I Never Sang for My Father – Family Therapy

Tom Garrison was a mayor of a small town in Westchester County and highly respected by the community but most did not know that he was distant, cold and egocentric with his family. He had a negative relationship with his own father and idealized his mother. He drove his daughter away when she decided to marry a Jew, and alienated his son with his egocentricity, ritual storytelling and possessiveness. Tom has a history of being abusive toward his children, as Alice described to Gene, â€Å"he beat you when you were a kid. You've hated and feared him all your adult life. † Even Margaret admits that she suffered neglect from her husband. Tom's behavior causes difficulty forming close relationships with his family, and his strained relationship with his son peaks after his wife dies. Neither of them know what to do without her and they start to argue again. He shows two different sides of himself to the world and his family. His history seems to have impacted the way he interacts with his family members. He was distant from his father and is repeating that pattern with his own wife and children. He maintains distance from them and encourages the triangulation between his him, his wife, and his son, because it feels safer for him. He is also triangulated with the television. While he struggled during his childhood, he had become very successful and well respected as an adult. During the film he stated â€Å"early in life I developed a will of iron,† but Tom used that same â€Å"will of iron† to raise and control his children, and even drove away his own daughter because he refused to accept her choice of a husband because he was Jewish. The main conflicts within the family are that everyone fears Tom and that he pushes everyone away by ritually telling the same stories, bragging about his success, and showing little to no interest in his wife and children. His demanding methods and distant emotions prevent him and his grown children from being able to love and communicate with each other. The triangulated relationship begins to become evident when Tom and Gene were in the garage and Tom explained that he received Gene's letters from California. Gene's letters triggered Tom's anxiety about him moving away, so he talks to Gene about his mother, trying to transmit the anxiety onto his mother's health and Tom not being able to care for her in Gene's absence. If you were to go out there, I mean to live, it would kill your mother. God, you know you're her whole life† he said. He makes no statement about what effect it would have on him if Gene moved to California. Tom reinforces Gene as his mother's emotional lifeline because he is distant from both Tom and Margaret and can only work with the other two members by bringing in a second person. When Gene spoke to his mother about it, she confirmed the triangulation and asked him â€Å"wh y doesn't your father just admit that it would upset him? † If I had this family in therapy, I would start with creating a genogram, because I feel that's the least intrusive way to get a holistic picture of the family and help me understand multigenerational patterns. I would try to join the family by asking questions to get everyone on board, such as â€Å"Do you want to continue to react to him in ways that keep conflict going, or would you rather feel more in charge of your life? † to help build an environment conducive to movement and change, and ask the family to role play so that I could see and intervene with how they interact with one another. If the wife was still alive, the goal would be to bring the husband and wife into a closer relationship to prevent the triangulation from continuing. If the wife had already passed then the goal would be to help the remaining three in the family talk about the role of the mother and come up with rules for boundaries so that expectations could be clear and they would have a better understanding of themselves. At the end of the movie Gene and Tom's relationship was very strained, because they didn't have the support of the mother anymore and they were left to deal with their relationship with each other as it was, without her help. When Gene asked Tom to move with him to California, Tom became angry, seeming to feel like â€Å"No one cares about me, I'm just the money making machine. † He refused to go and felt abandoned that Gene had even asked. If Tom had changed his response to Gene's proposal to move to California then it could have seriously impacted the future of the family because Tom and Gene didn't speak very much until he died. Tom could have asked Gene to tell him more about it, to invite a conversation, rather than to receive Gene's suggestion as an attack toward his quality as a father. Or if Tom saw his son's invitation as gesture of affection and had considered moving to California, the quality of their relationship would have likely improved. The story â€Å"I Never Sang For My Father† was touching and easily-personalized. Most families have difficulties trying to attain or maintain an adult relationship with one's parents. The relationship parent-child changes when the child grows into an adult and the child feels more empowered. Tom did not entertain the idea of Gene feeling more empowered as an adult, he treated him more like a child because it helped his ego. I felt angry at the father, seeing him as impossible, ignorant, and stubborn, but it's important for me to note that it's imperative that I'm aware that is my opinion based on projection from past experiences, and that some may become angry with the son for not confronting his father sooner. Keeping these biases in mind is helpful so that I remain neutral during family therapy and I look at the family from a systems perspective, not a â€Å"he's right and she's wrong† perspective. I resonate with this story because I'm an only child and I was triangulated with my parents for a while before my dad passed away. My dad wanted to be the good guy, so he would always go up to my mom to tell her to scold me for doing something, losing something, or anything. This was because my father didn't feel secure enough in himself to be able to scold me and know that we would still have a solid relationship. So in order to make up for his handicap of not being able to give me instructions, he had my mom step in, who was willing to be â€Å"the bad guy,† and had her scold me for him. In the end, he needed my mom to help him communicate with me because he had depended on her for so much. This makes me think of how Gene's mother was the bridge between Gene and his father, and when she died they were stuck with the relationship that they had. Fortunately, in my family center triangulation, my mother and I had a more solid relationship and could talk about things. This makes me think about my future with my spouse. What baggage will I carry with me from my family life? What will I likely triangulate for? I like to say that I have good communication and I don't see a reason to triangulate, but I don't believe myself because I think that the issue doesn't have to be big in order for triangulation to manifest. After watching this movie, I felt like family therapy looks like an impossible feat. I realized how many eyes are on you all the time when you're in session with a family. I imagine that those with social anxiety disorders or therapists who tend to be more introverted don't especially like group therapy or family therapy. If there is one thing that I take away from this class, it's that everything happens for a reason in a family. Everything manifests for a purpose, to serve some function in the family.

