liesl's family collage project
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TRANSCRIPT
FAMILY
“We are born into a
family, mature in a
family, form new
families, and leave our
families upon death.”(pp1)
We create families just
as we are created by
our family (pp1)
Family life is a universal
human experience, but
no two people share the
exact same experience
When one forms a family
they create a system
that is build on their
interaction and
communication patterns. (pp57)
Meet the Botwin Family The Botwin family is
a happy two-parent
biological family
There is a strong
bond of love
between all
members
Communication is
transactional and all
are active in making
family decisions.
The parents
Nancy Judah
Nancy is a loving mother who is especially affectionate towards her youngest son
Shane. She works but spends her free time doing house work and taking care of her
kids and husband. Judah is a loving husband who shows his affection verbally and
non-verbally. He works full time and is seen as the man of the house.
BrothersSilas Shane
Silas is the oldest brother and he lets Shane know it! but he is always there for
him. He likes hanging out with Shane but sometimes he is too busy with his
friends. Silas is close with is dad and confides in him for advice. Shane is quite,
thoughtful and very intelligent. He wants to be just like his dad and older brother.
He has a close relationship with is mom.
Known in the family as the golden boy. He isn’t afraid to say what is bothering him
He is open with his parents about his relationships and sexual activities with girls
Silas
ShaneTreated like the typical youngest sibling; you could say his mother babies him
Shane doesn’t always express his thoughts and feelings verbally unless approached.
Family dinner has become a family ritual in the Botwin house. It is a great time to talk with one another without interruptions Rituals serve as a way
to bond family members of all ages and across generations. (pp119)
Rituals contain a variety of meanings and messages. They remind members who they are and reflects a family’s relational culture (pp116)
Relational MaintenanceWe communicatively maintain
family relationships through our
everyday interactions (pp114). Nancy
and her friend support Shane by
watching his soccer game. Judah
and Nancy both participate in other
activities such as bring the kids to
school or talking about your day at
the diner table, this will help to
create and maintain the desired
relational definitions.
Talk is the essence to relational
maintenance. Talk may include
discissing individual needs,
negotiating new behaviors, or
forgiving another (PP112) .
The Botwin family uses all 5
maintenance strategies; positivity,
assurance, social networks, sharing
tasks and openness (pp113)
Families are characterized by activities member share
From a systems perspective the behavior of each family member is related to and dependent on the behavior of the others
In this picture Nancy, Silas, Shane, Andy and Doug all spent the day at a fair.
With in a family system the parts and the relationship between them form a whole; changes in one part will result in changes in the others. (pp59)
After the death of Judah the family is faced with unpredictable stress. This kind of stress is brought about by events that disrupt life patterns but can’t be foreseen. (pp300)
Communication patterns and networks change drastically when members face a major crisis such as death. (pp309)
In a crisis such as death the family goes through a process in handling the loss. (pp307)
Stages of Family Crisis
4 stages
1.Shock resulting in numbness, disbelief, or denial
2. Recoil stage resulting in anger, confusion, blaming, and guilt
3. Depression
4.Reorganization resulting in acceptance(pp307)
Judah’s brother moves in
Andy decides to move in with Nancy and the kids. The family formation, among other things, had changed due to the crisis.
Nancy lost the one person she confided in. Andy s now there to take his place.
Family roles
The unexpected death of a family member sends a family system into role confusion. Nancy’s role has now change since she has to be the primary money maker. Silas has stepped up and assumed the role of man of the house. He helps out Nancy with the household needs (task role)and has become more like a father figure to Shane. Shane seems to be more separated from the family.
New family theme:
Family Sticks Together
The Botwin family coped with death by pulling together and making things work. In the process the family overcame many challenges and created new roles, communication styles, and behaviors
New rituals were made; they celebrate Judah’s birthday together but in a new way