ABSTRACT
Each family unit is faced with managing its level of emotional interdependence or undifferentiation. One of the family adaptive mechanisms described in the concept of the nuclear family emotional process is that of emotional distancing. The utilization of the nuclear family adaptive mechanisms is evident during periods of stress and in relation to the levels of differentiation of self in the marital pair. Another factor contributing to the intensity of the child focus in a family is the extent to which a nuclear family is isolated from the larger extended family. The study of the nuclear family by Bowen led to the question of whether the intensity of the process found in families with schizophrenia could develop in a single generation. The study of the nuclear family by Bowen led to the question of whether the intensity of the process found in families with schizophrenia could develop in a single generation.
