Bowen Family Systems Theory: Exposure of childrens triangulation, cross-cultural validation of differentiation, and embedment of co-sleeping phenomenon

Abstract

The present PhD thesis emerged within the context of Bowen Family Systems Theory and is submitted in compendium of publications format. Thesis main corpus consists of three (and a fourth supplementary) published articles. Thesis introduction aims at presenting Bowen Theorys systemic themes and core constructs that were originally developed through systematic clinical observations of nuclear families. Thesis concludes with an integrative discussion of family systems theory and the published articles. In terms of the published articles, two of them sprang from clinical observations made during my school and family counselling practice within the Greek cultural context. Article Triangulated children's reality: Medical models concealing effect versus family systems revealing effect builds upon recurrent clinical observations that childrens medical-model oriented diagnoses were oftentimes paradoxically normalizing childrens morbid triangulation and thus unintentionally perpetuating their family of origin pathology. Article Embedding co-sleeping practice within the family systems paradigm: Novel theoretical conceptualization and initial empirical exploration discusses theoretically and attempts to validate empirically recurrent clinical observations that once a family reported a time-persistent cosleeping practice, that family was oftentimes characterized by deep-rooted family-wide morbid interrelationships. Lastly, articles The Differentiation of Self Inventory Revised: A validation study in the Greek cultural context and Cross‐cultural validity of Bowen Theory in southern European countries attempt to both examine theoretically and extend empirically Bowen Theorys cross-cultural applicability.