Differentiation of self, anxiety, triangling and distress: A test of Bowen theory

Based in Bowen theory (Kerr, 2019; Kerr & Bowen, 1988), this study examined differentiation of self as a moderator of the relationship between anxiety and current triangling among a sample of adolescents. It also explored the relationship between specific triangle subtypes and psychological symp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFamily process Vol. 62; no. 4; pp. 1671 - 1686
Main Authors Murdock, Nancy L., Flynn, Mia C., Bresin, Romana C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2023
Subjects
Adolescent
Adolescents
Anxiety
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety Disorders
bowen theory
Differentiation
differentiation of self
Family structure
Humans
Psychological distress
Psychological problems
Scapegoating
Subtypes
triangling
bowen theory
anxiety
triangling
differentiation of self
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Summary:Based in Bowen theory (Kerr, 2019; Kerr & Bowen, 1988), this study examined differentiation of self as a moderator of the relationship between anxiety and current triangling among a sample of adolescents. It also explored the relationship between specific triangle subtypes and psychological symptoms. We hypothesized that higher levels of anxiety would be associated with higher levels of triangling, and that this relationship would be weaker for participants who report higher levels of differentiation of self. Additionally, we hypothesized that psychological symptoms would be significantly lower for those who indicated a balanced triangle configuration to characterize their family structure (as compared to those selecting scapegoating, cross‐generational coalition or mediator patterns). Results partially supported our hypotheses; differentiation performed as a moderator in two analyses, but not in others. Higher levels of psychological symptoms were associated with experience with mediator and cross‐generational triangling.
Bibliography:Author Note
Romana C. Bresin is now at The Wellness Center at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ.
Results presented in this manuscript were new analyses of data collected for the third author's dissertation research under the supervision of the first author.
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ISSN:0014-7370
1545-5300
DOI:10.1111/famp.12845