Journal 17.2- Similarity in Spouse Functioning: Klever

Volume 17.2

SIMILARITY IN SPOUSE FUNCTIONING
Phillip Klever, MSW
Bowen theory describes how a couple’s functioning is influenced by the emotional processes between the couple and within the family. Through this lens this study examined similarity in the levels of husband-wife symptomology. In the study sample, higher functioning families more frequently had spouses with similar, lower levels of symptomology which were steady over time. In lower functioning families there was less frequent spouse similarity in functioning, higher levels of spouse symptomology, more year-to-year fluctuation in husband-wife symptomology, and more divergent spouse functioning. The researcher contends that similar spouse symptomology was probably influenced by spouses marrying at the same basic level of differentiation and by the effects over time of the couple’s level of differentiation and the family’s emotional processes. Higher levels of differentiation seemed to have moderated the family stress response and contributed to stable, similar husband-wife functioning. At lower levels of differentiation the emotional processes that appeared more frequently to contribute to spouse similarity and convergence were spouses mutually losing self, mutually binding anxiety in physical, psychiatric, and/or social symptoms, mutually projecting immaturity and tension onto another, and/or distancing.
Keywords: Convergent spouse functioning, assortative mating, family functioning, Bowen theory, differentiation of self, emotional oneness, family emotional process, absorbing anxiety, steadiness versus fluctuation