Kerr Lecture Series #5 - The Multigenerational Family

This presentation focuses on two concepts in Bowen theory: the multigenerational transmission process and emotional cutoff. Every multigenerational family has its unusually stable and productive branches, its fairly problematic branches, and many gradations of family functioning between these extremes. The multigenerational concept explains how this variation develops. The cutoff concept describes how people try to reduce tensions and conflicts that are triggered by contacts with their families of origin by physically or emotionally distancing from the family. This can reduce tensions with the extended family, but intensify tensions in the nuclear family. This presentation also explains the basics of constructing a family diagram and how to use theory to interpret it.

2003. 60 min.

For more information, please contact The Bowen Center at 202-965-4400 or info@thebowencenter.org.