Journal 18.1- Archives: Triangles and the Scale of Differentiation of Self: Bowen with introduction by Papero (PDF)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A special feature of Family Systems is a previously unpublished manuscript by Murray Bowen and other researchers in the family field.

TRIANGLES AND THE SCALE OF DIFFERENTIATION OF SELF
Murray Bowen, MD
Introduction by Daniel V. Papero, PhD, LCSW
In 1970, Murray Bowen’s family systems theory represented a new entry in the world of psychiatry. Interest in the family ran high as reports appeared from various sources touting the value of a family approach to the treatment of mental illness. In that year Bowen, using the relatively new medium of videotape, recorded a series of lectures at the Medical College of Virginia in which he laid out his theoretical work. That series of lectures, now referred to formally as the Basic Series and informally as the chalk-talks, remains a much-viewed classic presentation of family systems theory. In preparation for the lecture series, Bowen wrote out a script or text to follow in the lectures. The manuscript, printed here for the first time, covers the first lecture of the series. This manuscript has neither the structure nor tone of a research article. Instead, it captures Bowen’s relatively straightforward, even at times folksy, way of describing his ideas simply and clearly.