Bowen Theory Videos

A "chalk-talk" theoretical presentation by Dr. Bowen.

1970. Black and white.

A "chalk-talk" theoretical presentation by Dr. Bowen.

1970. Black and white

A "chalk-talk" theoretical presentation by Dr. Bowen.

1970. Black and white

A "chalk-talk" theoretical presentation by Dr. Bowen.

1970. Black and white.

A one hour presentation by Dr. Bowen on the four primary variables which govern the development of symptoms in the nuclear family. Dr. Bowen then illustrates how these mechanisms work in the family, how they are interrelated, and how one may account for the differences in those who develop physical, emotional, or social illnesses.

1970. Color.

This tape is on the emotional process surrounding death in a family and is considered one of the series' most significant tapes.

1978. Black & White.

This is an interview between Dr. Bowen and Kathleen Yanks which demonstrates the theoretical implications of emotional cutoff from one's own family.

1980. Black and white.

Bowen-Kerr Interview Series #1 - Family Systems Theory and Therapy: An Overview

This interview includes such topics as the history of the family movement, the family as an emotional unit, the difference between family systems thinking and individual thinking, and what it means to be a differentiated person.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Dr. Bowen began thinking about ways to make psychiatry into an acceptable science. Toward this long-range goal, he worked on a theory of human functioning that would be consistent with the natural sciences. In this interview, Dr. Bowen discusses the evolution of this thinking during years of research and clinical observation.

1979. 55 min.

Dr. Bowen addresses the ways in which the methods of systems therapy have evolved from the theory, emphasizing that a therapist's theoretical perspective determines the way he or she conducts therapy. He also discusses some of the common pitfalls clinicians encounter when they begin to do family systems therapy with an individual frame of reference.

1979. 55 min

This interview focuses on the ways in which anxiety is manifested in a family, how the level of differentiation affects the ability to adapt to acute or chronic stress, and the ways in which a therapist can reduce the anxiety so that the process of differentiation can begin. Dr. Bowen addresses the importance of a therapists becoming more self-contained within the emotional arena of his or her own family in order to stay out of the emotional process in clinical work.

1979. 60 min.

In this video Dr. Bowen discusses the development of his ideas about extended family work and some of the common misconceptions that have evolved from these ideas. Dr. Bowen discusses the theoretical principles that guide the effort at trying to be more of a self in one's own family, and the significance of concepts such as triangles, emotional cutoff, and emotional process in a family.

1980. 50 min.

Looking at the practical applications of Bowen theory to extended family work, this tape includes what it means to have a personal relationship with extended family members, what is significant about doing a multigenerational history, and what to do in a family in which parents are dead. Dr. Bowen goes into detail about common mistakes people make in their efforts that not only perpetuate problems in a family, but can actually make them worse.

1980. 52 min.

The emotional system and the way in which people are taught produces a certain view of the world. Dr. Bowen's and Dr. Kerr's personal experiences give a clear view of the difficulties encountered in unlearning the conventional psychiatric paradigm. This one-hour videotape conveys Dr. Bowen's effort toward finding a more factual way to think about the human condition. 1980. 55 min

An overview of the family field from its birth in the early 1950s to the present day is presented. Family research with schizophrenia played a critical role in the development of family theory and therapy. Over time various models were designed to extend the research findings about schizophrenia to all types of family problems. This tape traces the expansion of the concept of differentiation of self and clarifies how change in a family unit begins by lowering the anxiety in the family field. 1980. 55 min.

Background to Systems Thinking and Discipleship This interview addresses the complex subject of paradigms and epistemology, including the way in which new knowledge is acquired. The first part of this tape compares two approaches to systems thinking. Dr. Murray Bowen defines a theory based on the natural sciences. Conceptual abstractions of his observations of family patterns led to the definition of his theory. Dr. Albert Scheflen knew general systems theory and approached a broader understanding of schizophrenia by learning all he could about the three paradigms of psychiatry: biology, psychology, and sociology. He then distilled this information to a few essential ideas. The second part of this tape concerns the difficulties of maintaining an open theoretical system. 1980. 54 min

This discussion examines the logical conceptual bridge from the emotional processes in families to those in society. The link came from a study of families with delinquent children. From the study, ideas about emotional reactivity are applied to conceptualizations about transgressions against society. Factors that increase societal anxiety and changes in methods of dealing with problems are noted. Similar to family process, societal regression can be dealt with when leaders are calm and observe the overall system. 1981. 54 min

This interview does not answer questions about God or religion. Dr. Bowen begins by discussing some of the factors that may have delayed his thinking about and conceptualizing supernatural phenomena within a systems framework. He talks about the development of his thinking about schizophrenia, cancer, and societal regression and how the ideas of Gregory Bateson and Al Scheflen on Aristotelian thinking influenced him. The sciences have long avoided investigating supernatural phenomena because they lacked an adequate frame of reference and that, historically, high levels of emotionality have surrounded the facts relevant to understanding this order of events. 1980. 54 min.

Dr. Bowen discusses the difficulties of getting beyond polarities in one's thinking. He refers to Barbara McClintock's characterization of "levelers" those who see the broad field, and "sharpeners," those who have gunbarrel vision. He maintains that people can be taught to see from a broader perspective if they work on defining self. He uses the analogy of a sports team to illustrate the importance of being an individual while working as a team.

1984. 57 min

Society goes through progressive and regressive cycles similar to those in a family. According to Murray Bowen, society is currently in a regression. Dr. Bowen discusses the history of family theory and psychotherapy and makes some predictions about what the future holds for the mental health professions. Family systems theory describes processes in the family rather than the people involved in those processes. This separates it from other theories of human behavior. 1984. 58 min.

Dr. Bowen discusses the basic theoretical concept that working on one's differentiation of self may provide the best way possible in human functioning to communicate effectively with others. Human functioning is at its best when each person is free to verbalize feelings and fantasies to the other without fear that the verbalization will hurt the other. People once close to each other become isolated and communication deteriorates. Working on self enables one to work on communication. 1985. 60 min.

The function of the midbrain has long been an enigma. The new concept of the midbrain suggests a type of organization that would be fundamentally more similar to the spinal cord than to the brain. Dr. Bowen suggests that the midbrain is an outgrowth of the primitive spinal cord and, as such, presides over the automatic functions of the whole body. The cerebrum surrounding it, a later evolutionary development, allows the potential for conscious control over automatic functioning. 1986. 52 min.

Due to technical issues, BKIS 16 cuts off 4 minutes early.  To accommodate, we have included a transcript of the entire interview gratis.