Do Parents' Differentiation Levels Predict Those of Their Adult Children? and Other Tests of Bowen Theory in a Philippine Sample

The researchers tested several propositions about the most important construct in M. Bowen's (1978) theory (M. Kerr & M. Bowen, 1988) of differentiation of self, using a Filipino sample. It was hypothesized that (a) differentiation is associated with less psychological distress, (b) the differentiation levels and psychological distress of parents predict those of their adult children, and (c) spouses report similar levels of differentiation. Results indicated that differentiation predicted both symptomatology and trait anxiety, and spouses' total differentiation scores covaried significantly. On the other hand, structural equation modeling failed to support the intergenerational hypotheses. Compared with E. Skowron and M. Friedlander's (1998) U.S. sample, the present participants (N = 306) reported less emotional reactivity, greater emotional cutoff, and a greater ability to take an 'I-position,' although total differentiation scores did not differ significantly. Taken together, the results suggest that differentiation is a meaningful construct for Filipinos, but the lack of support for the intergenerational hypotheses casts doubt on Bowen's theory about the transmission of differentiation and psychopathology.