Family Systems Therapy – Murray Bowen

Family Systems Therapy suggests an individual cannot be understood without looking at their family.  peers, siblings, caregivers, and others.  Families are comprised of rules and roles.  Patterns and roles develop in a family that predict each members behavior and responses to others behavior –> cause and effect –> one member’s behavior is caused by and at the same time, causes another members behavior.  The family pattern is predictable, but nonetheless often dysfunctional and difficult to recognize by members.