Movie Analysis : Mrs. Doubtfire

The family system is founded on the notions that for change to occur in the life of an individual, the therapist must understand and work with the family as a whole. In working with the family, the therapist can understand how the individual in counseling functions within his family system and how the client’s behaviors connect to other people in the family. This theory also holds the perception that symptoms are a set of family habits and patterns passed down by generation and not a result of a psychological problem or an inability to change (Corey, 2017). Furthermore, the family system theory holds the idea that when a change occurs everyone in the unit is affected by the change.

Doubtfire saves him with the Heimlich maneuver, however during the turmoil Mrs. Doubtfire’s mask is pulled off and it is revealed that it has been Daniel the whole time. Because of his actions the courts decide to grant full custody to Miranda, but it is quickly noticed that the children miss their father and Miranda speaks to the court and Daniel is granted the right to keep his children after school. (Radcliffe & Columbus, 1993)

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

Family theories help explain the family’s impact on an individual’s wellbeing and offer different approaches to managing one’s health with a family-focused perspective. They provide a foundation for practice and enhance one’s understanding of family processes and dynamics. These theories address the family as the unit of care and enable nurses to empathize, comprehend, and collaborate with the family providing strategies in practice and improving care (Denham, Eggenberger, Young, & Krumweide, 2016). Two family theories that have sparked my interest are the Bowen’s Family Systems Theory (FST) and the Illness Beliefs Model (IBM). This paper will discuss each theory, including the strengths and weaknesses of each. A fictional family case

The movie Mrs. Doubtfire takes place in an upper-middle-class neighborhood with a typical all-American family being shaken up after a divorce. As a carefree father, who is deprived of his custodial rights to his children, we have Daniel Hilliard as recently unemployed, aspiring talented actor with a few tricks up his sleeve in order to preserve quality time with his children. On the other side of the family court, we have Miranda Hilliard, as a demanding executive interior designer, and the sole bread-winner that is tired of her ex-husband irresponsible ways and prosecutes him for it. The couple had three children, the eldest Lydia Hillard as the feisty and responsible teenager, Chris

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) in training are tasked with helping a family work through conflict and arrive and more intimate and interdependent relationships, which can seem daunting or maybe even terrifying. However, the interaction patterns that show up in families can find some context and clarity for a therapist who knows systems theory. Systems theory suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from their family context because families create relational processes and generate a “sequence of interactions” and behaviors in order to maintain dynamic stability of the self-regulating family system (Nichols, 2013, pp. 58-59). How does this general systems theory help an MFT guide a family in therapy? In this paper I will take three systems theory principles and apply them to a movie in order to demonstrate how it provides a language and context for MFTs, thus making it an essential tool in family therapy.

The Moore family is a family that is made up of three generations, starting with the grandparents, parents, along with the children. The Moore family also consist of multiple racial groups, such as African American and Caucasian that causes divided within the family because of the cultural differences within each group. The Moore family is made up of Jessica, Caucasian mother, Ed, African American father, Derrick, adopted African American son, Terrence, Jessica’s biological biracial son, and Debbie, Ed’s biological biracial daughter. With the listing of the both husband and wife along with the children, it is clear that this family has encounter a few life transitions, trajectories, cohorts, turning points, and life events. Understanding life course perspective will assist with understanding the family dynamics that are displayed within the Moore family. Life transitions, trajectories, cohorts, turning points, life events, along with other terms will be defined and discussed to fully examine the Moore’s family behavior and life events that guided their family’s development. With all of the issues that the Moore family has encountered both Jessica’s and Ed’s marital problems may be seen as the core of their family’s dysfunction, therefore, this will be explained under the life course perspective.

This is a good family movie that can show the viewer’s how some people prey on one another. This movie reminded me of the times my brother and I didn’t get along. It shows how different families are and how they treat one another. Sadly this movie also shows how family members can be so cold blooded. This movie duplicates real life situations where innocent People get hurt, family loyalty gets divided and couples end up in divorce.

The movie Mrs. Doubtfire was written by Leslie Dixon and Randi Mayem Singer. Leslie Dixon is also known for her works on Limitless, Hairspray, Freaky Friday, and Gone Girl. Randi Mayem Singer has not had as many works as Dixon but you may know her from her work on Tooth Fairy, and Jack & Jill. The director of Mrs. Doubtfire is Chris Columbus. He has directed a lot of movies but the ones that stand out to me are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, Home Alone, Nine Months, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Dr. Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist, offered us the family systems theory. This theory views the family as an emotional unit, further providing a thinking systems approach to describe the complex interactions in the unit. Bowen offered, “A change in one person’s functioning is predictably followed by a reciprocal change in the functioning of others” (Kerr, 2000). If one person within the family unit is having a difficult time, it effects everyone within the family unit. An example of this would be a father who is the primary breadwinner for his family suddenly loosing his job. Prior

The Bowen family systems theory can utilize to understand the Gillison’s family dynamics. According to the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family (2016) the Bowen family system theory views family as an emotional unit that utilizes systems thinking to comprehend the complexity of the interactions within the unit. The theory describes families as having a major influence on their member’s thoughts, feelings and actions, which leads them to feel as if they are composed of the same “emotional skin”. The members of families, according to this theory, are driven by each other’s attention, approval, and support. The members therefore, react to each other’s expectations and wants and needs. The family is therefore interdependent. One change in one member’s function leads to a change in the functioning of the others. This is evidence in the case of the Gillison family.

The methods employed for this assignment was research from Pew Research Center applied to concepts learned from our Family Issue and Social Change class. The topic we

Murray Bowen's family system theory was one of the first comprehensive theories of family system functioning. It was developed in 1974 and it believed the family can be defined as a set of interacting individuals who are related by blood, marriage, cohabitation, or adoption and who interdependently perform relevant functions through roles. Relevant functions of the family include values and practices placed on health system theory is used to explain patterns of living among the individuals who make up the family systems (Edelmen, 2006).

Every movie has their own villain, but “To Kill a Mockingbird” creates a new perspective. As the movie begins, Bob Ewell is revealed to be a ruthless and drunken man. In the first scene Bob appears in, the camera catches certain aspects of his evil motives. The director plays no music in order for the watcher to carefully hear the antagonizing words of Bob Ewell. He clearly shows the watcher that Bob is the adversary of the movie. The positioning of the camera consists of close, crooked angles to represent his “crooked” views. Bob Ewell’s voice sounds rough and unclear, emphasizing his spiteful intentions.

Each and every day a child somewhere in the world is experiencing major changes within their family. One of those major changes is divorce or separation of parents. Divorce is “the action or an instance of legally dissolving a marriage”(Webster, 2011 p1). Today’s reality shows that couples only have one in two odds of remaining together. “ The U.S. Census bureau – involved in research about counseling children of divorce- estimating that approximately 50% of all American children born in 1982 lived in a single-parent homes sometime during their first 18 years. Mostly are due to divorce”(Children of Divorce, 2008 p.1). The rapid increase in divorce rates is a factor that has contributed to the large decline of the typical family. “Over 1