Family Theories: The Bowen Family Theory and Structural Family Therapy

Family Case Study
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Family theories
A theory is a set of interrelated aspects that describe, explain, and predict how a society and its characteristics are related to each other. In this case, a family is a unit comprised of various parts, and different people associating with each other. Thus, just like society, the system in a family can be defined and described using theories. Researchers have developed the methods of behavior that are specific to the interaction and the occurring events in family settings (Laff & Ruiz, 2020). Besides, the different families have different practices, issues, and characteristics surrounding their interaction with each other, both at nuclear and extended levels. The people developing family theories have different and specific areas of emphasis, including; family therapists, gerontologists, and child development specialists (Laff & Ruiz, 2020). These specifications involve the chain in family growth as enabled by childbearing a process that brings the people who are supposed to ensure the continuity of a specific family. Thus, family theories identify the behaviors, interactions, and relationships of people in particular family settings.
Bowen family theory
Bowen therapy is a human behavior theory that views the family as an emotional unit. It uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the family. (Brown, 1999) argues that the members of a certain family are emotionally connected. This type of connection is intense, and it explains how people live together in the family despite arising issues such as misunderstandings (Brown, 1999). For instance, although family members may differ on opinions concerning an issue in the setting, they end up agreeing to one decision, based on the existing emotional connection between the individuals. Also, though people may feel distanced from their family, the intuition is just a feeling and not a fact since people who are connected emotionally cannot be distanced literally (Brown, 1999). The setting in families affects the personal aspects of members such as thoughts, feelings, and even actions (Brown, 1999). The impacts create a significant context where people tend to live in a cover of clear emotional skin. In this case, a change in only one member is bound to induce reciprocal changes to the other individuals in the family, binding them to adopt the change to maintain the emotional connection in the family.
However, the interactions in the family can lead to unanticipated issues, yielding the need for attention to diffuse the arising anxiety, and maintain normality in the family. (Brown, 1999) argues that the key generator to family anxiety is the feeling of either too much closeness or significant distance between the members. The perception induces stress as the affected members continuously think about the existing connection and how they could change it in the case of great distances. Thus, they react to situations to justify their thoughts and find appropriate solutions in the case of need for the actions. On the other hand, the degree of anxiety differs from one family to another, depending on the current levels of external stress and sensitivities (Brown, 1999). These aspects are significant to families since they define essential themes that are transferred down to generations. Therefore, it is normal to deal with the issues because they cannot be eradicated, and the incoming generations in the family will also have their lot to handle regarding the aspects. This stance means that families should have the capacity to think about their relationship dilemmas appropriately and react anxiously to both the perceived and identified emotional demands to avoid the state of chronic anxiety in their setting.
Bowenian therapy aims at minimizing chronic anxiety in families because though the settings may try to identify and react to their perceived emotional demands, they incur tedious processes, and avoiding the initial occurrence of the situation is the best solution. Thus, the therapy aims at reducing chronic anxiety in families in two ways. First, it facilitates awareness of the functioning of emotional systems in the family setting (Brown, 1999). The knowledge is made to help family members on knowing how they should handle certain situations to avoid the creation of the negative perceptions that could detriment their emotions and relationship with each other. Awareness helps individuals in knowing why they should do certain things in specific situations and not in others. The reaction and receptivity basis of their interactions aid in creating substantial relationships that encourage desirable interactions, considering the emotional connection between the individuals (Brown, 1999). Second, Bowenian therapy increases the levels of differentiation, where the significant focus is self-transformation rather than making the change necessary for other people in the family (Brown, 1999). The therapy emphasizes that the people in a family should change themselves if they are experiencing emotional issues at the expense of trying to change the family members around them. Besides, the change is bound to affect them anyway, even if they are not part of the process.
Structural family therapy
Structural family therapy is essential in the description of families. It focuses based on the entire family instead of figuring out the individual issues affecting the people in the setting to later proceed with group therapy (Horne, 2019). Therapists working in the theory unveil the habitual patterns, routines, and behaviors that could affect families negatively (Horne, 2019). The primary aim of the engagement is to seek and incarnate healthier behaviors in the family structures to create and maintain dynamic and loving, stable homes for all the members of the family (Horne, 2019). The theory is recommended for families that have issues such as past trauma, blended families, single-parent families, and possibly the families at risk (Horne, 2019). Although the structural family therapy applies to any family unit, research by (Horne, 2019) shows that most families on the verge of giving up have used the theory and realized significant benefits from its implementation. Thus, the precepts in the theory save families from breaking down by restoring them to healthier settings that all members can enjoy living in as they interact with each other.
The development of the therapy originated from a therapist who worked with children in the inner city of New York. The youths in the population were troubled and needed help. However, working with the kids in the crisis alone would not help their family members since they would still have to interact with them during and after the recovery process. Thus, the therapists (Salvador Minuchin) determined that dealing with the children alone was not enough to curb and eradicate their worrisome behavior in an attempt to achieve improved outcomes (Horne, 2019). Minuchin emphasized that the kids’ entire families were required to ensure change in their home life and habits. In this case, the families were brought in as single units and treated as part of the entire problem instead of solely focusing on the children. Eventually, Minuchin found out that the kids’ outcomes were excellent with the help and support from siblings, parents, and even the engagement of extended families (Horne, 2019). The family members encouraged them by offering a significant feature of accountability in ensuring that all the individuals in their families have and implement improved behavioral habits.
The entire family engagement in the therapy is essential in enabl...