Volume 10 Number 4 | Summer 2026
The Secret: The Special Way that Michael Kerr Focused on the Science of Human Behavior
Stephanie Ferrera’s book review of Bowen Theory’s Secrets: Revealing the Hidden Life of Families, by Dr. Kerr, is a well-written, concise overview of the history of Bowen Theory and the special way that Dr. Kerr focused on the science of human behavior as a living systems theory. Kerr and Bowen continued to develop theoretical insights in light of new discoveries in the life sciences; they suggested changes to, or additions to, Bowen family systems concepts, or new applications of the theory to non-family groups. I am reminded of, or learn something new, every time I delve back into this rich book about Bowen theory. For lifelong learners, it is a gift that keeps on giving.
Bowen Theory’s Secrets:
Revealing the Hidden Life of Families
Written by Michael E. Kerr
Reviewed by Stephanie Ferrera
For five years, 1954 to 1959, at the National Institute of Mental Health, psychiatrist Murray Bowen conducted a most unusual research project, focused on schizophrenia. Adult patients and their parents were hospitalized together for observation and treatment. The intensity of the emotional process in these families—the sensitivities, reactivity, and the profound influence of family members on one another’s functioning-came into view. Like a powerful undercurrent, this emotional system was guiding family interaction but was largely out of the awareness of the members. It is aptly called “the hidden life of families.”
In the 1960s, Bowen had developed the core concepts of his theory and was teaching at Georgetown University School of Medicine. In a department of psychiatry focused primarily on individual intrapsychic dynamics and rooted in psychoanalytic theory, Bowen represented a radically different view: the family, not the individual, was the emotional unit in which psychiatric illness would best be understood. In a department where family relationships were considered the cause of emotional problems, “so it is the last place you want to go to try to work out these problems” (p. 175), Bowen was coaching residents to engage their families directly as the best place to observe their own emotional functioning and develop greater maturity.
Into this department came Michael Kerr as a young resident. In his first encounters with Dr. Bowen, Kerr was struck by how the ideas made sense. For many who discover this theory, the first thing that captures interest is how well it describes one’s own family experience. Kerr began clinical supervision with Bowen in May 1969. Six months later, Kerr’s older brother, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, committed suicide. Bowen became a crucial resource for Kerr in dealing with this tragic event and in his effort over the years to see it in the context of his own multigenerational family system.
The relationship between Drs. Bowen and Kerr evolved from a mentorship to a close and fruitful collaboration. Kerr pursued his own study of science, with special focus on biology, evolution, neuroscience, and medicine. His knowledge of theory deepened as he made presentations and wrote numerous articles and book chapters. In 1988, his first book, Family Evaluation, was published. It is an overview of Bowen theory placed in the context of the natural systems in which the human family is embedded. It quickly became a key resource for clinicians and other learners. Kerr’s part of Family Evaluation is followed by Dr. Bowen’s Epilogue, his last major writing in which he reflects on the theory and his “odyssey toward science.” In October 1990, two years after the publication of Family Evaluation, Bowen died. Kerr succeeded him as Director of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family.
Now, thirty years later, Kerr offers this remarkable book, revealing the “secrets” of Bowen theory in a way that only he could. My first impression was that the book is all-encompassing, meaning that it contains the full depth and breadth of what Kerr knows from years of immersion in systems thinking, science, clinical practice, and life experience. Here are a few highlights:
A review of the theory’s core concepts, enriched by many references from the natural sciences, many examples of the parallels between emotional process in humans and emotional process in other species;
A comprehensive, nuanced, detailed presentation of the process of differentiation with all of its complexities and its pitfalls;
Kerr’s investigation into “families in the public eye,” four case studies of people who manifested extreme emotional and behavioral disturbance: three who committed heinous murders and one who was a genius mathematician while suffering with schizophrenia from which he eventually recovered. Using the available public records to construct the family data, Kerr traces the family emotional process in each case. One comes away with a far more comprehensive and complex understanding of seemingly inexplicable behavior than is possible with a narrower focus on individual characteristics and pathology.
Unidisease: a proposed new concept in Bowen theory. Kerr’s interviews with cancer patients and their families, plus his extensive study of the biology of cancer and several other diseases, led him to see the number of physiological processes they have in common. The unidisease concept describes the continuity between chronic anxiety generated in the family and the chronic-anxiety-driven stress response involved in most illnesses. Kerr cites many findings in medical research that are consistent with the unidisease hypothesis, but notes that “the toughest issue remains, which is proving the link between chronic anxiety in a family system and psychological and physiological processes of individual family members.” (p. 321)
Bowen theory is not an “ivory tower” set of abstractions, but a living theory with a level of usefulness that can be life-changing. Kerr demonstrates that usefulness with clinical vignettes to illustrate particular points in the theory, with a composite in-depth clinical case study, and most importantly with the study of the family he knows best—his own. He refers to his own family at many points and ends the book with an epilogue, “Applying Bowen Theory to My Own Family.” The reader might be curious about Kerr’s decision to do this, but it proves to be a most effective way of teaching the theory and the way theory guides the effort toward differentiation, maturity, and responsibility. As one follows his thinking, one sees how objectivity and blame-free neutrality emerge as one gains a broader understanding of chronic anxiety as it plays out across generations through repeating patterns, impacting the emotional functioning of each member to different degrees. As he learned more, Kerr saw more clearly the total family involvement, including his own part, in the emotional process that led to his brother’s impairment and suicide. With this perspective, one can only respect the power of the family emotional system.
This hidden emotional system, with its comforts and its constraints, is what we live in every day, instinctively knowing its presence and feeling its pressures, but lacking the perspective to bring it into focus and awareness. Murray Bowen’s elegant theory poses a challenge to those who would discover its secrets. It requires one to develop the discipline of systems thinking in a world that operates largely on cause-and-effect thinking and to acquire the knowledge needed to see human nature in the context of evolution. For those who are up for the challenge, Michael Kerr’s masterful presentation of Bowen theory offers serious, essential, and most trustworthy guidance.
This review was originally published in the Family Systems Forum, Vol. VXXI, Number 3.
What are CFC Faculty Reading and Viewing?
Lisa Friedstein, MSW recommends Time and Water, a feature documentary directed by Sara Dosa.
Time and Water is much more than a climate documentary. The film follows Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason as he weaves together family archives, stories of his grandparents, Icelandic folklore, and the disappearance of his country’s glaciers. Rather than focusing only on environmental data, the film explores how memory, identity, and meaning are transmitted across generations. As Magnason reflects on the loss of both beloved family members and ancient glaciers, viewers see the powerful connection between individual lives, family history, and the larger emotional system in which people exist.
From a Bowen family systems perspective, the multigenerational transmission process and the importance of emotional connection across time is a prominent theme. The glaciers function almost like a family archive, carrying the accumulated history of generations, just as families transmit stories, values, anxieties, and resilience. The film illustrates Bowen’s idea that individuals cannot be understood apart from the broader systems in which they are embedded. Magnason’s effort to preserve family memories while witnessing profound environmental change reflects the challenge of maintaining connection to the past while adapting to an uncertain future. How one attempts to stay thoughtfully connected to family, culture, and the natural world without being overwhelmed by fear, grief, or reactivity might be seen as one’s level of differentiation.
The film offers a poignant reminder that both families and societies are emotional systems extending across generations, and that understanding our place in these larger systems may be essential for responding thoughtfully to the challenges of our time.
Kelly Matthews-Pluta, LCSW is listening to “Robin Nusslock: How Stress Gets Under Our Skin.” an episode of The Mind & Life Podcast
Neuroscientist Robin Nusslock explores how stress affects the brain, emotions, and body; how people learn patterns of threat and safety; and how early adversity, family relationships, and broader social conditions can shape health across generations. The conversation also brings neuroscience into dialogue with Buddhist thought, meditation, neuroplasticity, and the possibility of change.
The episode offers several points of connection with Bowen family systems theory. Its attention to the effects of chronic stress, early family experience, intergenerational patterns, and family-level intervention is consistent with a systems view of emotional functioning. While Bowen theory focuses on the family as an emotional system and on the role of differentiation in managing reactivity, this conversation adds a neuroscience perspective on how stress and relationship processes may become embodied. It may be of particular interest to listeners curious about the intersection of family systems, biology, and contemplative practice.
“Biology is very dynamic. The more I study the biology of the human brain and body, the more I really begin to appreciate that it’s molded and sculpted by experience, much more than I initially thought.”
Upcoming CFC Programs and Conferences
2026 Summer Conference
Staying Curious in an Impatient Culture:
How Systems Thinking Sparks Creativity and Flexibility in Relationships.
Scheduled for Friday, July 10, 2026, this year’s event will be held virtually (online only), featuring Dr. Kathleen Smith as the guest presenter.
learn more >
Post Graduate Training Program in Bowen Theory
A continuous, immersive program from September 2026 to June 2027.
Monthly sessions (first Fridays, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central Time) via Zoom.
Includes lectures, videos, discussions, case studies, and family of origin consultations. Deadline for applications is August 1, 2026
learn more >
Bowen Family Systems Theory 101
The program is designed to provide participants with a general overview of each concept of Bowen Family Systems Theory. Meets 8 consecutive weeks on Zoom, on Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. CST. October 1 – November 19, 2026.
learn more >
Volume 10 Number 4 | Summer 2026
CFC News published quarterly
by the Center for Family Consultation
Founding Editor: Leslie Ann Fox
Managing Editor: Lisa Friedstein
Production and Design: Justin Reed