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 …show more content…
His principle is that the mind in not pre-given, but it builds up through a process. He claims that the child is born in a neutral state, with no needs until he/she interacts with the parents. By responding to the child’s behavior, the parents will determine the behavior and the character of the child. Parents have the power to bestow or withhold love in relation to their own peculiar needs for love. This creates dependency as the basic feature of the child’s existence. Parents are the first contact and relationship and play an essential role on the child’s development. Their actions and demeanor have a heavy impact on the way their offspring will relate to others, and develop future relationships.
In the poem “Elegy of My Father, Who Is Not Dead” Hudgins analyzes and interprets the relationship he has with his father throughout an elegy. He uses this as a way to revisit his faith and the connection it has to his father. An elegy is typically a way to honor a person who passes away, although the author of this poem uses this form of expression as an appreciation for his father who is still alive. In this poem, although the father is not dead, the narrator dreads the moment when death will permanently separate them. Hudgins
Beyond genetics, parents have an extremely significant impact on the emotional, moral, and social development of their children. This is understandable, as many children interact solely with their parents until they reach school-age. Parents have the ability to determine a child’s temperament, their social abilities, how well-behaved or in control of their emotions they are, how mature and ambitious the child will be, and so forth. (Sharpe) Furthermore, parents have both ideals for their children as well as ideals for themselves, and how they raise their children is deeply influenced by this.
Sociological development has hindered the family in our modern/contemporary society. Hillman argues that “nothing has abused the family more than our psychological theories of development” (196). Therefore, he addresses four important emotional moments in family life that affects the soul and its development: False Identity, Relatives and in-laws, Family meals, and Going back home. These four family life moments are essential in illuminating the myth
If we take a minute to explore Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Human Ecological Theory, we can see that the intricacies of family are deeply imbedded in the center of the Microsystem around which, all other systems stem. The Microsystem is the underpinning of the Chronosystem, the way in which environmental effects develop over time; also the way transitions, such as divorce, affect the individual’s growth and development (nacce.org). The nuclear family, consisting of he father, mother and at least one child (Sigelman & Rider 2009) is not always what we think about when the topic comes to family. In today’s world, with divorce and remarriages, there has been a shift in how we as a society define family. It has become more per...
According to Murray Bowen’s family systems theory, the family subsists in an arrangement, whereas the individuals are inseparable from their network of relationships, but continue to strive to be individualized. Consequently, various forms of these networks are grounded in the domestic structure and the “normal” or “ideal” family and its development is derived from the interaction of the family members as they remain differentiated, anxiety is minimal, and partners have beneficial emotional communication with their family members (Nichols, 2014). Subsequently, the idea of achieving individuality while remaining in a cohesive family unit may cause stress. Concepts such as differentiation of self, triangulation, emotional cutoff, and anxious attachment may aid in the elucidation of the family system. This theoretical concept along with these coinciding terms will be explored through one episode of the television series The Goldbergs called Rush.
Taylor and Lou Ann demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between the roles and characteristics in a family. Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae replaces the missing physical and emotional traits in a stable household. The examples tie into the fact that not all families in this book match “the norms” and expectations, but are equally valued, blood or
It’s not easy to build an ideal family. In the article “The American Family” by Stephanie Coontz, she argued that during this century families succeed more when they discuss problems openly, and when social institutions are flexible in meeting families’ needs. When women have more choices to make their own decisions. She also argued that to have an ideal family women can expect a lot from men especially when it comes to his involvement in the house. Raymond Carver, the author of “Where He Was: Memories of My Father”, argued how his upbringing and lack of social institutions prevented him from building an ideal family. He showed the readers that his mother hide all the problems instead of solving them. She also didn’t have any choice but to stay with his drunk father, who was barely involved in the house. Carvers’ memoir is relevant to Coontz argument about what is needed to have an ideal family.
