Identifying Information and Referral Statement Miriam Israeli (she/her) is a 24-year-old cisgender heterosexual White woman. She is not married, has no children, and lives at home with her parents and siblings. She recently graduated from college and is currently unemployed. Ms. Israeli was born and raised in New York City, however her parents immigrated to the United States from Israel. She was referred to the Psychology Practice because Ms. Israeli is grieving the loss of her first significant romantic relationship. She expressed that she was “codependent” on her ex-boyfriend and “way too attached,” trying at every juncture to attempt to work with him on the relationship. Ms. Israeli states that her ex-boyfriend simply wanted a different …show more content…
Israeli lives with her parents and a younger sibling. She mentioned feeling supported by her family in practical matters but emotionally distant from them. She expressed that her parents' cultural background and generational differences contribute to the feeling of disconnection. Ms. Israeli identified herself as a first-generation individual, with her parents having immigrated to the country before she was born. She explained that this has created a complex social and cultural context for her, as she navigates between her family’s traditional values and the more contemporary culture she encounters in her daily life. She expressed feeling torn between these two worlds, which adds to her overall sense of isolation and identity struggle. Mental Status Exam Ms. Israeli, a twenty-two-year-old white woman, arrives in casual attire. No unusual movements or psychomotor changes were observed. Ms. Israeli is cooperative and easily engaged. Ms. Israeli reports feeling “directionless,” affect is flat with minimal fluctuation in emotional expression varying based on the topic of discussion. While she appears flat in affect, she states that her overall mood remains depressed and …show more content…
Both cultural and generational differences can shape the emotional landscape within a family. When parents come from different cultural backgrounds, it can be enriching and challenging to navigate the dynamics of a family due to the unique blend of traditions, perspectives, and values. However, it also introduces complexities, particularly when it comes to understanding and relating to emotions, influenced by cultural heritage and generational gaps. While some cultures emphasize openly expressing emotions, others prioritize emotional restraint and indirect communication. Moreover, parents from different generations may have been socialized to express and respond to emotions in distinct ways based on the prevalent cultural norms during their upbringing. Feeling like the most sensitive daughter in the family adds another layer of complexity to Ms. Israeli’s history and presents problems as family dynamics play a significant role in shaping our self-perception and coping mechanisms. If someone feels like they do not meet their family of origin’s expectations or standards, it can exacerbate already existing feelings of loneliness, hopelessness, and/or
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
In her book “Daring Greatly”, Brene Brown discusses aspects of our cultures, religions, families, and other important areas that affect our everyday functioning and ability to connect in most nourishing way possible with one another. She calls us to be vulnerable and open ourselves up to others when we are hurting, struggling, confused, and whenever we feel like the only method to cope with our failures is to hide. By learning how to feel and understand our feelings we become
Bowen theory offers a model through which to view family processes. Within the Jarrett family system, we witness emotional triangulation, communication issues, family secrets, as well as crisis and change. The basic framework of Murray Bowen’s theory rests in the conceptualization of the family as an emotional unit. This conceptualization views the emotional activity of individuals within the family system as existing. The relationships between participants in the system are seen as a more valid indicator of individual functioning than any other. Bowen theory judges family health by the ability or inability of family members to function independently of underlying emotional forces. An ability to function independently of the ongoing family emotional process is ...
Throughout history we have seen that family values have been one of the most important aspects of societies around the world. Although these values may be different from one another, we can see that it is a ma...
Theorist Monica McGoldrick got her start after completing her undergrad degree in Russian Studies at Yale University. She was inspired to study psychiatry through a friend, and as a part of the initial grad application, she worked as a social worker in an inner city clinic. There, she saw a real need for patient treatment to include whole family unit therapies rather than the impersonal psychiatric visits patients were receiving; thus McGoldrick began instead to pursue her therapy license (Wyatt and Yalom 2006). Since then, McGoldrick has achieved much; she is the Director of the Multicultural Family Institute in Highland Park, on the faculty of UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and has an honorary Doctorate from Smith College for her efforts in the area of Social Work (Human Systems: The Journal of Therapy,.).
The two ethnic groups that the writer decided to observe are Italians and African- Americans’ families. In African-American families, the mother sometimes plays the role of the father and thus functions as the head of the family. This was the case of the family the writer observed. In addition, older children sometimes function as parents or caretakers for younger children. The concept of role flexibility among African-American families can be extended to include the parental role assumed by grandfather, grandmother, aunts, and cousins (Boyd-Franklin, 1989).
