Family Systems, Subsystems ad Boundaries:
Family: The family is made up of four sisters and Mom. Dad is a very important part of the family system as well even though he does not live together with them.
Boundaries: The family shows rigid boundaries in their interactions. For instance, Meghan’s body language and expressions distance her from the family. Meghan seems resistant to integrate in the family dynamic. Meghan’s behavior demonstrates a rigid boundary. For instance, during session Meghan sits next to Molly and far away from Mom and Kai. Also, Meghan resistance to integrate into family rituals and traditions such as Sunday night dinner, demonstrate another rigid boundary.
Mom and Work: Mom has one subsystem within the family which
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Mom, Kai and Jenna: are another subsystem. They understand the boundaries and household rules and both follow and enforce them within the household when Mom is absent.
Boundary: Mom, Jenna and Kai are a diffused boundary since their interaction excludes Meghan and Molly. This boundary, may affect Meghan’s behavior and participation in family routines. Because this boundary only includes older sisters and Mom, the youngest sisters face challenges when integrating into family rituals and traditions.
Dad, Meghan and Molly: they are a subsystem and being the both biological daughters, they share a bond with dad. Dad seems to reciprocate this bond by being closer with the sisters and offering emotional support as stated by the sisters.
Boundary: Dad, Meghan and Molly have both a diffused and rigid boundary. Because they both have the same father, they share a closer relationship with him than Kai and Jenna. This boundary excludes Mom as well as the older
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Communication Patterns
Each individual talk to the social worker and answers questions. The family makes eye contact with each other, with the exception of Meghan who sits with her arms crossed and seems to be distracted most of the session, unless addressed directly.
When mom is asked questions about the whereabouts of Meghan, Jenna often answers these questions. When mom was asked about Meghan “sneaking out” of school mom did not have an answer. Instead, Jenna answered for her.
Molly does not talk much unless addressed directly. Family seems uncomfortable answering sensitive questions. For instance, when Mom was asked about current affectional relationship, she redirected the question and did not answer.
When Jenna addressed Meghan, and tells her to stop “sneaking out” of the house, Meghan becomes irritated and does not make eye contact with Jenna.
When Kai addresses Mom about her constant busy work schedule, Mom does not answer to Kai. When Meghan was asked what she would like to do or see change? Meghan explained that she does not need rules from Jenna or Mom and she is old enough to care for herself; to which Mom became upset and argumentative towards
Not unlike real life, the comedy fodder available in this episode is derived from enmeshment, particularly Beverly’s with her son Adam. This enmeshment is a direct derivative of the emotional distance between her and Murray. There seems to be diffused boundaries between family members because of their enmeshment with each other. Not that one wants to blame the mother or scapegoat Barry, but the family rules must be investigated so one can understand how the family reaches homeostasis and aids the family in identifying how their behaviors affect each
Theoretical perspectives on families come in many forms. These perspectives help to provide a basis of understanding of the dynamic relationships found within families. Lamanna, Riedmann, and Stewart (2015) define the Interactionalist perspective as the communication and face to face encounters between to individuals and their ability to be aware of one another. This family view best applies to the father-daughter relationship between Gus and Toula Portokalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Gus, the dominant rule setting father, has made it his goal to embrace their Greek Heritage to its fullest extent all while maintaining certain roles for each member of his immediate family. While Gus strives to protect the family’s roles and community
Jenna has a past and memories that make up who she is regardless of the Jenna before the accident. Memories are vital because they make up an identity and every human has an identity. After waking up from a coma, Jenna doesn’t know her identity which leads her to think that she is not human. When Jenna started remembering who she once was, Jenna shaped into her old personality. Jenna shows this when she goes to Lily for help and Lily says, “Why are you telling me this and not your parents? I’m surprised she would ask. Is she testing me? We both know the answer. Because I always have” (Pearson 186). Jenna’s identity makes her who she is. She remembered the close bond she once had with Lily and regained a small part of Jenna Fox’s identity. More importantly Jenna realizes that she still has the same memories she did befor...
