General Assessment of the Family - Assignment Example

I. General Assessment of the Family Compare functional and dysfunctional families in terms of the following: a. Boundaries Boundaries in functional families are less as compared to dysfunctional families. Members of a functional family can talk to each other and are closer to each other, whereas dysfunctional families tend to be near each other physically as they stay under one roof, but their relationship with each other is actually very far apart. b. Differentiation and individuation of members Each member of the family is unique and different as an individual. In functional families, this idea is how things really are. Each one are allowed being their selves, developing themselves into the best people they can be. In dysfunctional families, it is nearly impossible or rather challenging to retain one’s identity while maintaining emotional connections with the other members of the family. c. Roles Each member of the family has their corresponding roles, depending on their personalities, skills, and culture. In functional families, roles are changeable and flexible, and it is usually a role that is healthy for the individual’s self growth and emotional stability. In dysfunctional families each member also has a role, but it all depends on placement –fixed and rigid. There are usually those who are dubbed as the “enablers”, the ones who keep the family together no matter what; the “hero”, these are the overachievers in the family, the ones who bases their value on performance, the ones who were made into little adults who are expected to take care of their siblings; the “scapegoat”, the one who gets blamed for the family problems and is usually the one who gets attention by getting into trouble; the “lost child”, the one who deals with the family’s problem by denying to himself that they exist by usually being away from the family, or being quiet that when he or she isn’t around, no one hardly notices; the “mascot”, the ones who are the little entertainers of the family and usually keeps the peace or diffuses painful situations through jokes or humorous stunts (“Roles of a dysfunctional family,” n.d.). d. Rules Functional families do have rules, and they are there to keep the household in order, develop discipline among its members, thus molding them into well reared individuals. Dysfunctional families, on the other hand, have rules too, but they are there to control rather than to guide. These rules can become hindrances to the development of the individual, thus resulting in a family that doesn’t work well in some parts – usually relationship building. e. Response to the needs of members Functional families function this way. They get through difficulties in life by supporting each other and dealing with each member with love and kindness. Dysfunctional families, on the other hand, are harsher and more stone-hearted. They respond to each other in accordance to the roles they have adopted to in the family set up – and this is very unhealthy for their psychological and emotional development. f. Ability of the family to meet the developmental tasks of each of its members Functional families meet the developmental tasks of each of its members well. They support each other in every way that they can, especially that they have close family ties. Dysfunctional families, on the other hand, don’t give much concern on each of its members, especially those that has cut off themselves from the other members. And although other members try to support the others, there is an awkward struggle to achieve this and the other member may reject or recent such action. g. Family secrets Functional family secrets are not harmful to any member of the family – psychologically and emotionally. These secrets are simply harmless things that the family prefers not to be part of the public’s knowledge. Dysfunctional families, however, are families that rarely have a good conversation with each other. The members of such family have no secret to share with each other, except for their current problem, the family condition, which is kept a secret as they pretend to be what is dubbed as a “normal” family. However, this scenario is more damaging to the family as it is the irony of being “normal”. Normal families have problems too, but they deal with it, not keep it. h. Intergenerational transmission systems Functional families can talk to one another. Parents can talk to their children, and their children can comfortably talk to them. In dysfunctional families, there seems to be a gap between parents and children. The children are obviously close to each other, but they feel uncomfortable or awkward when talking to their parents in fear of being blamed, criticized, or other reasons that impair their development. i. Cut-offs Members of a functional family do have a close relationship to each other. If not that close, it is certainly, harmonious. They do not reduce or cut off emotional contacts with each other. However, in dysfunctional families, its members tend to cut off emotional contacts with either one or some members of the family, and in turn become cold and insensitive to those other members. j. The role of the marital dyad The parents are usually the ones that is the foundation of the family – the ones who hold it together and make it to what it is. In functional families, the parents are the ones who serve as the guide for the children and their refuge when they have problems. In dysfunctional families, however, they are usually the cause of the problems of the children with their rules, expectations, and in some instances, blaming. 