11-20-2024
Greetings from the Faculty of CFC to our community of support.
Autumn leaves are falling, sending a signal that it is time for the annual CFC fundraising campaign. Your financial support is essential to the growth and vitality of the Center for Family Consultation. As we have moved into the world of hybrid programs, we have adopted the necessary technology. Your generous donations also support the costs of bringing guest scientists to present their research at conferences. What we most appreciate is your recognition of the importance of Bowen Theory and your vote of confidence in the CFC mission.
The aspect of Bowen theory I am offering as food for thought in this annual fundraising letter is leadership. This being an election year, the subject of leadership has commanded a lot of media attention as well as our own personal thinking space. Murray Bowen developed a principle-based concept of leadership which he spelled out in his teaching and lived out in his personal example. His research led him to define the family as an emotional unit and to see the family as the core context for shaping individual functioning.
Dr. Bowen’s clinical approach began with identifying the family leader:
“Ideal family treatment begins when one can find a family leader with the courage to define self, who is as invested in the welfare of the family as in self, who is neither angry or dogmatic, whose energy goes to changing self rather than telling others what they should do, who can know and respect the multiple opinions of others, who can modify self in response to the strengths of the group, and who is not influenced by the irresponsible opinions of others. A responsible family leader automatically generates mature leadership qualities in other family members who are to follow.”
These are the qualities of a high level of differentiation of self. They are not based on rank order. The person who develops these qualities emerges naturally as a leader in the family. Bowen sets a high standard for personal responsibility in his profile of differentiated leadership. We fall short of it, but many people who have made a concerted effort toward that goal have found that the result is a calmer, more stable, better functioning family.
Can this path to leadership be scaled up to the larger, more complex societal level?
That is an all-important question as we face the serious problems of today’s world. We wonder whether our own small efforts can make a difference. What are the opportunities to take leadership within our own spheres of influence?
The Center for Family Consultation has emerged as a leader in the community of Bowen scholars. We welcome you to our programs and thank you for your contributions. For details of the conferences, seminars, and study groups that we are offering in the coming year, please check our website and the quarterly CFC Newsletter.
Stephanie Ferrera
CFC Faculty: Bob Noone, Sydney Reed, Leslie Ann Fox, John Bell, Lisa Moss, Lisa Friedstein, Kelly Matthews-Pluta, Cecilia Guzman, Jennifer Howe, Terri Pilarski
