Ordinary People Character Analysis

The family consists of the mother Beth, father Calvin, and their son Conrad who are living in the aftermath of the death of the oldest son Buck. Conrad, who has attempted suicide and hospitalized because he inability to overcome grief and misplaced guilt, and therapy as way to feel more in control. Beth on the other hand always favored Buck and does not connect with Conrad. Whereas, the father Calvin is trapped in trying to hold the family together, but those pressures are building and he is coming to realizations of his own.

Will-power and determination plays a major role when it comes to people accomplishing goals and performing the tasks they are given. When a person possesses these two qualities they are motivated, focused, will not give up easily, determined along with many other things. The word determination is defined as, “the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose.” Will-power is, “the strength or will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.” In the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, the main character Phoenix carried out the meaning of these two words throughout the whole story. She had experienced many road blocks during her journey, but she did not let them stop her from reaching

In the movie Ordinary People, the Jarrett family is faced with traumatic events that provoke situations of crucial communication. The family members, Conrad (son), Beth (mother), and Calvin (father), have to deal with the loss of their beloved older son and brother. The loss of Buck hit Conrad, especially hard, resting displaced guilt on his shoulders. Conrad buckles under the guilt and pain, allowing him to draw in the dark emotions that fill his heart and mind attempting to end his life and end the agony. The opening of the movie is set in the time following Conrad’s release from the hospital when he returns to a quiet home with little love and compassion released from his mother's heart. He returned to a place of more pain. Beth, the mother,

To begin we must establish goals with the individuals involved. Our overall goal is to restore the marriage and Conrad's relationship with both parents. As the family has discovered there is not much substance to their relationships, consequently restoration will not be enough. We must also develop skills to allows them to improve their relationships in healthy ways.

The following treatment plan will look at the Jarrett family, an upper-class family that struggles with the death of the oldest son, Buck. After the last harsh confrontation with her husband (Calvin), Beth decided to run away to Houston and leave the family. Without knowing if Beth wants to come back, Calvin and Conrad join therapy to face this delicate situation. By considering this information, our treatment plan will look at their family dynamics from three theoretical perspectives: Bowenian family therapy, Structural Family therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy.

While reading The Family Crucible, the authors made it feel like I was watching a life-time television series. There were several high points and low points during the family therapy session that left me unsure of how the show would end. This book takes you on a journey using family counseling to help a family heal and communicate better with one another. I thought it was interesting how this systematic therapy took place in a time where therapy was looked at as taboo. Many times in that era family therapy was not an option. The main focus was on the family member with the issue and not on the parents or other family members. In the book the authors used different theories and approaches during the counseling sessions which were quite interesting. This process after time enabled the family to look at the journey they were on in order to understand how the family, as a whole, should function.

I think the way the Jarrett family is trying to cope with their new group is a perfect example for how the behaviors in the family will change because of one person. One of the first things that happens is when Conrad decides to start seeing Dr. Berger. This brings a sense of relief to Calvin, and embarrassment to Beth. In one scene, Calvin is talking to a friend about the progress Conrad is making

The film “Ordinary People” is story about the Jarrett family, an upper middle class family living in the picture perfect suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois. The story begins shortly after the tragic and untimely death of the oldest son, Jordan (also referred to as Buck), who died in a boating accident, that his younger brother Conrad, survived. When a traumatic event such as this occurs some families unite and battle the grief and heartache together, as a unit, while others become emotionally isolated and detached from one another. This is the case for the Jarrett's. The depth of grief that each individual character is suffering is uncovered as the film progresses. This tale is

In this paper I will be describing how the first two session of the Brice family went. I will talk about what systems approach to therapy was used, and will include how Whitaker and Napier conceptualized the family’s difficulties. I will also describe how this differs from an individual understanding, and will talk about what specific interventions they used to support their systemic understanding of this family.

The family is made up of five people: Claudia, the IP; Carolyn, mother; Laura, the sister; Don, the brother; and David, the father. The family is coming into therapy because there have been mounting concerns about Claudia and her behavior—acting out, staying out late, some fairly typical teenage stuff. For the purpose of this paper, I will be starting at the beginning where the family is first coming into therapy. I will first school that I will apply is Structural Family Therapy and the second school is Bowen Family Therapy.

The Jarrett's' have always believed themselves to be ordinary people, but after a their firstborn son, Jordan "Buck" Jarrett, drowns and their second born son, Conrad, attempts suicide their whole world is turned upside-down. When Conrad comes home from his mental institution he feels that things have changed. Conrad's relationship with his parents has changed. The relationship that Conrad has with his parents change throughout the novel and are shaky all the way to the last page.

This paper will summarize the theory of family systems developed by Murray Bowen. It will describe the eight key components to Bowenian therapy and the techniques used during practice. Strengths and limitations will be exposed, followed by a summary of the importance of integration between psychology and family systems theory.

The main character of the novel, “The Street”, by Ann Petry, is a woman who exemplifies many aspects of what it was to be a black single mother in the 40s. Lutie is a hardworking woman who must do what she can to take care of both her and her son. Throughout the book, she shows immense strength, independence and will. It also shows the way a black mother was treated during this time and this is even shown today. Black women are so often hyper sexualized and used, this is shown in the way that her character treated. Many men lust after her and try to take advantage of her. She must fight to stake claim to her body, showing the strength and resilience she must have as a black woman who is also a mother. She is treated terribly by, Jones, Junto,

The movie Ordinary People explores an All-American family’s response to dual tragedy. First the Jarretts experience the loss of son Buck in a boating accident, and then the suicide attempt of their other son Conrad. In response to these traumas, Beth Jarrett, a narcissistic mother who focuses on social appearances and propriety, refuses to acknowledge or express any emotion. Calvin Jarrett, an affluent tax attorney who feels overwhelmed and confused, tries to discern how to rebuild his sense of family; and Conrad Jarrett, who has just returned home after four months in a psychiatric unit, attempts to assimilate back into everyday life. As part of this assimilation, Conrad Jarrett reconnects with best friend Joe Lazenby. By spotlighting the friendship between Joe and Conrad within the context of communication concepts such as identity management, debilitative emotions, language as a barrier, non-verbal expressions, dialectical tensions and stages of a relationship one can examine how loss can exacerbate communication deficits resulting in the dissolution of the friendship.

Everyman, a morality play, was written in the late fifteenth century with the intention of communicating to both educated, as well as, illiterate audiences’ some of the moral instructions regarding the way to live life and prepare for judgment day. Liberty University (Lesson 26 presentation) says, “This play taught masses of people about Christ and what constitutes a God centered moral life.” (Liberty University. n.d.) The use of characters such as; Death, Goods, Beauty, Knowledge, Good deeds, and of course, Everyman, create a realistic understanding of the moral message. The treatment and perception of the character Death within the play gives the audients important insight to the way death is used by God and how it changes the outlook