Differentiation of the self

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The differentiation of the self is a term coined by the American psychotherapist Murray Bowen and a cornerstone of the psychological Bowen theory named after him . The "differentiation of the self" is a yardstick for a person's ability to

  1. Emotion and rationality as well
  2. Intimacy and autonomy in relationships with others

to balance.

Intrapsychically , the degree of differentiation measures the brain's ability to control emotions and to act thoughtfully and rationally even in emotionally difficult situations or to choose whether a more emotional or a more rational reaction appears appropriate in a certain situation.

Between people, the degree of differentiation shows the extent to which a person is able to enter into intimate relationships with other people without losing their own autonomy. A high degree of differentiation allows a person to better balance the conflict between "closeness to others" on the one hand and "autonomy of the self".

Bowen observed that a person's experiences during childhood and adolescence in particular have a strong influence on their degree of differentiation and that this remains fairly stable as long as the person does not work long-term and in a structured manner to increase their own degree of differentiation.

The term was promoted primarily by the American psychotherapist David Schnarch , who uses the concept of differentiation of the self in his differentiation-based psychotherapy to solve problems with intimacy , sexual desire (disorders of the libido ) and conflicts in the relationship. According to Schnarch, the desire to enter into a close relationship within a partnership or marriage despite all existing differences has the potential to significantly increase the degree of differentiation between the partners . For this reason he called marriage the "human growth machine".

history

Murray Bowen is considered one of the founders of modern family therapy. In his work with families he observed that conflicts within families often arise from the fact that the interests and pressures of the group ( conformity ) collide with the interests of the individual ( autonomy ). Since conflicts of interest are inevitable for different individuals anyway, Bowen concluded that social systems (e.g. families) must function better if their members are able to balance the different interests of the individuals more evenly and thereby the overall interests of the group in the Keep an eye on. The ability of a person to maintain a social bond or intimacy even when closeness is burdened by a conflict of interests, he called "differentiation of the self".

Examples

According to Bowen, people with a low degree of differentiation are so dependent on the acceptance of other people that when there is a conflict of interest they either base their own opinion on the opinion of other people (because they cannot withstand the pressure of others to conform ) or try to force other people to do so to think and act like yourself (i.e. actively exert pressure to conform). The lower a person's degree of differentiation, the more difficult it is for them to protect their "self" against external influences, and the greater the influence of others on their thoughts and actions. He will endeavor to control the actions and feelings of other individuals either actively or passively.

literature

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