In Adaptation to Life, Vaillant poses some fundamental questions about individual differences in confronting life's stresses. Why do some of us cope so well with what life allots us, he asks, while others cope badly or not at all? Are there ways in which understanding Bowen Family Systems Theory could effectively alter the patterns of our automatic behavior that make us unhappy, unhealthy, and unwise? Could it provide us with other choices? With the additional knowledge of Bowen Family Systems, I believe that we might be able to make the changes in our relationships which promote greater emotional maturity to have a more emotionally rewarding life.