Family Subsystem Genogram, Essay Example

Genogram for Gil Buckman

Looking at the Genogram family subsystem of Gil Buckman, it is clear that the issues and family structure within the family play a pivotal role in how the family members interact. Taken a page from Murray Bowen, within his theory, he believed that when generations passed, the amount of differentiation decreased (Bowen, n.d).  Among the Buckman family this may be seen as accurate, as the relationships between some of the family members are either distanced, or stressed to a level were the family members do not understand to a way to react while not being extremely emotional towards one another. For instance, of the many relational interactions between the members of the family, this is proven with Frank, the grandfather, and his son Gil. Frank was a serious alcoholic and a gambler, who treated his wife horribly, and as a result, developed strenuous relationships with his children. His actions helped to developed feelings of anxiety and dejection in most of his children. The characteristics from Frank are mirrored by his children and his grandchildren, as evident in Gil as he has passed on this anxiety to his son. Another relational interaction is between Frank again and his other son Larry. Larry is Frank’s favorite, however, Larry may be a screw-up that has developed several of identical characteristics as Frank. This includes, drinking, gambling, and the irresponsibility that has carried on throughout his adulthood. This can be seen in the movie, when he shows up to his parents with his son Cool, since he has amassed a large debt, and looking for a place to hide out. His parents feel compelled to rescue him from the debt he has congregate. However it is the bated level of differentiation that is displayed from the grandparents as they care for their grandson, Cool and eventually become his surrogate parents when Larry decides to disappear.

Siblings are a significant fixture among the Buckman family, from the relationship of Frank and Marilyn, the protagonist Gil, and his siblings who differ in each of their personalities choices within their lives, and families. The siblings embrace Gil, as they all cope with issues of hysteria stemming from the absence of their father. This characteristic has passed down to their youngsters as they cope with the problems among their families. Gil is experiencing anxiety among his life as his wife is expecting their fourth child, he passes on these emotions to his children, he learns that his oldest son has issues and desires therapy. Susan also holds a lot of anxiety dealing with her marriage to a controlling man, and her and her daughter having a contentious relationship. Her anxiety is also passed on to her children, while she tries to work out her life choices. Helen being is also feeling anxiety as she handling the loss of her husband since he has abandoned their family, and she is attempting to mend her family. The siblings attempt to hold it along for their families, with a standard divisor as their father for the pinpoint to their anxiousness, with the exception of Larry they try to stay. Larry is the sibling that does not have a close relationship with the others, his only true ally is his father, but the standard of sib relationship is not working. Other siblings embrace Gil’s youngsters that have normal sibling relationships. However, Garry and Julie are initially strained, as the deed of their father sparked totally different reactions. This includes, Garry’s isolation from the remainder of the family and Julie forming a relationship and getting pregnant by Tod. Only Tod becoming a central male figure to Gerry, do Julie and Garry’s relationship begin to work better.

The sibling rivalry is felt mostly by adults, as all attempt to put on a front of perfection, however, as analysis shows sib rivalries eventually fades as all gets older. According to McGoldrick et al, “Sibling relationships may additionally become closer with aging, as activities and preoccupations of earlier life cycle phases diminish” (McGoldrick, Carter, Garcia-Preto 2011).  Gil and Karen attempt to be the proper parents with the proper family, however that is shattered when all their children have behavioral problems, and anxiety issues. His sister Susan is attempting to raise a genius baby which is implanting a strain on her marriage, whereas her sister Helen, is trying to raise two out of control teenagers, as a single mother, thanks in part to her ex-husband abandoning their family. The sole solace is that the reality they are all doing better than their younger brother Larry, the floater.

If these relationships were conferred in therapy one among the primary steps, is to handle the problems among the children first, as they are the ones that are mostly affected by the family’s generational effects passed down from their parents. McGoldrick et al, believes “stress is usually greatest at transition points from one stage to a different in the developmental process as families rebalance, redefine, and realign their relationships” (McGoldrick, Cater, Garcia-Preto 2011). Extensive questioning can help get to the multi-level background among the family system that shows the life cycle and dysfunctions that impacts the children. Addressing the problems of the children, helps not only to assuage familial pressure and stress, but to conjointly address problems of the parents in handling their relationship issues with one another and their father. Based on their various levels of differentiation with it greater in the children of the siblings, communication must be demanded in talking out issues and finding solutions to the plaguing problems of anxiety which is felt by each member of the families.

