Publications on Bowen Theory

This 50 page booklet is available in print, PDF, and Kindle form. Due to recent increases in international shipping fees, international purchasers may want to consider other electronic purchase options. See below for all ordering options.
One Family's Story introduces the eight concepts of Bowen theory by describing the experiences of a fictional family, Michael, Martha and their young daughters. Each chapter explains a different concept (see list below) by using the family narrative for illustration and discussion. Written by Michael E. Kerr, MD, a director emeritus of the Bowen Center, One Family's Story is a popular and accessible introduction to Bowen theory.

The eight concepts of Bowen theory:

• Triangles

• Differentiation of Self

• Nuclear Family Emotional Process

• Family Projection Process

• Multigenerational Transmission Process

• Emotional Cutoff

• Sibling Position

• Societal Emotional Process

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Volume discounts are available for orders of ten books or more. Please email Paulis Waber for information.

Spring conference sale: $15.00

Michael E. Kerr, MD, served for over two decades as the founding editor of Family Systems. A gifted writer, Dr. Kerr introduced each issue with a short, scientific paper that provides background, commentary, and new insights on Bowen theory. Essays from the Editor offers an opportunity to better understand the many applications of Bowen theory and some common themes connecting diverse topics.

Most issues of the journal strike a balance between clinically oriented articles and those with a theoretical or research orientation. A hallmark of the journal and Essays is an interdisciplinary exchange between scientists studying a range of species – from ants to primates – and Bowen theorists studying human families. Many thanks to Dr. Kerr whose endeavors have led to increased knowledge about the human as an adapting, evolving part of all life.

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Feature Articles from the Family Center Report, 1979-1996

Bowen Theory and Practice features a diverse collection of articles on aspects of Bowen theory and its applications in clinical practice that were first published in the Family Center Report. Included in the book are articles on natural selection theory, the family as an emotional unit, and population density, as well as a systems model for understanding disease, family diagnosis, and emotional process in society. Featured articles are written by Drs. Murray Bowen, Michael Kerr, and Daniel Papero. Other faculty members contributed detailed reviews of annual conferences and invited lectures. The work of Drs. Walter Toman and Jack Calhoun are also represented. The goal of publishing these articles is to give them the wider exposure they merit and to make them available for the future.

Contents

Part 1: THEORY

Significance of Murray Bowen’s Scientific Contributions
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Subjectivity, Homo Sapiens, and Science
Murray Bowen, MD

Some Aspects of Systems Thinking
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Universal Autism: Extinction Resulting from Failure to Develop Relationships
John B. Calhoun, PhD
reviewed by Daniel V. Papero, PhD, MSSW

The Press of Population
Kathleen B. Kerr, MSN, MA

Natural Selection Theory and the Emotional System
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Bowen Theory and Evolutionary Theory
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Complex Biological Systems
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Reproduction, Survival and Extinction
Roberta B. Holt, DSW

Challenging Assumptions
Michael E. Kerr, MD

The Borderline Family
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Theory and Therapy
Michael E. Kerr, MD

PART 2: PRACTICE

Psychotherapy: Past, Present, and Future
Murray Bowen, MD
reviewed by Michael E. Kerr, MD

An Obstacle to Hearing Bowen Theory
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Responsibility for Self
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, MSSW

A Systems Model for Disease
Michael E. Kerr, MD

The Importance of Beliefs, Emotions, and Relationships in the Recovery from Cancer
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Family Diagnosis as a Prerequisite for Psychotherapeutic Treatment
Walter Toman, PhD

Family Diagnosis
Michael E. Kerr, MD

The Family as a Unit
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, MSSW

Clinical Addendum
Murray Bowen, MD

Acute and Chronic Physical Dysfunction
Edward W. Beal, MD

Primary Care Medicine and the Family
Michael E. Kerr, MD

On Emotional Process in Society
Murray Bowen, MD

Stress, Society, and the Individual
Daniel V. Papero, PhD, MSSW

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Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory

Edited by Ruth Riley Sagar and Kathleen Klaus Wiseman

Contents

Introduction
Murray Bowen, MD

An Overview of Bowen Theory and Organizations
Kathleen B. Kerr

Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory to Organizations
Bonnie Sobel

Principles for Personal Definition in a Work System
Patricia H. Meyer

Land Mines, Ping Pong Balls and Lightening Rods
Scott K. Meyer

Emotional Process in Organizations
Kathleen K. Meyers

The System as a Client: Fusion, Triangulation and Emotional Process in Organizational Life
Arlene A. Christian

Using Family Systems Theory in Family and Closely-Held Businesses
David Bork

A Triangular Framework: Leadership and Followership
Thomas Gilmore

Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory In the Motion Picture Industry
Douglas Stern

