I have been thinking about the core concept of Bowen Theory – Differentiation of Self. It seems to broaden the field of vision in so many ways. How differently would we think and act if we assessed ourselves, our family, the Supreme Court and world leaders, and large social groups based on the concept of differentiation of self. How would this influence our expectation of the other as well as our expectation of ourselves and what we produce.
Take Donald Trump. We could avoid a lot of content focus simply by assessing his capacity to think vs react, his capacity to self regulate and his freedom to access thinking. A poorly differentiated person does not read his environment accurately. That would explain a lot of his behavior and response to the behavior of others. That would explain his inability to assess the climate problem and the pandemic realistically and factually. His lowish level of differentiation is part of who he is and part of the multigenerational process he came from. No need to hate or dislike the individual based on their natural limitations. As president however, he has an impact on a lot of people nationally and internationally and hence his perception of his environment and his ability to access thinking is key. Bowen states that the more integrated segment of society should work on the environmental problems et al. If so would leadership emerge from that group? Is it possible for a regressed society to elect a more differentiated leader? Is it possible for a group that is more integrated to work with a less integrated leader and influence him to move beyond his automatic instinctive tendencies.
I think of the pressure Ruth Badar Ginsburg dealt with as Democrats wanted her to leave the court while a Democratic president was in office. Even Obama met with her but apparently realized that her stepping down was not up for discussion. She was clear about herself……I will stay on the court as long as I can do my job at the level I deem essential. Many think she should have left when a Democrat was in the White House. They do not recognize the importance of her thinking and the contributions she made during her last 5-6 years on the court. Whether she wrote for the majority or minority, her writings regarding the law are invaluable. Few could have filled her shoes. We have a problem over many decades or centuries and that is appointing judges who belong to one tribe or another. We rarely look for the best judicial thinker or ask what was the thinking behind your decision in a particular case. How do you see yourself interpreting the constitution?Do you abide by the letter of the law as our forefathers interpreted it or do you see the need to adjust the law to the necessities of the time? Could one assess the court decisions based on level of differentiation or level of maturity?Could one assess the level of maturity of the nation based on the level of maturity of its leaders?
The lower level of differentiation in society will affect all institutions and it will clearly effect the decision making process. How will future generations understand Bowen theory? Will it be altered based on scientific study and research or will it go underground or be weakened by years of distortions? I see efforts to popularize the theory on the web. That should be a wake up call. Popular is not a goal I would seek and it is a long way from basic theory and differentiation of self.