The character chosen is on Garry Buckman, his plays a figurative unostentatious role among the film. Although he is silent throughout the picture his actions show behavior, and people downside that is a product of his mother’s unresolved issues together with her father. Identical feelings she deals with as her husband has conjointly abandon her and her youngsters, and also the anxiety she is swing on the children. Garry rather pays a good portion of time alone and aloof from the remainder of his family, he is extraordinarily introspective, has high anxiety, and emotional. After his father rejects him his only response is to destroy his workplace showing how the consequences of his father’s abandonment like his gramps abandoning his youngsters. In keeping with analysis, “Home provides security and safety to develop shallowness, political consciousness, and resistance in the face of societal annulment, racist and other oppressive stereotypes” (McGoldrick, Cater, Garcia-Preto 2011).  In a developing society, it chooses for people to be self-autonomous in self-development, whereas the situation at home provides a focal point in social and private development. Garry and his father had fashioned a close relationship, so the disruption of his father from his life forced a cognitive amendment among Garry to revert to an introspective  state wherever he is secluded from his family, and  scarcity of communication his mother. His room is plastered with locks and angry posters throughout his room, and to prevent anyone from coming back in. He is conflicted with his sexual development as he carries around a brown carrier bag of condoms. He is handling complicated issues to time of life while not a central male role figure among the house. Garry is displays significantly extremely emotional response when his father rejects him he destroys his father’s workplace. His point in development is in the puberty stage wherever “finding one’s own voice, is that the beginning development of legitimacy” (McGoldrick, Carter, Garcia-Preto 2011).  His feelings of anxiety, confusion, and abandonment, is all dominant part in his response to his familial issues and level of development. Throughout the film progresses, Garry begins to strike up a male bonding relationship with Tod as he explains Garry, which the sentiments that he is having are natural and should not place so much anxiety on that. Garry’s mother begins a relationship with his biology teacher, who is a male figure that Garry respects and likes.

There are many gender issues, specifically starting from the head patriarch Frank and his mistreatment of Marilyn that is derived among her daughters’ relationships. Together Susan and Helen have marriage issues, with Helen’s husband deserting them to start a new family, and Susan’s controlling husband. This films brings up a lot of gender issues among the females, as well as the men, the struggle for the ladies to realize a voice, and be treated equally. Helen is troubled as a single parent, with Julie running off getting pregnant. Susan wanting a lot of youngsters, but her husband is simply targeted on raising their female offspring to be a genius. The ladies however, are not destitute, as all of them show that they have the capability of handling the things among the families. Gender issues are predominant among the men as evident in Garry’s state of affairs of longing time of life while not a male role model for steering, Gil has unanswered issues with his father and his insecurities of becoming like his father. Whereas his sons are having to cope with the anxieties felt by Gil’s relationship with Frank. In order to cope with both issues, discussing with Garry the significance of time of life and male development in an exceedingly comfortable surroundings will help convert him of the normality of what he is feeling. Inserting importance on seeking out the remaining male figures like his Uncle and his gramps for recommendation and steering. Gil’s issues are addressed when he is able to return to terms that he is not his father, and by realizing the problems and doing his best to forestall them that he will not be like his father. However to hesitate the past only prevents seeing the current in order to plan for the future.