GATTACA: ‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Essay

‘Vincent is supposed to be weak. Yet his strength of character is the key to the story.’ Discuss. The film text ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol can be seen as a piece that draws many parallels to the world that we live in today. One such parallel is the fact that often in society, the ones who are at a disadvantage are the ones who display the greatest strength of character. Niccol uses Vincent as the vehicle through which he demonstrates how strength of character can neutralise and overcome disadvantages faced. Gattaca portrays a society that no longer takes into consideration a person’s character. Vincent’s refusal to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ is his key to success. The text makes a clear distinction between ‘human’ and genetic traits. So clear is the distinction that Niccol uses separate vehicles to display each set of traits. As the traits and the vehicles clash, Niccol creates a sense of sympathy for Vincent as he is portrayed as the disadvantaged and weak in society in the sense that he does not possess the physical and mental assets that make him a valued member of society. A key example of this is the recurring games of ‘chicken’ between Vincent and his genetically superior brother Anton. Anton beats Vincent time and time again as is expected of Anton by society. However, when Vincent bests his brother one day an emphasis is placed on the manner in which he beat his brother. â€Å"You wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back!† This creates the impression to the viewer that Vincent did not win with superior stamina, skill or physical strength, rather he won as he possessed traits lik e courage, determination and grit, traits that are lost in the geno-centric society in which he loves but traits that are valued and admired in todays society. The text can be seen as parallel to today’s society as often it is those who are faced with the greatest disadvantage who succeed. Vincent’s journey is a classic tale of 1 against the world or in this case 2 against the world. At every bend society is there to stop Vincent from achieving his lifelong dream of going to space. Even his parents try to prevent him from attaining  his goal, â€Å"Vincent, the only way you’ll see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it.† This coming from his father can be seen as the ultimate discouragement but instead Vincent uses it to spur himself onwards and upwards both literally and figuratively. In relation to the real world, notable figures like Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorious overcame what is seen as a severe athletic disability in today’s society to compete at the 2012 London Olympics. While it is not uncommon to hear of ‘rags to riches’ tales in todays society, the one notable difference between today’s society and Vincent’s society, is that disadvantaged people are given every chance to make the most of their life (in 1st world countries), yet in Vincent’s society the disadvantaged are shunned and are viewed as a blight on society. Gattaca is a reminder that you cannot judge one on their outwardly appearance or in Gattaca’s case, a persons genetic composition. As the saying goes, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ Vincent is once again used as the vehicle through which Niccol conveys this message. To the eyes of society, Vincent is an ‘invalid’ with inferior physical capabilities, high risk of heart failure and other deficiencies and with a â€Å"life expectancy of 30.2 years.† However, because of the ‘faceless’ society that Vincent lives in (which refers to personality as much as it does to physical appearance) he lacks the opportunity to progress with his life as his strengths of character are not held in anywhere near the same esteem as desirable genetics are. Vincent claims, â€Å"There is no gene for fate.† This is in reference to the fact that he is of the belief that genes aren’t everything, even if society has such beliefs. Rather there is an element in every human being that makes him or her truly unique and this is what Vincent prides himself on, the fact that his assets which are undeterminable by genetics are what makes him the person that he his. While the society in which Vincent lives in regards Vincent as weak and inferior, his character is both key to his success and the story as without his steely resolve and fierce determination there would be no story as society would continue to function as it was designed. Parallels can be drawn with Vincent’s plight and the journey’s of figures in our society like Oscar Pistorious. Gattaca serves to compound the message that has been  passed down through generations by reasserting that you shouldn’t judge a person before you know them personally. Vincent refuses to ‘play the hand he was dealt’ and this is the focal point around which Gattaca was told.

