Application of Bowen's Family Therapy Theory

The purpose of this paper is to critically explore and discuss Murray Bowen's theory of family therapy as it applies to a blended black family. Research and theory on black family violence will be addressed, and perspectives on black families in therapy will be set forth. Current thinking on the myths and misconceptions surrounding stepfamilies will be enumerated to provide a framework within which to better understand the problems facing this population.

Pierce and Pierce (1991) argued for the increased need for cultural competencies in child protective service work. They argued that, although many treatment strategies have been proposed, few have incorporated the variable of race and/or ethnicity in their application. In a national survey of child welfare in-service trainers, Vinokur and Gray (1981) found that most of the trainers surveyed had no program plan to train workers to serve different racial groups.

Pierce and Pierce (1991) emphasized that even the most casual examination of child welfare intervention and practice with black families revealed a tragic picture of insensitivity and cultural disregard. They felt that clinical practice with black families must occur within a culturally competent, organizational context in which there is a commitment to policies that enhance services to diverse clientele.

Maglin and Schniedewind (1989) said that there were 35 million stepparents in America and 1,300 stepfamiles are formed every day. One out of every five chil

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out his own family follows a basic format and uses standard symbols. Due to deaths, divorces, and remarriages, nuclear families change over time. Blended family data is diagrammed with its own special symbols and the format is the same whatever the race or cultural background of the family. When much of the data collected in a family evaluation interview is included on a family diagram, the diagram can get very complex (Kerr & Bowen, 1989, p. 309). According to Kerr & Bowen (1988), when a family interview has been completed and a family diagram constructed, it is useful to make a systematic interpretation of the of the information. This is called "family diagnosis." Interpretation of the data from a family evaluation and family diagram are broken down into ten areas that follow: 1) the symptomatic person, 2) sibling position, 3) nuclear family emotional process, 4) stressors, 5) emotional reactivity, 6) nuclear family adaptiveness, 7) extended family stability and intactness, 8) emotional cutoff, 9) therapeutic focus, and 10) prognosis. A thorough accounting of Bowen's therapeutic model is impractical given the briefness of this paper. It is important to point out key issues in diagnosis and treatment which would affect bla

Category: Psychology - A