The Goldbergs Case Study

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Family Therapy TV Challenge #1: The Goldbergs 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. Episode Summary The Goldbergs is a sitcom that depicts the humorous trials and tribulations of a family in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. The family consists of a helicopter mom named Beverly, her unemotional yet strict husband Murray, her live-in retired father …show more content…

Not unlike real life, the comedy fodder available in this episode is derived from enmeshment, particularly Beverly’s with her son Adam. This enmeshment is a direct derivative of the emotional distance between her and Murray. There seems to be diffused boundaries between family members because of their enmeshment with each other. Not that one wants to blame the mother or scapegoat Barry, but the family rules must be investigated so one can understand how the family reaches homeostasis and aids the family in identifying how their behaviors affect each

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