2. Film critique: 1. Describe the effect of the death of Buck on: a. the marital dyad Buck, being the eldest son and obviously the mother’s favorite, died in a sailing accident. The effect it had on the mother was that when he died, it seems that something in her died as well and she went on living each day pretending everything is okay. She did this by cutting off herself from the other members of the family, especially to her other son, Conrad. Calvin, the father, also mourned the death of their eldest son, but tried to reach out to his son. Buck’s death evoked two different reactions from the marital dyad, and these reactions are not on the same page. They were certainly still a pair, but no longer a unified team. b. the family as a unit, It divided the family as a unit. With Conrad being the one to witness his brother’s death, as he let go of his younger brother’s hand and drowned at sea, it obviously roused problems with Conrad. However, the mother refuses to deal with this and cut herself off from Conrad making her insensitive towards him. As Cal reaches out to Conrad, Beth, the mother, also seemingly cut herself off from her husband which divided the family. Each day the family lived was a beautiful lie put up for the people around them. c. Conrad, Buck’s surviving brother. Conrad feels that he is the one to be blamed for Buck’s death. Buck assumed the role of the family “hero”, the overachiever, and his mother’s favorite. Everyone looked up to Buck, especially Conrad. And with Buck dying in the accident, which involves Conrad, he feels that he didn’t do enough to keep his brother alive. He disregards positive points while focusing on the negative ones such as blaming himself for not doing enough. 2. Comment on the role of the therapist in this film. The therapist in this film is the light at the end of the tunnel. He is the one who made Conrad realize that Buck’s death isn’t his fault and he should just accept his mother as she is rather than putting himself at the mercy of her criticisms and actions. He is also the one who helped Cal recognize how much his wife has emotionally cut herself off from their son and to him. 3. Give a systemic hypothesis for the role of the Identified Patient (Conrad) in this film. With Conrad’s behavior in the movie, he is suffering clinical depression, survivor’s guilt, and perhaps post-traumatic stress disorder. Conrad is simply a misguided or lost child who needs guidance. His parents, however, couldn’t give this to him as they too are lost or misguided. Fortunately, he got his guidance from Dr. Berger, the therapist who helped him realize things. Conrad’s role in the film is a sad case, but in the end, he is the factor that turned the dysfunctional family into a functional one (although it is without the mother). He is made to realize that although Buck was the better athlete, the better student, and it doesn’t mean that he (Conrad) is not better in some aspects. He survived, he is stronger, and he just needed to realize that. Through him, his parents should realize things too, and fortunately, his father did. 3. Selected Topics in Family Therapy 1. Based on your reading, describe the role of gender, race and culture on the spread of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Gender, race and culture, do play a bigger role in the spread of HIV/AIDS. In some cultures, sexual activities are done to prove their importance in society, such as the concept of “machismo” for the Latinos which has been increasing the HIV risk for Latinas. The males are given a dominant position in society, and even their families. “This cultural construct has been seen to impair the ability of Latinas to exert control over their own sexual behavior. In addition, extramarital sexual activity among males in Latino society is culturally sanctioned, which has important repercussions for the level of transmission risk” (Peragallo, 1996). 2. Based on your reading, discuss the relationship between a positive diagnosis of AIDS and domestic violence. For people who have been diagnosed positive with AIDS, domestic violence does occur, but only among women. . Women have been found to have been more likely to suffer from both physical and verbal abuse domestically when diagnosed positive with AIDS (Jones et al, 2003). 3. Based on Dr. Nancy Kehoe’s presentation, describe the role of spirituality in clinical work with persons with chronic mental illness and their families. Spirituality builds a path of illumination to people with chronic mental illnesses and their families. It gives them the assurance that a higher power is supporting them and they begin to accept things as they are – especially for the families. For the ones suffering from such illness, it is like a breath of fresh air. 4. Based on your reading, discuss the role of Family Sculpting in the training of family therapists. Family Sculpting is a technique that should be taught to family therapists as early as their training days. It is a tool that provides the opportunity for future interventions (therapeutic) as this recreates the family system, representing the relationships of family members to one another at a specific period of time (Smith and Stevens-Smith, 1992) 5. Based on your reading, discuss 2 challenges for therapists in working with families in which there is chronic illness Two challenges faced by therapists working with families wherein there is chronic illness is the establishment of acceptance. Chronic illnesses are usually with them for a long time, usually for a lifetime. This can be very disturbing and bothersome and the challenge of establishing acceptance is one. Dealing with depression, in its many forms is also a challenge for the therapists. Having chronic illness is depressing, and how these manifests on the individual or their families may be a challenge for the therapist. How to bring them back to life, how to take them out of that deep pit of sulking is a challenge that once achieved, feels very rewarding for the therapist. References Jones, D., Beach, S., Forehand, R. (2003). Partner abuse and HIV infection: implications for psychosocial adjustment in African American women. Journal of Family Violence, 18, 257-268. Peragallo, N. (1996). Latino women and AIDS risk. Public Health Nursing, 13, 217-222. Roles of a Dysfunctional Family (n.d.). In Crtopeka.org. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from http://www.crtopeka.org/InformationSheets/RolesOfTheDysfunctionalFamily Smith, R., & Stevens-Smith, P. (1992). Basic techniques in marriage and family counseling and therapy. ERIC Digest. Read More