Functioning to Achieve: Systems Consulting Cases
Ray McCain

Application of Family Systems Theory to a Work System
Michael E. Kerr

The Bowen Center is pleased to publish A New Index to Murray Bowen’s Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. Dr. Bowen’s book is a collection of all the journal articles and book chapters he published, 1957-1978. It includes his early work at the National Institute of Mental Health, “the first orderly presentation of the theory” in 1966, and the extension of family systems theory to organizations and to society. This index was compiled by Deloras Pemberton to benefit both the Center and students of Bowen theory. The author has a doctorate in reading education from the University of Missouri and a lifelong professional interest in how readers comprehend textual material. She became acquainted with Bowen family systems theory in the 1990s and participated in the Center’s Postgraduate Program in Bowen Family Systems Theory and Its Applications, 1999-2005.

The index was developed to be as complete and specific as possible and therefore has more entries and subentries than a reader would ordinarily find in an index. There are also more cross-referenced items because, in the evolution of the theory, Murray Bowen used multiple terms with similar or closely related meanings.

Dr. Pemberton’s knowledge of theory and her educational background have been indispensable to compiling this comprehensive index, which will make a lasting contribution to those who are seriously engaged in the study and practice of Bowen theory.

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The Emotional Side of Organizations: Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory

Papers Presented at The Georgetown Family Center's
Conference on Organizations April 22-23, 1995

Edited by Patricia A. Comella, Joyce Bader, Judith S. Ball,
Kathleen K.Wiseman, and Ruth Riley Sagar

CONTENTS

Part 1: THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

A Brief Summary of Bowen Family Systems Theory
Patricia A. Comella, JD

The Extension of Bowen Theory to Nonfamily Groups
Michael E. Kerr, MD

Rethinking the Consultant's Role
Joyce Bader, MS

Part 2. THE ORGANIZATION AS AN EMOTIONAL SYSTEM

Life at Work: The View from the Bleachers
Kathleen K. Wiseman, MBA

The Emotional Side of Re-Engineered and Re-Invented Workplaces
Patricia A. Comella, JD

Anxiety and Organizations
Daniel V. Papero, PhD

Part 3. HUMAN SOCIAL SYSTEMS

Bowen Theory:Potential Implications for the Field of Corrections
Ann Bunting, PhD

Consulting to Russian-American Joint Ventures
Katharine G. Baker, DSW

Violence in the Workplace: A Family Systems Perspective
Walter H. Smith, Jr., PhD

Part 4. DEFINING A SELF WITHIN SOCIAL SYSTEMS

Leadership from the Viewpoint of Bowen Theory
Paulina McCullough, MSW

Consultant as Sponge: An Evolutionary Journey
Judith S. Ball, MS Ed.

Teaching Bowen Family Systems Theory
Selden Dunbar Illick, LCSW

A Graduate Nursing Course Using Bowen Theory
Gail Hilbert, DNSC

Part 5. CASE STUDIES

Cooperation, Leaders, and Anxiety
Andrea Maloney-Schara, LCSWA

The Influence of Anxiety within a Business
Kent E. Webb, LCSW

Bowen Family Systems Theory as a Framework for Consultants
Leslie Ann Fox, MA, RRA

The School as an Emotional System
Roger Dillow, MA, MSW

Part 6. PRACTITIONERS

"I" Openings: Bowen Theory as a Framework to Sustain Planned Change
Peter F. Norlin, PhD

Bringing Bowen Theory to the Organization Behavior Classroom
Morley Segal, PhD

Differentiation and Triangles in Coaching Executives
Richard D. Olson, PhD

Diversity and Differentiation
Norman Leigh Jones, MA

Organizational Dynamics and the Clergy
V. Sue Zabel, PhD

The Contemporary Organization
Robert Cahill, MBA

Part 7. NONHUMAN SOCIAL SYSTEMS

Leadership in Nonhuman Social Systems: The Chimpanzees of Gombe
Kathleen B. Kerr, MSN, MA

Lessons from Nature on Leadership
Stephanie J. Ferrera, MSW

A Natural Systems View of Hierarchy
Roberta M. Gilbert, MD

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IMPORTANT: Please visit https://www.thebowencenter.org/journal/ to learn more about and subscribe to the journal. There you'll find links to our current issue and back issues.

Family Systems: A Journal of Natural Systems Thinking in Psychiatry and the Sciences is an interdisciplinary journal, published since 1994 by the Georgetown Family Center. The aim of the journal is to advance the understanding of human emotional functioning and behavior based on Bowen theory. Reflecting the assumption of Bowen theory that the human family is governed by the same natural forces that govern all life, the journal publishes articles that contribute to a better understanding of any living system.