Podcast #1,010: How to Resist Group Anxiety and Become a Differentiated Self

We usually think of anxiety as something that occurs within an individual. Murray Bowen was a psychiatrist in the middle of the 20th century who argued that anxiety could be created by interactions between people and spread within a group. This idea is known as the "Family Systems Theory."

Steve Cuss is here to give an introduction to Family Systems Theory, as well as how its implications go beyond the family. He is a former hospital chaplain and pastor. He is also the founder of Capable Life which provides coaching and consulting, and is the author of Managing Leadership anxiety: Yours and theirs. Steve Cuss and I will be discussing how people in families and businesses can "infect" a situation by bringing their own expectations and assumptions. This creates a feeling of anxiety within a group. Steve explains the false needs which create chronic anxiety, the ways in which this anxiety can spread to others and unhealthy ways that people cope with tension. We also discuss how to return this anxiety to its rightful place, and how one person can transform a group dynamic through a differentiating self.

Podcast Resources

Murray BowenA Failure Of Nerve: Leadership In The Age of the Quick-Fix by Edwin H. FriedmanAoM article: 5 Characteristics Highly Dysfunctional TeamsAoM article: Becoming A Well-Differentiated leaderThe Cornerstone Concept By Roberta M. GilbertSunday Firesides : You Aren't Responsible For Other Peoples Feelings

Steve Cuss - Connect with him

Steve's Website

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