Bowen and Narrative Therapy, Term Paper Example

Introduction

It is said that women often think bad of themselves and that they also lack self-confidence. The identities of women are regarded as fragile and conflicted. At their work places, women feel like frauds and while in their homes they feel worthless. This state of affairs therefore restricts women from making the right decisions in their lives. These weak characteristics are said to begin during their adolescent years. At this age a woman is very likely to be deeply affected by the actions of her elders and family members. The actions that affect her greatly are those which her seniors engage in a negative manner. A study that was carried out by the American Association of University said that many girls lose their self-esteem on their way to adolescence. Moreover, many adult women of the 21^st century are still struggling with low self-esteem ( Nolen-Hoeksema , 2010). This analysis will therefore look at the extreme low self-esteem case of the female client by analyzing the Bowen and Narrative therapies.

Bowen Theory

This theory reflects on the behavior of human beings whereby it views the family as an emotional unit so that it can be able to describe the various complex interactions that are prevalent in the unit (Programs in Bowen Theory, n.d). It is of utmost importance that members of one family should be connected emotionally. However, there are those people who feel as if they are disconnected from their families. The members of a family affect each other’s feelings, actions and thoughts (Gilbert, 2005). In this context, people react to the needs, distress as well as the expectations of other people.

In a family where there is heightened tension and emotional disconnect, anxiety escalates and spreads infectiously among the family members. When this condition continues, the connectedness of the family members becomes less comforting and more stressful. This state of affairs eventually causes one or more members of the family members to feel overwhelmed, out of control and isolated (The Bowen Center, n.d). This then causes the family members especially girls to have low self-esteem while playing any role in the family.

In the case of the female client, she has been brought up in a family where the father is an alcoholic, suffers from anxiety disorder and fears failure. The mother is also an alcoholic, emotionally unstable and emotionally disconnected with her family. This condition has proved to be very challenging for the female client to deal with given that she is female and also weak.  In this family she feels as if she is not a member of the family because she cannot effectively communicate with her parents. This is therefore a very stressing moment for her especially because she is aware that she has a four years younger sister who relies heavily on her. Given the tough family background, the female client is therefore faced with a lot of challenges on ways through which she can enable her younger sister to cope with the family situation and move on with life in a positive manner.

Narrative Theory

This concept is regarded as a collaborative and respectful approach which many psychologists use in community work and counseling as well in order to deal with the various challenges that people face in their day to day interactions with their family members and the community ( Payne, 2006). The goal of this therapy is to focus on the stories of peoples’ lives and provide possible solutions to the challenging issues. This therapy normally tries to explain that problems which occur for example in the family background. It argues that the problems can be culturally, socially or politically manufactured. It also focuses on the nature of human life and knowledge. It stipulates that there are many possible interpretations to any events that occur throughout the human life (Freedman & Combs, 1996). It is said that before a person decides to come to this form of therapy, their lives are usually dominated by problems which oppress them.

In the case of the female client, narrative therapy can really help her explain her situation to a therapist who would then be able to support her with regard to facing the various problems that are facing her family. She is the only one who can do so since all the other family members are not in a position to do anything productive with their life. Her younger sister is also dependent on her to make the right judgments. The female client is therefore the one who has a choice as to whether to make the right decision of engaging in narrative therapy and guide her younger sister to the right path or decide to do away with the idea and make her sister to follow the steps of her parents. This process would fail if the female client feels as if she is not worth to take the role of transforming the lives of her family members.

Conclusion

From the analysis, it is true that females are weak in self-esteem especially when they happen to come from families that are characterized by all forms of negative behavior. It becomes quit challenging for them to handle the situation especially if the problem has persisted ever since they were growing up. This makes the females to be emotionally detached from their family. This is however an issue that can be addressed. Any female person who feels that her families is in such a condition, she should seek Bowen and Narrative therapy as these therapies be very effective in helping them to understand the various issues that happen in families as well as in the society they live in. This way they would be able to view the challenges they face in a different perspective and as a result handle them more confidently. This way they would reduce anxiety and low self-esteem that they encounter when dealing with challenges facing them.

References

Freedman , J., & Combs, G. (1996). Narrative therapy: the social construction of preferred realities. New York: Norton.

Gilbert, R. M. (2005). Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory. New York: Leading Systems Press.

Nolen-Hoeksema , S. (2010). The Truth About Women and Self-Esteem. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-women/201001/the-truth-about-women-and-self-esteem

Payne, M. (2006). Narrative therapy: an introduction for counsellors. New York: SAGE.

Programs in Bowen Theory. (n.d). Bowen Theory – A Brief Summary. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://programsinbowentheory.org/theory-research/bowen-theory/

The Bowen Center. (n.d). Bowen Theory. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/theory.html