Family Theory

Way back in 1967 when Murray Bowen first publically proposed the idea of family theory or family therapy system he was not appreciated but his ideas are now being used by therapists with families. Any individual is inseparable from its network of relationships and all therapists who faced problems with the family of origin of the patients found this theory helpful as the awareness helped them to normalize the human behaviour of the people who were being treated.

Participants of the arrangement are anticipated to react to each other in a definite fashion conferring to their character, which is determined by relationship pacts. Within the confines of the structure, forms cultivate as definite family member's actions is instigated by and causes other family member's activities in expectable behaviours. Retaining the similar design of actions within a structure might lead to stability in the family system, but also to dysfunction. For instance in a family if the wife is depressed then the husband needs to take up the duties. This change in the job roles will help in stabilizing the relationship and will help in pushing the family in a diverse stability. This new stability attained may not last long as the husband may not be able to maintain his undertaken duties for a long time.

Murray Bowen has introduced eight such different concepts in his theory which have been discussed in this book.