If Helen was to seek therapy over the behaviors of Julie and Garry, the problems drawn are the shortage of communication with Garry and Julie. The underlining issues is not handling the abandonment of their father. When the father left it sparked behavioral changes in both, and although Helen had tried to understand with her children she is still unable to effectively communicate with them in an exceedingly method that curbs their behavioral issues. The premise for amendment is performing as systematic and structured therapy that works on the amount of addressing issues among adolescents and children. The significance which will be served, is to be an impartial party in the flow of communication from all family members. By hearing each sides while not judgment, the impartiality place will help in forming a cooperative methodology in mending the broken family. This may be cultivated with two totally different therapeutic stances that might be adopted. The primary position would targeted specifically got Garry however, might also be helpful for Julie also. A method that is best is that the Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) that is intended to work on behavioral issues by including the entire family in analyzing the method that the family members influence a child’s behavior (Briones, Robbins, Szapocznik 2008). BSFT relies on the circumstance that the family has immediate potent impact on the behaviors of others. In the instances of Garry and Julie, the deed of their father had an impact on Julie declining interest in school and instead specializing in her relationship with Tod. Garry’s introspective behavior let alone feelings of rejection and anxiety placed on him by both parents’ sparked emotional outbursts and responses. Julie makes quick selections like getting pregnant and getting married influences Garry to make spasmodic selections also including trashing his father’s workplace as a result of he felt rejected. The purpose of BSFT is to handle the problems and pinpoint the triggers from family members in order to manage, and divide the decisions and their probable impression on others.

Another therapeutic position would be a Solution-Focused transient therapy (SFBT), engineered on the condition that we tend to as counselors would help the family determine clear solutions on what the extended family should be, and specific ways that the family is not working towards these goals. In helping to solve instead of understand what the issues are, SFBT helps to find an answer. With an end goal in mind, the family works to toward charting out the goals of what the family needs to be like and the way they attempt to succeed those goals. When working with the family, serving as a counselor it will be supportive to guide the family to work on their problematic behaviors that have formed the family dynamics. They will have the tools and the power to change the method the family interrelates and communicates among family and with others. These relations will be incrementally improved over time with the steering and observance as the consoler in seeing what works and what does not in hopes to forestall from now on dysfunction among the extended family. The problems that might arise is unresolved issues among my own family managing parental relationships, and also the problems highlighted in my adolescent years; however they are going to serve as a reminder that things do turn out for the better.

In the situation of Frank and Marilyn stepping in as the guardians for Cool, the problems gathered are lack of coming up with preparation that the grandparents have in taking care of Cool. Larry has just pushed this responsibility on them overnight, and has left to a different country to avoid cash issues and live his lifetime of being a trigger-happy adult. Not only must that be explained to Cool when gets older, but the problems that it might present, must be assessed at an early age in order to forestall a circular trend in father abandonment issues. Not only do they face age issues but race issues also. Cool does not have both parents, and clearly as he gets older will realize that there are variations in their race. The hypothesis for amendment is that if the grandparents prepare themselves and take defenses for after they are not any longer able to watch out of Cool as a result of old age they will produce a smooth or easier development for their grandchild.

In order to be beneficial to the family, a variety of intervention are going to be staged includes the change of integrity or gathering all the family members in order to discuss designing, issues, and issues for the grandparents raising Cool. From this intervention, they are going to be able to gauge the amount of cooperativeness, involvement from other family members, and level of issues. Therapeutic responses embrace the Solution-Focused based therapy that maps out the goals of the family needs to be like, and also the strategy and plans for getting those goals. During this method, it is calmer, non-confrontational, and also the family are going to be able to work along in designing for the future of Cool’s adolescence and development into an adult. Another position would be Attachment-Focused family therapy that focuses on children that on an early age were neglected, abused or had multiple placements help to thrive in an exceedingly stable surroundings (Hughes 2007). In Cool’s case, his father most likely placed him in the care of multiple people thus his adjustability to  stable surroundings would be welcome, but not without any anxiety or eagerness that he are going to be moved again. Using this therapy helps to nurture the child’s insurance that he is in an exceedingly safe and stable surroundings enclosed by an oversized family which will aid in his development. In working with this family, the familial bonds with my family will most likely generate happy reminiscences, and reassurance which will aid in helping to return from an area of reassurance and quality.

References

Bowen, Murray. (n.d). “Bowen Theory.” Retrieved at http://www.thebowencenter.org/pages/theory.html

Briones, E., Robbins, M. S., & Szapocznik, J. (2008). “Brief strategic family therapy: Engagement and treatment.” Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 26 (1/2), 81–103

Hughes, Daniel. (2007). Attachment-Focused Family Therapy. W.W Norton & Company.

McGoldrick, M., Carter, B., & Garcia-Preto, N. (2011). The expanded family life cycle: Individual, family, and social perspectives (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon