Generativity vs. Stagnation When you consider your life experiences, do your memories and experience create life, enthusiasm, or meaning? Or do they bring weight, disappointment, or despair? What does such a survey tell you about yourself? I suppose some young people may ask such questions, and I yield my hat. After 34 years as a therapist, I’ve observed that this inventory picks up speed as we age. Focusing on what breeds life becomes far more important than temporary

Every family experiences emotional stress and most people are able to sense the increase in emotional tension within the family, even before anyone says a word. You might feel a shift in your body: a bit of tightness, a faster heartbeat, or a sense of pressure. Bowen Family Systems Theory calls this the family anxiety field. It’s the emotional atmosphere that forms when one or more family members feel upset or anxious.

One of the unique things about Bowen family systems theory is how it conceptualizes self. Murray Bowen, who developed the theory, termed...