Idealism and Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Idealism and Reality - Essay Example As everyone do not own same attitude towards life, some people love to take life as a challenge. They are not influenced by emotional attachments, rather they like solitary freedom. Christopher was one of them. Let us focus on different angles of his character reflected in the story. Christopher was an intelligent student as well as a good athlete. We can consider him as philanthropic as he had a soft corner for homeless and foodless people and always helped them. He was very pertinacious and determined. He did only those things he wanted to do. Nobody could change his decision. According to his father, he was overconfident as he got success in everything he did in his life. He was also very impatient. He was inspired by the great novelist Leo Tolstoy who relinquished his all in search of self discovery and Christopher followed his steps. The goal of his life was to search his true self. We can summarize his character as a dreamy young man passionate about the truth of life and tried to discover the same in his own way. As reality is completely different from dreams, his naive mistakes finally caused his death. But we should appreciate his courage and obsession towards his dreams. According to American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, "No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to flee and fly high." Christopher must have the same belief. If we look into the flow of his life, we will see that he always furnished his dream with the highest priority. Christopher had a luxurious life as he belonged to a wealthy family in Washington D.C. He completed his graduation in 1990 from Emory University. He had a loving family along with plentiful money in his savings account. He was also offered a good job. He was getting everything which is dream of each common man. But he declined to enjoy these comforts and donated everything he owned. He cut off his bond with family and friends and tramped around different places of USA. But he did not settle anywhere. His pleasant personality affected and impressed every one he met during his short lifespan. Finally he decided to spend some days in Alaskan Wilderness. He was well aware of the fact that this trip ma y be his last one but he wanted to live his dream. With the help of a truck driver he reached Alaska and managed to find a deserted bus which he made his base camp. But in his fascination he did some foolish mistakes. He did not carry enough food with him as he found hunting more exciting. He did not take a compass or watch even a map with him. It was the greatest mistake which he compensated by giving away his life. Though he has done so many mistakes, we should value his determination and willpower as without nominal amenities of daily life he managed to stay there more than two months. At last he realized

Medical Problems as a Result of Chronic Cocaine Abuse and Alco Lab Report

Medical Problems as a Result of Chronic Cocaine Abuse and Alcoholism - Lab Report Example Initially, the client described the pain as stabbing rated 9/10; however, after administering 2 SL Nitro and ASA 325 mg, the pain gradually became â€Å"crampy† and is currently rated 1/10. In addition, the client was also given Lasix 40 mg IV. The client reported that she tried Excedrin PM and Tylenol PM at home to relieve the pain but was unsuccessful. A day prior to consulting, the client related that she tried taking 100 mg of Toprol XL, which provided no pain relief.Carissa had a history of uncontrolled hypertension and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF), dilated cardiomyopathy, and polysubstance abuse.- The client had a history of longstanding hypertension and polysubstance abuse.- In March 2005, the client was diagnosed with stage II left intraductal breast carcinoma, metastatic with 1/14 left axillary lymph nodes. The client was S/P left mastectomy, chemotherapy, and XRT. She had a history of depression in the same year.- In July 2006, the client was dia gnosed with congestive heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy.   - On 11/7/2006 – 16/7/2006, the client was admitted in the ward for 5 days after presenting to the ED with complaints of chest pains and SOB. During her admission, the client’s cardiac enzymes, electrolytes, Mg++ levels are all WNL. Her EKG showed normal sinus rhythm with LA enlargement, LVH, and a prolonged QT interval (.514 sec) but no dynamic changes worrisome for cardiac ischemia. CXR showed marked cardiomegaly with some pulmonary vascular congestion. An ECHO was performed during this time revealing LA dilation (5.0 cm) with LV size at the upper limit of normal, severe impairment of LV systolic function with a calculated biplane EF of 14%. The LV diastolic filling pattern was felt to be â€Å"pseudonormal.† It was during this time that RT was started on an aggressive 5 drug regimen for heart failure and recommended to follow up with a cardiologist at the Myers Park Heart Failure clinic. She has followed up with the Heart Failure clinic two times since July.

