(1) Differentiation of the self occurs when the individual can separate his own identity from that of his family without completely cutting it off. Understanding the need for individualization is a cornerstone to understanding the rest of Bowen's processes. If they cannot differentiate themselves from the family, they are said to have merged. As a result, they live with chronic family anxiety. The less differentiated one is, the more susceptible they are to being dragged into family triangles (2). These occur when two members attract another member to stabilize their anxiety and release emotional tension. The resolution of family of origin anxiety occurs through the creation of differentiation. The less anxiety you have, the less likely you are to get trapped in a maladaptive nuclear family emotional system (3), which is the degree of differentiation you have with your parental subsystem. We also understand that individuals are likely to choose a mate based on congruent levels of differentiation. Here we understand how chronic anxiety is transmitted across generations, labeled as (4) multigenerational transmission