The Homosexual Family System In The Kids Are All Right

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Recommended: Negative and positive impacts on transitions in family

In the movie “The Kids Are All Right”, the homosexual family system of Nic and Jules Allgood is being challenged by the transitions of their children- Joni and Laser, and the sudden life involvement of the children’s biological father- Paul Hatfield. In class, we define family as a social unit in which the adult partners and the children share economic, social, and emotional rights and responsibilities as well as a sense of commitment or identification with each other. Although the Allgood family is not related biologically, they are a family legally and emotionally. The family is an interdependent system with mutual shaping and causality, and within the family system, there are multiple subsystems: parent-child system, martial system, and sibling system, etc. When there is a transition happening in a family member, the whole family system will also be affected. …show more content…

If the changes are not made for the subsystems, there will be increased frictions and tension within the family system. When Nic is not responding flexibly to the changing needs of her kids- Joni and Laser for more privacy and respect, the kids are not acting to her expectation and become the scapegoats for the blame of not following her rules. It makes them both upset, and the kids might perceive her as not understanding which worsen their relationship. Paul suggested her to ease up on the restrictions and there could be fewer conflicts, which is also an advice suggested in the reading. Minchin noticed that “clarifying the implicit rules of interaction and establishing boundaries that reflect development realities and subsystem functions” are important to maintain a sound and supportive family

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