to lower anxiety (which breeds emotional fusion) to promote

understanding, which is the critical factor in change; open conflict is
prohibited as it raises the family members’ anxiety during future sessions
 Remains neutral and detriangulated, and in effect models for the parents some
of what they must do for the family
 Promotes differentiation of members, as often a single member can spur
changes in the larger family; using “I” statements is one way to help family
members separate their own emotions and thoughts from those of the rest of
the family
 Develops a personal relationships with each member of the family and
encourages family members to form stronger relationships too
 Encourages cut off members to return to the family
 May use descriptive labels like “pursuer-distancer,” and help members see the
dynamic occurring; following distancers only causes them to run further away,
while working with the pursuer to create a safe place in the relationship invites
the distancer back.
 Coaches and consults with the family, interrupts arguments, and models
skills…
Techniques
Bowen did not believe in a "therapeutic bag of tricks." Questioning the family and
constructing a family genogram are the closest things to basic techniques all
Bowenian therapists would use. Carter has assigned tasks to the adult couple to help
them realize more about their family history, and encourages letter writing to distant
members, visiting mother-in-laws... to speed things up. Guerin accepts the family's
opinion of who "has the problem" and works from there with a variety of techniques
to help all family members own some responsibility for helping that sick member get
better. He will also use stories or films to present another real or imaginary family
with the same problem as the family in therapy, and highlight how the family in the
story or film overcame their difficulties.
Process questions – designed to slow people down and get them thinking in order to
explore what’s going on inside people and between them • “When your boyfriend
neglects you, how do you react?” • “When your daughter goes on dates, what do you
worry about?” • Relationship experiment – designed to help clients try something
different than their usual emotionally driven responses • Ex: Pursuers are encourage
to restrain their pursuit, stop making demands, decrease pressure for emotional
connection and see what happens
Neutralizing triangles – the therapist must stay free of reactive emotional
entanglements in order to avoid the same process of emotional triangulation families
use to stabilize their conflict’s.
Coaching
The therapist hopes to avoid taking over for clients or becoming enmeshed in family
triangles. Does not involve telling people what to do . Involves asking questions
designed to help people Figure out family emotional processes and their role in them
The “I”-Position
 A calm and clear statement of personal opinion
 Often has a stabilizing effect in times of tension
 Taking a personal stance instead of what others are doing
 Ex: “You’re lazy” vs. “I wish you would help me more”
 Therapists not only encourage clients to take “I”-positions but they also do so
themselves
 Ex: “I believe your children have the right to know this” (but what the client
does is of course up to them)
 Bowenian Therapy with Couples
 Secret is to stay connected with both partners without letting them triangle you
 As partner’s talk the therapist concentrates on the process of their interaction
not on the details under discussion
 The therapist is viewed as a coach or consultant who guides the couple with
strategic questioning
 Important to discuss the nuclear family but also each partner’s families of
origin.
Family Therapy with One Person
Family therapy can be done with one person. Such therapy typically focuses on
differentiation of the person from the family. The therapist helps the individual stop
seeing family members in terms of the roles (parent, sibling, caretaker…) they played,
and start seeing them as people with their own needs, strengths, and flaws. The
individual learns to recognize triangulation, and take some ownership in allowing or
halting it when it happens. The individual client should have good insight into the
family (genograms may be especially helpful in this), and be very motivated to make
changes either in his or her own life, or in the family.
The Effectiveness of Bowenian Family Therapy:
The effectiveness of Bowenian family therapy needs further exploration by the
scientific community. However, a few studies have indicated that it might be effective
for treating several issues, including anxiety, bullying behaviors, and others, and may
help facilitate family reunification and improve empathy among family members.
In a recent study involving an adult male addicted to gaming and exhibiting bullying
behaviors, researchers found that a combination of Bowenian family therapy and MRI
(Mental Research Institute) family therapy resulted in marked improvements in
several areas. After treatment, the man improved his family relationships,
communication skills, behaviors, coping skills, and perception
The researchers found that couples who underwent Bowenian family therapy showed
decreased boredom within their relationships and greater forgiveness.
One study found that Bowenian family therapy can increase empathy and happiness in
couples by improving understanding and communication skills.
CONCLUSION:
Bowenian family therapy might help individuals and families to resolve conflicts and
problematic behaviors that have affected their relationships for generations. This
approach might benefit people who believe their family situations have impacted their
mental health and overall well-being. However, more research needs to be completed
to determine the effectiveness of this approach.