Thinking Systems Blog

Wise Selfishness: a Systems Perspective

March 26, 2023Define self

Can one be selfishly wise? Dr. Kerr has a phrase that is familiar to those in the Bowen community: "How does one be for self without being selfish and be for others without being selfless? " Most of us do not see selfishness as good behaviour. On the

Hope for Parents

March 12, 2023Uncategorized

A Manualized Process to Give Parents Hope (This post provides some background for the April 17th conference on the Parent Hope Project). As a father, I know how hard it can be to raise a child. I have also seen the challenges - far greater than my ow

Using Triangles

February 26, 2023From the Archives, triangles

Triangles are mechanisms to deal with the tension or discomfort that will inevitably arise in a two-person relationship. This is because most individuals are not highly differentiated. We have a level of immaturity that leads to tension in our relati

How emotionally mature are you?

February 14, 2023emotional system

Emotional Maturity - What is it? A challenge with discussing Bowen Theory is that the terms emotion and emotional system mean something different from the usual understanding that equates them to feelings. Dr. Bowen believed emotions to be more like

Chronic Anxiety in Physical Illness

January 22, 2023From the Archives

Chronic Anxiety and balancing self in relationships

From the Archives - Chronic Anxiety in Physical Illness Dr. Bowen spoke at a conference on cancer in 1978 about his thinking of how a disease like cancer could develop. It was quite different thinking at the time. He started by making the point that

Function UP in 2023

January 14, 2023Define self

Function UP in 2023 It's that time of year when I think about my intentions for functioning up in the coming year. A systems perspective has me thinking about how I'm functioning in my family and workplace systems. The concept of functioning is an im

Family Projection Process – From the Archive

December 22, 2022family projection, From the Archives

Family Projection Process The family projection process is one of eight concepts that make up Bowen theory. Dr. Bowen believed that there were enough observations from his research and clinical work that it warranted being a separate concept. It is i

Defining Self – Always do this

December 16, 2022Define self

Defining a self - always do this. Defining one's self is a lot of work and a lifelong process. However, one can improve their functioning at any time. Here are some ideas, from a system's perspective, that can increase one's level of differentiation,

Workplace Systems – From the Archive

November 24, 2022From the Archives, workplace systems

Workplace systems and family systems theory. In 1978, Dr. Bowen gave a thirty-minute presentation entitled "Overview of Bowen Theory and Organizational Systems." By then, he had years of experience in leadership roles from his time in the military an

Value of Family History

November 15, 2022Uncategorized

The value of family history There are multiple reasons for the value of understanding the facts of one's family history. It supports one's development of more objective thinking on family matters. The process of gathering family history facts expands