Essay Example on The movie chosen was On Golden Pond

The movie chosen was On Golden Pond The life transition and developmental issue present in the couple are the father's cognitive decline and age related memory loss familial conflict and divergence between father and daughter Norman and Ethel appear hunched and infirm which is a sign of osteoporosis or general bone density decline and their hair is gray and thinning Ethel seems to be in better shape than Norman The movie is filled with conflict and resolution When daughter Chelsea arrives the family is forced to revisit and renew the ties that bind them and overcome the generational conflict that has occurred for years The father Norman is turning 80 years old and frequently talks about dying and aging He appears disconnected from his environs and is quite absentminded and off putting There is some definite unresolved discord in the relationship between father and daughter They seem to be unfavorably stuck in the past Chelsea calls her father by his first name which is a sign of disrespect and also an indication that she feels that he has been negligent in his duties as a father Chelsea admits that she still feels as if she is a child in his presence 

The emphasis is on self directed efforts to detriangle from family of origin patterns An individual s efforts can modify a triangle which in turn ripples through to change in the whole extended family This individual therapy method supports the individual s efforts n returning to their families to observe and learn about divisive patterns while they practice controlling their emotional reactivity in their family and report their struggles and progress in following sessions 

Additional individual interventions use letters telephone calls visits and research about previous generations to gain a systemic perspective on their family's emotional processes and a sense of their own inheritance of these patterns In an effort to pre empt the anxiety and resistance that may occur as a result of this disturbance to the balance of family patterns steps must be taken to prepare clients for the shift in their customary roles References Brown J 1999 Bowen Family Systems Theory and Practice Illustration and Critique Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy 20 2 94 103 doi 10 1002 j 1467 8438 1999 tb00363 x Richardson C A Gilleard C J Lieberman S Peeler R 1994 Working with older adults and their families a review The Association for Family Therapy 16 225 240