Marketing in real world Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing in real world - Research Paper Example Marketing is all about achieving company’s objectives and becoming more effective than competitors in an industry through various means such as communicating customer value. Target market, marketers and what is being marketed are the most important elements that comprise marketing. It can also be said that marketing is a social process that ensures persons and groups satisfaction via creation and exchange of goods and value with others (Burrow & Bosiljevac, 2009). There are several activities that re involved in marketing that can make customer buy a particular product or service. For instance, a company may decide to design their products in a way that it looks desirable to a client through market research and pricing. Also a company may lower price of their products and let their customers learn about the price change as well as making the product available to the potential customers (Silk, 2006). Additionally, it should be noted that marketing finds, anticipates and satisfi es buyers competently and gainfully. Marketing entails clear understanding, creation as well as delivery of profitable value to the target market in a way that is superior to competitors’ style. ... However, these business organizations can also adapt other short-term marketing strategies, which are focused to cope with the level of competition in the market. These types of marketing strategies are of great importance as the prime goal of any business is to maximize profit and ensure survival in any business environment. Marketing just like any other business function has really improved due to technological changes (Sheth & Sisodia, 2006). The internet has been the greatest revolution in the modern era for many business owners. It has contributed tremendously for most changes in the way business is done in the global market. Most businesses are using the internet as an effective and efficient way to reach out to many customers. Most businesses are now using the internet to not only advertise, but also to communicate with customers thus boosting their sales. An area that has experienced great change due to internet revolution is advertising (Burrow & Bosiljevac, 2009). The inter net is able to provide specific advertisements to target internet users through advertising such as through AdSence managed by Google. Companies have also changed from subscription service advertising to free content advertising in a move aimed at achieving huge numbers of targeted audiences. In addition, sales and marketing through the internet has promoted transparency in the way businesses conduct their activities. Transparency has now been adopted as a new selling and marketing strategy (Silk, 2006). Furthermore social media marketing is gaining website interchange or awareness via twitter, face book, and blogging. Social media marketing programs more often than not strive to

Social Learning Theory Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Social Learning Theory Research Project - Essay Example The perception of the benefits of the mentoring experience is not a purely quantitative measure, because it measures emotion and feelings , therefore verbal measures are likely to provide the best results. Data Collection: The data collection method I propose to use is a Likert style AIM questionnaire which will have several variables measuring verbal responses in numerical values in the range of 1 to 3, each response signifying a particular level of response. I propose to get these survey questionnaires completed by the students after they have been exposed to the demonstration on the art project. The numerical values collected can then be subjected to statistical analysis to determine results. Threats to validity that are inherent in my design are history, testing, selection and experimenter bias. I propose to address these by matching subjects so that maximum homogeneity is introduced, using random sampling to address selection validity, using control and experimental groups and undertaking of this study on a blind bind basis, without prejudice or bias about the results. I will also perform regression analyses on the results obtained in order to eliminate outliner

Superior Grain Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Superior Grain Inc - Essay Example describe the assumptions and methods used (3 pts) Somewhat describes assumptions and methods used (7 pts) Substantially describes assumptions and methods used (8 pts) Effectively describes assumptions and methods used (10 pts) Calculate statistics using a spreadsheet Does not calculate appropriate statistics using a spreadsheet and/or does not provide evidence of calculations (0 pt) Calculates appropriate statistics using a spreadsheet (most answers are not correct) (13 pts) Calculates appropriate statistics using a spreadsheet (not all answers are correct) (21 pts) Calculates appropriate statistics using a spreadsheet (most answers are correct) (25 pts) Effectively calculates statistics using a spreadsheet (almost all answers are correct) (30 pts) Explain implications of output of statistical analysis Does not explain implications of output of statistical analysis (0 pt) Partially explains implications of output of statistical analysis (3pts) Somewhat explains implications of output of statistical analysis (7 pts) Substantially explains implications of output of statistical analysis (8 pts) Effectively explains implications of output of statistical analysis (10 pts) . . . continued . . . TITLE OF RUBRIC: Case Analysis, cont. (Page 2 of 2) Course: QNT 5040 LEARNING OUTCOME/S: (see syllabus) Date: 02.15. 2013 PURPOSE: To facilitate effective decision making under uncertain conditions by quantifying risk. Name of Student: Kelly Espinosa, Diana De Castro, Elsa Santos, Marie Jean, Lesan Thomas, Courtney Waite VALIDITY: Best practices in Monte Carlo simulation. Name of Faculty: Nova Southeastern University COMPANION DOCUMENTS: Assignment and format instructions, Case Earning maximum points in each box in ‘PROFICIENT’ column and / or points in columns to the right of... Based on the analysis of the historical data and projected data for the upcoming year, it would be a mistake for Superior Grain to rely on the volume of shipments allotted from the Polish contract to cover the costs of building the third wharf with the expectation of 20% profit. It is apparent from the statistics that the addition of the third wharf would decrease the demurrage charge; however, there is a negative net present value (NPV) that indicates the company should not build the third wharf. Even though, there is a negative NPV for the company, according to our five-year analysis, Superior Grain Elevator could still consider building the third wharf. Because of the 3 factors detailed below, Superior Grain Manager, Mike Armstrong, needs to consider building the third wharf. By building the third wharf the waiting time will be dramatically decreased, and customer satisfaction will also increase. After the contract is over the number of ships will go back to 115 with the savings o f more than $100,000 per year. There is always a possibility within the next 2 years for the company to get a new contract which it will be prepared to handle. Therefore by building the third wharf the company will be able to benefit from it.