ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the relevance of Joanne Bowen family systems theory to the study of relationships and physiology for understanding factors that govern symptom development and health. Bowen family systems theory contributes an important framework for integrating research from physiology into the study of the family system as a central influence over human health and functioning. Concepts in Bowen theory provide a framework for integrating physiological research into decisions about research design, methodology, measures, data analysis, and interpretation of observations. Stress research encompasses complex interactions of neural pathways and biological systems in situations that disturb or threaten stability. Measures of physiological reactions capture various aspects of acute and chronic anxiety. Skin sweat response, fingertip temperature, and skeletal muscle activity reflect a person’s level of anxiety, both current and chronic. Neuroscience and neuroendocrinology study ways that reactivity to relationships is built into the architecture and functioning of the human brain.
