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Volume 8, Number 1
ARTICLES
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Societal Emotional Process
Shelly Fine, MASc
This paper uses Bowen theory to better understand how the Israelis and the Palestinians, in their chronic anxiety, have become locked in an overfunctioning/underfunctioning reciprocity which has been reinforced by the triangling of, primarily, Britain, Russia/Soviet Union, other Arab entities, and the United States.
The Multigenerational Transmission Process and the
Neurobiology of Attachment and Stress Reactivity
Robert J. Noone, PhD
The concept of the multigenerational transmission process in Bowen theory is a testable concept, and findings from the fields of the neurobiology of attachment and stress reactivity are presented in this context. These areas of research focus on the limbic-HPA system and provide some initial support for: (1) how family interactions can have such profound effects on development; (2) how such effects might vary among siblings; and (3) how they can be transmitted nongenomically over multiple generations. In particular, the research in these areas indicates that behavioral interactions in the maternal-offspring relationship can significantly influence the neuroendocrine and behavioral development and adaptiveness of individuals.
Survival, Fusion, and Functioning in Extreme Poverty
Louise Rauseo, RN, MS, CS
This report of family adaptation to extreme poverty brings questions and new data to an understanding of fusion and togetherness. This paper proposes that some life circumstances may, in themselves, increase the level of fusion in a family in an effort to reduce anxiety and to promote survival of the group. The family history suggests that “all for one and one for all” may be an automatically programmed response to survival needs that may necessarily limit individual freedom to think separately and live independently of the group. While some families can make use of a high level of togetherness to survive extreme poverty or other challenges to health and survival, there is variation in the outcomes in succeeding generations. The opportunity to study these phenomena can add to the accuracy, depth, and breadth
of Bowen theory.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Sick, the Sad, the Savage, and the Sane
Don D. Jackson, MD -
with an Introduction by Wendel A. Ray, PhD
Murray Bowen has said, “In my opinion, Don Jackson was the only man in the family movement [other than Bowen] who knew what theory was about.” The Sick, the Sad, the Savage, and the Sane was first presented on May 13, 1964 at the Annual Lecture to the Society of Medical Psychoanalysts. In this lecture delivered when family system theory was in its infancy, Dr. Jackson draws upon research conducted by investigators working in diverse disciplines to illustrate fundamental differences between an individual and a relationship/contextual analysis of human behavior. The rationale for shifting from the study of the individual in vitro to the adoption of the proposition that the “premise of the family as a system requires us to attend only to present (observable) process,” is articulated.
FACULTY CASE CONFERENCE
The Affair As an Emotional Manager in Marriage
Presenter: Anne S. McKnight, LCSW, EdD
This case study on the subject of the affair was selected because of the frequency that infidelity is presented as a symptom in consultation and because a conference sponsored by the Bowen Center on the Brain and Relationships where several presenters discussed monogamy in the natural world further stimulated thought on the subject. The family was presented in May of 2006 and again in October 2007 to discuss the life course of the family during the following year and a half.
BOOK REVIEW
Punished by Rewards
Alfie Kohn
reviewed by Roberta Gilbert, MD
Alfie Kohn’s book, Punished By Rewards, explores the theory and consequences of behaviorism in schools and in the workplace. Dr. Gilbert, the reviewer, notes that Murray Bowen’s way of praising others was to show interest in their work. He was rarely intense with either praise or criticism. In Punished by Rewards, Dr. Gilbert perceives a beginning version of systems thinking. Kohn advocates more neutral treatment of others’ achievements so as not to affect them adversely. Interest, even enthusiasm, are not countermanded, especially when they are genuine reactions to others’ achievements without the goal of “motivating them” or getting them to change what they do.