Since the beginning of time parents have been trying to figure out the most efficient way to parent (Sears, 2003, p. 3). Just as parents have tried to figure out the best method, so have scientist (Santrock, 2011, p.20); scientist use theories to help guide their understanding of things such as how parenting and child development go hand in hand. Erik Erikson proposed the theory that children develop in psychosocial stages (Santrock, 2011, p.21). Erikson’s theory contained 8 stages in which he believed we are faced with a dilemma that must be dealt with. The focus of this paper is the very first psychosocial stage, which he proposed that we experience in the first year of life (Santrock, 2011, p.21). Erikson’s first psychosocial stage is the dilemma that we face between trust and mistrust (Santrock, 2011, p. 21). This stage is very important because it occurs in the infant’s first 12 months of life and plays a part in shaping the rest of their life (Santrock, 2011, p. 21). According to Santrock (2011), Erikson’s theory proposed that this stage is when the infant determines whether or not the world is a place in which they will enjoy residing (p.22).
During the Great Depression, there was a massive migration from rural areas to more populated areas. During this era the Joad family decided to migrate from Oklahoma to California in search of work. As the Joad family traveled to California, the Grandfather dies. During this rough time, Ma helps comfort Grandma over her husband’s death. Ma knew that if Grandma was understanding and accepting of Grandpa’s death, the family would use that courage and her example to get through the mourning period faster. “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt and fear, she has practiced denying them in herself. And since, when a joyful thing happened, they looked to see whether joy was on her, it was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials” ( Steinbeck 48). The mourning period went by quickly because Ma showed strength in herself and in the family.
Family’s comes in all shapes and sizes. Some have three members and then some have ten or fifteen. The number of members may be different but we all have similar issues. "All happy families are alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"? (Tolstoy) That is a true statement if you ask me it means so much. It means to me that it does not matter what type of family you are, you will and am going to have issues. No family is perfect, there is always a flaw. Some families are just good at hiding it, and then some are not. There are many plays, stories and poems’ that can relate to the line that Leo Tolstoy wrote and I chose three from each; A Raisin in the Sun (376), "Everyday Use" (268) and "Those Winter Sundays" (338)
Just as Katherine Philips, poet Ben Jonson also wrote two elegies, for his son Benjamin and daughter Mary, entitled “On My First Son” and “On My First Daughter”. Jonson’s son died the early age of seven, and he expressed the strong, personal bond between them through the years Benjamin was “lent” to him. Jonson really comes from a place of sorrow and self-condemnation while writing this elegy. His approach to “...
to consider the infants themselves, independently of the attitudes of their parents.” He agrees that
When infants are born they depend solely on adults. They need adults to change their diapers, feed them, and clean them. Infants get attached to people who take care of them. Parents are able to cut the strings when they take care of their children. Cutting the string help the children develop independence. For the parent who don’t cut the string their children are allowed to stay with them as long as they like. The parent would like for their children to live with them forever. “The parent-child ties are permanent rather than transitory”(Gonzalez-Mena, 2008).
Family is something that is prevalent in everyone’s life, whether it’s biological, non-blood or estranged. Eugene O’Neill’s play shows how his family of four deals -- or doesn’t deal -- with their issues with themselves and eachother. The autobiographical play serves as a catharsis for O’Neill as he reveals his inner thoughts and feelings through his own character, Edmund. Long Day’s Journey into Night illustrates the ironic but important life lesson that Edmund learns that results in a deeper understanding of life and family. While family is supposed to nurture you and love you the most, they’re the same people who hurt you the most. This is shown through the insight he gains while exploring his relationships with his father,
Relationships play an essential role in people’s everyday life. A person’s first relationship is the one with their parents, which has a huge impact on the way offspring will relate to others, and develop future relationships. There are many aspects that come into play between parents and their children, such as, the personality of the family members, the education received from the parents, the family history, and the environmental situation in which the household is located. In fact, there are a series of variables, such as the education given to the child, and more fundamental aspects that are essential to the well being of the members in the relationship, such as the unconditional acceptance of one another. Parental behaviors such as protection,
From birth, a child owns not much knowledge in his brain for the lacking of experiences. As time goes by, he would gradually learn to produce sound, to talk, to play, and to do certain things from his parents and the surrounding people. Also, his personality is influenced by the environment until he reaches his mature age. This is the time when he develops his own conscience and full awareness of the impact of the negativity and the goodness on his life. People say that a child is a product of the parents’ guidance for those reasons.