57th Symposium on Family Theory and Family Psychotherapy - Audio
This set of audio files includes the following presentations:
Introduction – Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW
Welcome to the Symposium – Carrie Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC
Moderator: Laura R. Brooks, LCSW-C
Family Oneness and Its Variation - Robert J. Noone, PhD
While Bowen theory is not a theory about how the family evolved, but how it functions, evolutionary theory raises interesting questions about the family system. One of the questions raised is related to the observation that the functioning of the human family predictably results in a decrease of the adaptive capacity (differentiation of self) of one or more of offspring. And over multiple generations, families generate increasingly lower levels of adaptive capacity as well as stable or even higher levels. In this presentation, it will be suggested that selection, operating simultaneously at the levels of the individual and the family would account for the range of adaptiveness among individuals.
Prairie Dogs and a Systems Model for Family Assessment: Implications for Research and Clinical Practice - Barbara Laymon, PhD, MPH
When Bowen said that the “dance of life” among people is more similar than dissimilar to the dance of other species, he broadened the study of relationship processes to include cute, furry, and occasionally deadly rodents: prairie dogs. Prairie dogs – burrowing creatures living in territorial family groups – provide a test case for Papero’s (2018) systems model for family assessment. Applications for clinical practice will be discussed.
Discussion
Groups as Organisms: Implications for Therapy and Training - David Sloan Wilson, PhD
Bowen theory’s systemic orientation stands in contrast with Individualism as the dominant intellectual tradition of the last 70 years. Individualism is at last yielding to Multilevel Selection (MLS) theory, which shows that functional organization can evolve (or fail to evolve) at any level of a multi-tier hierarchy of social units, such as from genes to ecosystems in biological systems and from individuals to global governance in human systems. He will provide an overview of MLS theory and the need for therapy and training to take place at the level of functionally oriented groups in addition to the individual person.
Discussion
Moderator: Carrie Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC
Does Family Functioning Matter in the Age of Social Autism? - Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW-C
Dialogue with Daniel Papero and David Wilson
Dialogue Moderator: Carrie Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC
Discussion
Meet Me at the Crossroads: Exploring the Intersections of Bowen Theory, Evolutionary Thinking, and Systems Level Change - Amie Post, MA, LCMFT
A case study will detail the efforts over three years to utilize theoretical concepts to animate systems level change in a multigenerational response to domestic violence. This presentation will explore the intersection of Bowen theory, evolutionary thinking and collective impact models in systems level change in social service delivery.
The Projection Process in Families and in Society - Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW
The concepts of Bowen theory describe emotional process in relationship systems and can be applied to families, organizations, and societies. This presentation investigates how the projection process operates in a family in ways that all family members contributed to its impact. It also addresses the way individuals can cooperate societally with a projection process which allows some members to benefit without recognizing their part in the process. The reaction of an individual or group to the projection process can intensify the focus and heighten the polarization in the group.
Discussion
Moderator: Anne S. McKnight, EdD, LCSW
Emotional Systems and Anxiety: Adaptation in Evolution and the Family: Victoria Harrison, MA, LMFT
Anxious reactions, evident in biology, behavior, and relationship patterns, stir adaptation to the natural environment and to relationships for all forms of life. This survey of emotional systems and reactions to climate changes will examine characteristics that are associated with species extinction as well as with successful adaptation in an effort to better understand adaptation to current environmental challenges.
The Family as a Product of Evolution - Laurie Lassiter, PhD, MSW
Murray Bowen discovered a hidden altruism that occurs outside of a family’s awareness. The family evolved to nudge some members toward ceding their individuality for the benefit of the group. In a reciprocal process, an individual being used by the group participates in the process as well.
Discussion
Prosocial: A Practical Framework for Managing Cultural Evolution in Real-World Settings - David Sloan Wilson, PhD
When evolution is defined as any process that includes the three ingredients of variation, selection, and replication, then it exists in the form of personal and cultural evolution in addition to genetic evolution. In all cases, evolution frequently results in outcomes that create problems rather than solutions for normative goals such as personal fulfillment, group visions and missions, and long-term global sustainability. Work is required to manage evolutionary processes so that they become aligned with our normative goals at all scales. He will provide an overview of Prosocial.world (Prosocial for short), an ambitious practical framework for managing personal and cultural evolution, with collaborative potential in mind.
Dialogue with Robert Noone and David Wilson
Discussion
Moderator: Amie Post, MA, LCMFT
Family Survival: How to Create Emotional Family Pattern Interruptions - Carrie E. Collier, PhD, LPC, CRC
“Who is the family and what is an emotional system?” “What is important about knowing the composition of the human family and the history of family interactions?” are examples of the questions addressed by this researcher in her 2019 parenting study. Possible parental moves to interrupt the transfer of anxiety in the nuclear family will be outlined and the importance of defining the family system and the mechanisms that keep the family alive will be explored.
Convergent Spouse Functioning and Nuclear Family Emotional Process - Phillip Klever, MSW
One of the outcomes of the nuclear family emotional process in a longitudinal research sample was spouses functioning at a similar level or convergent spouse functioning. This presentation describes the researcher’s observations and the theoretical underpinnings.
Discussion
Emotional Shockwave in the Family Unit - Laura R. Brooks, LCSW-C
This presentation provides evidence for family emotional shockwaves that resulted from the premature deaths of two grandfathers. Shockwaves in the family reveal the underlying interconnectedness of relationships that comprise an emotional unit. Examples of shifts in relationships in non-human emotional units anchor this presentation in a biological view of the human family.
Is Bowen Theory a Natural Systems Theory of the Family and If So, What Difference Does It Make? - Randall T. Frost, MDiv
Murray Bowen wrote that “he fashioned a natural systems theory designed to fit precisely with the principles of evolution and the human as an evolutionary being”. Did he succeed? This presentation will review evidence that supports the proposition that Bowen theory is a natural systems theory and suggest why that is important.
Discussion