57th Symposium on Family Theory and Family Psychotherapy - Saturday Morning

Includes the following presentations:

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