Abstract In this paper the theories of multigenerational family therapy and structural family therapy are applied to the Melendez family. Beginning with the biography of the Hispanic family, assessment of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the family, stage of the family life cycle, cultural elements that impact the family and explanation of the types and qualities of relationships depicted in the Melendez genogram and ecomap the foundation for therapeutic goals and interventions are set. Goals and interventions based on the multigenerational family therapy theory are theoretically applied with the goal of the family to recognize emotional patterns to decrease anxiety. The Structural Theory application will focus on the presenting …show more content…
“I know my mom and dad love each other but their marriage is not healthy and has not been for a long time.” “They don’t even sleep in the same room”. (personal communication, 08/03/2013). Selyna states she feels like her mother is depressed, but would never admit to it. Selyna and her sister Stephanie are very close to their mother. Selyna’s brother Sergio is gay which has caused the greatest conflict with his father and has resulted in a poor relationship with conflict and discord. Selyna states “When my brother came out it was the most stress I have ever seen my family endure it was very hard for all of us. I have never stopped loving my brother and was able to look past it, but my father never has and I don’t think he ever will” (personal communication, 08/03/2013). Selyna describes her relationship with her brother Sergio and her sister Stephanie as close and has depicted on the genogram as extremely close or fused. Selyna married Adrian Melendez on June 10, 1996. Adrian’s father is George Melendez and mother is Irene Melendez. George recently moved in with Selyna and her husband after Irene’s passing of breast cancer. George has some health problems in relation to his heart disease and Selyna and Adrian felt compelled that he lives with them. George is close to all of his four children. Adrian is the youngest of four children and has a close relationship with his father. Salina and Adrian have three children
The California Code of Regulations, Title 15, (2017 California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Division 3 State of California Code of Regulations Title 15. Crime Prevention and Corrections) Defines a Prison Gang as “any gang or disruptive group whose roots, or origins were formed in the California Department of Corrections, or federal prison system.
Throughout this first chapter of Latino Americans the key points in my opinion were the following. Starting with the origin story of the Americas, the book mentions there might not be a definitive starting point because there “500 nations in North America before a European ship ever dropped anchor off the Eastern Seaboard” (Suarez 3). The book from this point on chronologically starts narrating, first about 55 years before Protestant refugees from Mayflower ever stepped on American soil, a Spanish sailor Pedro Menendez de Aviles forced French protestants from their Florida coast settlement to then stablish St. Augustine. From this point the book continues to tell the stories of Juan de Oñate, from witnessing the founding of Santa Fe, the oldest capital of North America, to exploring more than half a dozen of American states, he is one of the most fundamental conquistadors who is the least
Hispanics are a subculture that exists in American culture. The Hispanic subculture is an immensely diverse social group that makes up a large portion of the United States, however it does not share the same aspects that are found in American culture. The Hispanic subculture differs from American Culture through their food, traditions during celebrations, and language.
I’m an American grown up with Mexican roots; with all their traditions, religious beliefs, holidays, and foods. I come from a small town of south Texas, called The Rio Grande Valley, where I live with my average size family. I’ve grown up with my family facing hardships, and flaws yet united always. As time has gone by I’ve come to learn that everything around me has shaped me to be the young lady I am today, and I’m grateful for that.
Due to their Mexican roots, the father was usually rejected by managers during auditions and has very limited access to resources to change their family’s economic status. Discriminatory practices and stereotypical views generated further problems of social integration (Friedman, Bowden, & Jones, 2009, p.516). As for the environment for the family, they live in Corpus Christi, a rural area where more of segregated to society by language, culture, and social class. When it comes to communication, decision making, and family roles, the father is the authoritarian figure. This is demonstrated when Selena took off her jacket and performs with her beaded bra and also when he found out that she is dating Chris, the band’s guitarist. The mother is seen to be nurturing to her children and the siblings are seen to be interdependent and respectful to their parents. The family in the movie mostly shows affectionate communication specially when they expressed their feelings towards each other and with their
Cardenas & Kerby (2012) reveal, “Our country is rapidly changing. As we approach the year 2050, our nation will be increasingly more diverse, and Latinos will be one of the forces driving this demographic change. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau population estimate, there are roughly 50.5 million Hispanics representing about 16 percent of the U.S. population. By 2050, when demographers tell us that there will be no racial or ethnic majority among the general population of the United States, it is projected that the Latino population will double to 30 percent. Consequently, the role of Latinos in shaping our country’s political and economic climate is becoming more significant (Para. 1).This essay will explain some of the social class experiences of Hispanic Americans including economic struggles, education attainment, and healthcare insurance.
