Unblocking ourselves starts with knowing ourselves. This 2-part session is about knowing self through the work of Murry Bowen, who created a very useful and relevant leadership system. Here's part 2.

Here's the transcript:

About Murry Bowen

A psychiatrist, Bowen had dedicated his life to the “human cause,” producing a remarkable new theory of human behavior, family systems theory, also known as Bowen theory. The new theory has the potential to replace most of Freudian theory and to radically change treatment approaches, not only in psychiatry, but in all of medicine. Potential applications of Bowen theory extend beyond the human family to nonfamily groups, including large organizations and society as a whole.*

*Gilbert, Roberta M. (2011-03-14). Extraordinary Relationships . Leading Systems Press LLC. Kindle Edition.

Other Bowen Terms Relating to the 8 Concepts in Part 1

Guiding Principles

Statements that guide our decisions personally as well as in organizations. Written principles provide a foundation for differentiating self and for alignment in groups.

Anxiety

When the leader is anxious, that emotion spreads to everyone in the group. This leads to everyone in the group emotional system potentially escalating the emotional state and making decisions based on emotions rather than using sound thinking.

Focus Child

When the leader focuses the negating energy on one person is like the parent blaming one child continually for bad behavior. This is a downward spiral where the focus child (or blamed person in the group) actually takes on the behavior that they are accused of.

Basic Self/Pseudo Self

Basic Self is making decisions using our guiding principles. Pseudo Self is making decisions to gain the favor if others regardless of our own principles.

Fusion

Reflexive, or automatic, behavior in families moves toward undifferentiation of fusion with others.  The condition of fusion is the "eclipse" of one self by another self or by a relationship system. When fusion occurs, an individual loses personal distinctive attributes and becomes lost or submerged in the characteristics of the other or the relationship system.

Nodal Event

A nodal event is a significant change, such as a migration, that brings with it many related changes.  In retrospect, a nodal event appears as a turning point in the intergenerational history of a particular family.  Patterns of interaction in these periods generally reflect important characteristics of the overall functioning of a family. Nodal events also include birth, marriage, death, divorce, illness, institutionalization, and occupational change.  These complex major shifts in a family's relationship network trigger automatic behavior patterns that may or may not be adaptive for the family undergoing these changes.

Links:

8 Bowen Concepts on the Bowen Center Site: http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/theory.html

Books on Bowen Syetems:

Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking About Human Interactions http://amzn.to/HuEHlG