Bowen's Family Systems Theory

Theoretical Framework
Bowen’s Family Systems Theory Bowen’s family systems theory is a theory specifically in human behaviour saying that the members of the family are somewhat naturally connected to each other emotionally. It says that the family is a unit relating to a member’s emotions and thinking of things to define interactions consisting of many different parts. It says that if a member feels that they are getting disjointed from the family, the members will sense that they are feeling that way and they will react to each other’s needs, they will give attention and support each other which makes the members dependent to each other (Kerr, 2000). One example is when a member of a family gets sick, having a disease specifically schizophrenia,
However Goffman clarified this statement rather than focusing on stigmatised feature, what we need to know is the social relations that change a simple characteristic into a developed stigma, in some words what we need is language relations. Another idea from Goffman is that the stigmatic individuals must know what others think and should internalize any social concerns which they fail to meet (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). In this way, stigmas retain PSY. There are three types of sigma. These are identified by Erving Goffman. These are stigma of character traits, physical stigma, and stigma of group identity. Stigma of character traits of defined as an individual's damages resulting to mental disorder, addiction, suicidal attempts and others. When referring to physical deformities of the body, it is called physical stigma and when it is beyond being concerning in a unique race, nation, or religion, it refers to stigma of group identity (Crossman,
To cope with stigma and stress can be exceedingly beneficial and in some situations, even lifesaving and some of these potential coping strategies that have shown to be quite beneficial include: social support, meditation, biofeedback and drugs (Gross, 1996). Cohen & Lazarus (1979) as cited by Gross in 1996 have generalized the coping strategies that a person may use in order to reduce stress into five main categories. The first main coping strategies are referred to as the ‘direct action response’, where the individuals change their attitudes towards the stressors and attempt to either defend themselves against it or simply flee from it. The next strategy involves the individual trying to understand the stressful situation better, which is termed as ‘information seeking’. Another coping strategy involves the individual simply not taking any action and is known as the ‘inhibition of action’. The fourth strategy is termed as ‘palliative coping’, where the individuals change their internal environment by using drugs, alcohol or simply by using relaxation techniques. The last coping strategy is ‘turning to others’ for emotional support or simply to get things of one’s chest, also known as