Although the families themselves may not directly relate to their audience, the plot does, and that is what makes these shows so successful. In addition, there are parallels in the television series to real life, making it easier for the audience to relate to. One example of this is that in the first season, Jay, along with many other family members, was not very accepting of Mitchell’s homosexuality and his relationship with Cam; however, in the newest season, the characters are more supportive of their sexuality and relationship. This change symbolizes society’s increasing tolerance to gay couples, even though gays still undergo many struggles. Additionally, both shows feature families that display sound family values who rally to overcome various situations and are then able to look back and laugh about it (Feiler ST.1).
Now is the time where the stepfamilies stop thinking of themselves as stepfamilies and just consider themselves as a complete family unit. They have learned to deal with any issue that will come between them in the future.
Characters begin to develop, and we learn that Charles Wallace and Meg Murray are very close siblings, and Charles seems to have the ability to know whenever Meg or her mother is upset. He can also answer questions directed at him by his sister, but were not actually spoken, almost as if he can read their minds.
After reading the show actively, I realized that many of their family values don’t appear to be as one would expect. Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. continuously fight about features to add to a certain bike or how to go about adding them. Mikey, son of Paul Sr. and brother of Paul Jr., is always energetic and joking around. These contrasting personalities make for a great show but don’t represent your typical American family.
Since the three cliché families are advertised as being interrelated, it is meant as a representation of the differences that can vary within extended families. Because there is a large amount of characters that play major roles, an interview style is used for the viewers to gain insight within situations and explain events; this is a creative and easy to understand way to communicate and connect with the audience, which is very broad. The drastic contrast of family styles and personalities creates a wide range that the TV series can appeal to. The large spectrum which Modern Family appeals to consists of: the “average” ...
Two families are referenced in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The first family includes Melanie, her mother and her...
Their conclusion is that family dynamics have a key role in creating the context where sibling
the two families is key to the play as a whole. If they’re where no
The first family depicted, the Dunphys, is a typical family depicted in media. The father, Phil, is the breadwinner of the family while Claire, the mother in the family, has career ambitions used as a device for humor. There is an episode in which she runs for city council. Rather than lauding her efforts in their own merit, the focus of the show is placed on Phil's attraction to ambitious women as well as the inability of a father to run a household without his wife. Claire’s failed entry into the political arena only emphasizes the lack of forward thinking presented by the show (Upadhyaya). Perhaps even more upsetting is the depiction of the Dunphy's two daughters. One daughter, Hailey, is considered extremely attractive and popular but not at all intelligent or competent in life. The other daughter, Alex, is portrayed as incredibly driven and bright but is also considered weird, unpopular, and unattractive. The second family with a semi-traditional composition, i...
Collins, Jordan & Coleman (2012) stated that dysfunctional intergenerational boundaries are commonly present in divorced and in conflict families where one or more children go against one parent. Due to the existence of multiple subsystems in this family, it is evident that the boundaries between the family members are rigid and that the family is disengaged. An example of the specific behavior that demonstrated the existence of disengaged boundary with grandma E, was the relinquishment of her caretaking role as a mother to her first born child to her parents so she could pursue her interests in finding a husband.
Their father, Beck, left the family when the children were young, the oldest one being about thirteen. Pearl was a major perfectionist, as well as an abusive mother. Of course, this had an effect on her children. Her middle son, Ezra, was the favorite child of the family. He was always trying to pull the family together. One of his tactics was through a dinner- he loved to cook, so he always tried to make a nice dinner for his family, that way they could enjoy one meal together. However, the family never made it through a single meal. Cody, the oldest son, was extremely jealous of Ezra. Every single thing that went wrong in his life, he blamed on Ezra, even though most things had nothing to do with Ezra. This jealously continued well into his adult life, to the point where he believed that even his wife preferred Ezra over himself. Jenny, the only daughter, remained afraid of her mother well into adulthood. She found herself following in her mother's footsteps, by mistreating her