GENDER: Male ETHNICITY: Caucasian / African American. REASON FOR REFERRAL Mr. Kelmeckis has voluntarily sought a psychological consultation to evaluate his current psychological and emotional condition. The primary purpose of the consultation is to study apprehensions relating to Academic or Social Struggles, Behavioral or Emotional Concerns, Past Trauma, and personal mental health issues. At the end of this consultation, we aim to confirm his overall well-being and administer appropriate interventions and support where necessary.
Family dynamics are patterns in the relationships between family members. Every family has its own dynamics and there are very different from one another because of the many aspects that influence them such as the numbers of members in the family, the personalities of the individuals, the cultural background, the economic status, values, and personal family experiences. This paper will analyze the two different relationship patterns found in the poem “Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead,” by Andrew Hudgins and in the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. By interpreting those two sources through Freud’s concept of family, the family environment and the relationships between the members will be analyzed to illustrate the ways family dynamics
My motivation to research, discover, and stimulate social change is rooted in my childhood experiences. As a young child I grew up in a household filled with domestic violence, which ultimately ended with the suicide of my father. I subsequently came to know a variation of the typical American nuclear family: a single parent household. As I began to study family dynamics further, I was able to see my life experiences in a broader context. In hindsight, I now realize the impact and weight my own mother had on my personal development. It was through her strength, determination, and optimism that I was able to find the spark within myself to set goals and dreams for my future. She encouraged me never to accept anything at face value, including the way our society attempts to define my womanhood. As a result of this, I now question American culture’s classification of a ‘successful’ family and the factors that determine a ‘stable’ family.
families have struggles, both internal and external, and while this is undoubtedly true, the struggles that
The meaning of family varies from place to place and from culture to culture. One all-encompassing definition that describes every type of family across the board does not exist. For instance, in places like China children can be raised apart from their father and mother in a group of women, but still count themselves a family. Alan C. Acock in his book Family Diversity and Well Being states that a married couple with no children is not considered a family (122), but some married couples may contest this theory. In fact, there are more variations on modern family structure than ever before, including non-traditional families where grandparents raise their grandchildren, adoptive families, foster families, and blended families with children from two or more sets of parents (“Power Tools”). Despite the challenges faced by many families today, I believe that the children of the current generation—known as Generation Y—can thrive as long as they receive nurture and enrichment from their family members. As a member of Generation Y myself, I speak from first-hand experience. In the following paragraphs, I will give an account of my own upbringing in Nepal that led to my current status as a college student in the USA. I will also briefly describe family structures in America, and compare them to Nepali family structure. In the end, I propose that nurture is the key to producing well-adjusted children today, regardless of family type or where the children are raised.
I have been shown over the years through my mother’s relationships as well as mine, that poor communication not only arises from the communication styles of the people involved, but from the family’s joint experiences, beliefs and expectations. Poor communication in today's family can also arise from structural and external problems such as the continual loss of jobs that has pushed my family, as well as others into financial distress and made our lives precarious. Even the families that are not facing such immediate stresses as how to get health insurance without a job, or pay the rent without an income, there are a number of stresses that are endemic in our society, including the fact that the rules governing family structures and responsibilities are far more complex than they need to be.
There are many types of family that exists in today’s society, each important to the upbringing of any children of which may be apart of it. Whether due to economic changes, cultural values, the role of caregiver goes beyond mother and father (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). The family unit is as diverse as the societies they each represent. This sometimes can manifest traditional roles of doting mothers and providing fathers into a home with two sets of parents (Kurrien & Dawn Vo, 2004). Therefore, the involvement and importance of the extended family: grandparents and other family members such as aunts and uncles play a significant role in both its economic and social function.
In this discussion, I will be explaining how I define family. I will also include my immediate and extended family. I will also describe what family means to me, how mine differs from other families in my neighborhood, and also how they are similar. I will also describe my family’s ethnicity and how it may affect any of my family’s health.
As a young adult lady, I grew up always being told how perfect I truly was, I grew up with the unconditional support of both my parents and a strong center in family orientation. I was blessed with these luxuries and I am forever thankful. Although I control the outcome of my life and I control my thought processes and social behaviors, my family has a big impact on how I carry myself and the aspirations I set for myself. Having a supportive family makes my life easier to endure during rough patches in my life and easier to reach my goals. I’ve endured the heartaches and the painful memories, but I am never alone in my pain. I think my family is the direct cause of my naturally elevated confidence during this vulnerable phase in my life, Although I do not want to give the perception of perfection but this mindset has helped me get through the toughest patches and come out on top, it has helped me dispatch from friends when needed and form positive inferences on how healthy relationships are suppose to look like. All families have some type of unique dysfunction, the dysfunction helps with the development of “ lessons learned”. Every family has different dynamics, some are smaller, some are big, some are closer than others. The only similarity that remains is that they all make an impact on a child 's mental, physical and