Familismo. Latino parents expect their children to prioritize family needs over individual needs. Understanding the values within the Latino family is crucial to analyzing family influences on education. Furthermore, understanding Latino cultural values and analyzing how these values either are or aren’t replicated in the high school setting is crucial to understanding the success of the first‐generation Latinain and out of high school. Cultural values which define the family dynamics of Latinos are: familismo (the value of family), comunidad (the value of community), and personalismo (the value of relationship), which are understood as presenting a sense of validation, mentorship, and cultural mirroring when transferred to the university setting (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007). Comunidad or community is defined as a sense of responsibility for one’s community and is closely related to familismo, which is a sense of caring for and being responsible to one’s family and prioritizing family needs over personal ones (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Sy & Romero, 2008).
I come from a very conservative Mexican household. That being said there were certain guidelines or roles that each gender had to follow. I come from a family of five, and we consist of 2 males and 3 females. Being a female, that meant that I was expected to do the household chores, the cooking of the house, and care for younger siblings. While we were expected to do that, my brothers didn’t have an obligation to do any of the responsibilities we were held accountable to. Although, they were expected to have jobs at an early age to help and provide income for the family.
This week lecture topic was about Latino culture. The lecture was interesting, it pointed out that Hispanic and Latino make up approximately 16% of the U.S population and also that, A third of the population is under the age of 15. Something that had me thinking was the Hispanic Latino Culture article, it stated that, Hispanics in the United States includes any person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. Few days ago, I came across a clip-on YouTube that talked about how the census for the year 2020 will now offer Hispanic as an option for the race category. For myself, this was a great video that made me realize how some of their peers, or even themselves, don’t
As a Hispanic child, growing up in Yuma, Arizona should be a comfortable town. Most public schools in town have a predominantly Hispanic student body along with an overall large Hispanic migrant community, since Yuma is close to the border of Mexico, and is the nation’s largest provider of leafy winter greens. However, my experience was different from the average Hispanic child in Yuma. Growing-up, both of my Hispanic parents raised me; my mother, a high school graduate, and my father, a graduate from the University of Puerto Rico Humacao. Both my parents placed a large emphasis on education and from an early age my mother instilled that value of education. Often, my mother would tell me how she used to read to me as a child and had me speak both English and Spanish as a toddler. That didn’t last long, as my mother opted to focus on having my twin brother and I
In identifying the linguistic, political, social, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses of four Hispanic groups living in the United States; the following four groups have been chosen, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and El Salvadorians. Each group has a rich cultural identity but has been placed in the same category, Hispanic Americans, on the basis of language. All these groups share the Spanish language, though each has a different dialect and some words spelled and pronounced the same have different meanings. For example, sopa means soup in some countries, but in others it means soap.
Joseph and Sierra have been married for eight years. They have mixed racial backgrounds as Joseph is Latino and Sierra is an African American. Prior to having children, the couple agreed that Sierra would stay at home as a full-time mother and Joseph continued working as a manager at the store where the couple originally met. Three years into marriage the couple had their first child named Jack. From the time of his birth both Sierra and Joseph were attentive to his needs and interacted with him in a warm and supportive manner. Jack grew into an energetic and independent child. Although he might occasionally be fussy or irritable, Sierra was capable of assisting Jack in calming down through interacting with games and songs.
Sophia reported that her parents do not live together anymore. She remembers when they lived together they argued and yelled at each other. The child reported that she lives with her mother and brother and sees her father on the weekends. Sophia stated that she enjoys spending time with both parents. Sophia stated that she there is nothing she would change about either parent. Sofia reported that she has toys at both residences.
The first theory selected for Alberto is structural family therapy. Structural family therapy was developed by Salvador Minuchin. The foundation of Structural family therapy is based on family structure. To gain insight about a family’s structure, a therapist must observe interactional patterns of the family (Gallin, 2011). Minuchin found that structural family change is required in order to reduce problematic symptoms (Cory, 2013). According to Minuchin, family structure is considered the unspoken rules within a family that determines how a family will interact. To understand the different types of interactional patterns, the following terms are used to help guide the structural family therapist: coalitions, subsystems, boundaries, triangulation, roles, rules, and power (Gladdin, 2011). The first term coalition is used to help identify two people who have teamed up against another person within the family. The second term subsystem helps the therapist to recognize small groups within the family system and what tasks they complete for the family. The third term is boundaries which are rules and guidelines within the family. Boundaries within a family can be clear, rigid, or diffused. If a family has clear boundaries, they have a clear understanding of the rules and guidelines within the family and have flexibility to communicate with one another when something is not working. If a family has rigid boundaries, the family rules and
Finding a secure attachment in life is given in families who play a role in your life as children, but a few are not as lucky to have families who express and show this process are left without the knowledge and are forced to find a way of repairing one's life as an adult. As a Latina that comes from a semi-large family I believe rituals, support and distance plays a big role in my family with that said Dr. Broderick (USC) who wrote the terms transition character and described it in a few was in his article.