The Differentiation of Self
How Self-Directed Functioning Can Lead to a Better Tomorrow
If there is a core or heart to Bowen theory, it is what is known as the Differentiation of Self.
Does one have a set of principles from which one operates? Much of defining a self has to do with having principles and working from them when possible.
Differentiation of Self Scale
Murray Bowen developed a hypothetical scale to help determine a person's life functioning.
According to Dr. Bowen, "It has nothing to do with emotional health or illness or pathology." It was a tool he used to get an idea of the ability of his patients to distinguish between the feeling process and the thinking process. The scale was rated from zero to 100, with one side marked as "emotions," and the opposing side as "thinking."
The more anxiety, relationship fusion, poor decision-making, relationship difficulty, and so forth, the lower on the "emotions" or feeling side the person scored.
The less anxiety and relationship fusion, the better the decision-making, the less relationship problems, etc., the higher on the "thinking" side the person ranked.
The question: Does the person recognize the difference? This ability to determine the difference between feeling and thinking usually represents higher functioning.
Stability Amidst the Chaos
Where one falls on the continuum of functioning is believed to be rooted in the nuclear family emotional process. The family, considered to be the unit that governs individual behavior and development, is crucial in understanding a person's role and level of adaptation.
The family is where the forces of togetherness and individuality are the strongest. And thinking for self and practicing calm can benefit the unit as nothing else can. Kathleen B. Kerr, MSN, MA, writing in the Family Systems Journal, says, "The more an individual or group is guided by individuality forces, the more calm, thoughtful responses will prevail."
Differentiation is Rooted in the Cells
The term "differentiation" originated in biology, and there is much speculation and serious research into the notion that anxiety participates at the cellular level.
Michael E. Kerr, M.D., director of the Georgetown Family Center and Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, has been the leader in this area for years. In Bowen Theory and Practice, taken from the Family Center Report, he says that, "Cancer may reflect a disturbance or regression in cellular relationships that is fostered by heightened chronic anxiety."
So the ability to differentiate self may be genetic. On the other hand, an effort to improve one's functioning over an extended period of time can lead to a higher level of differentiation of self. Having a set of guiding principles provides greater opportunities for growth and resources to deal with the powerful forces of togetherness.
Basic Self Versus Psuedo Self
A good question for self might be: "What are my non-negotables?" Those things in one's principle toolbox that permit one to say, 'I will, I do, I am, I will not," and so on give one a basic or solid self. The pseudo-self creeps in at times of togetherness-induced hysteria and can usually be heard in terms of "Well, gee, I don't know ..."
Dr. Bowen said, "The pseudo-self, acquired under the influence of the relationship system, is negotiable in the relationship system."
Basic self brings clarity. Pseudo-self brings confusion. The practice of self-directed functioning is hard work but well worth the effort. It is what enables one to be sure of who one is and where one is going.
Sources:
- Bowen, Murray. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1978.
- Family Center Report. Bowen Theory & Practice. Ed. Ruth Riley Sagar, Washington, D.C. Georgetown Family Center, third printing, 2005.
- Family Systems: A Journal of Natural Systems Thinking in Psychiatry and the Sciences. Vol five, number one. Washington, D.C. Georgetown Family Center, 1999.
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