Family Collage Jennifer McNally

4/4/2012

Jennifer McNally

Family Collage

4/4/2012

My brother (top left), Frank (bottom left), my mom, sister and I (top right), my dad and I (bottom right), and Gracie my

daughter is in all of the photos.

Family Collage

Jennifer McNally

4/3/2012

The previous slide

• My family consists of my mother, father, Frank, sister and brother. My parents divorced after twelve years of marriage. My mother has had a long term relationship with Frank. So I consider Frank to be a father figure as well. “The blended family consists of two adults and their children, all of whom are not from the union of their relationship.” (Galvin, et al. p.9)

“The intentional family involves a pair or a group of people,

some or all of whom are unrelated biologically or legally, who share a commitment to each other , may live together, and consider themselves to be a family.” (Galvin et al. p.10) My

family includes my boyfriend and my daughter. He is not her biological father and we are not married, but we are a

committed family.

Cohesion

• Our family is very close emotionally. We may live far apart, but we our relationship with each other is most important. We are so close that it can be difficult to have independence. “Enmeshed. Family members experience extreme closeness, loyalty, dependence, and almost no individuality.” (Galvin et al, 2008)

Communication patterns

• Frank is certainly the story teller in our family. He is always recalling funny stories that get everyone laughing. “Family stories encourage members to remember together.” (Galvin et al. p. 97)

My brother, sister, and I are very close. We enjoy getting together and all three of us are incredibly silly. We all share similar humor and we connect at family gatherings by laughing. “Rituals convey a variety of meanings and messages in emotionally powerful

patterns; they remind members of who they are, how much they care about each other.” (Galvin, et al. p. 113)

Family Rituals My fathers side of the family gets together on the 4th of July every year, this

has been happening since long before I was born. “”Ceremonial rituals provide unique opportunities for family members to bond with each other

and significant others in their communities.” (Galvin et al. 2008)

Commitment My boyfriend and I are dedicated to our relationship and we take it very seriously. Energy must be put into a relationship for it to continue to be healthy. We have been together for four years now. “Commitment implies intense singular energy directed

toward sustaining a relationship.” (Galvin, et al. p. 129)

Roles My daughter is the most important person to me. We have a

special bond as she spent the first 18 months of her life with me as a single mom. “Family members need mutual admiration,

support, and reassurance.” (Galvin, et al. p. 155)

Themes

No matter how far away I live from my family or what decisions I make I am continuously supported by my family. “”Some family stories depict strong

family support, or no family support, when members face stressful times or their behavior violates family norms.” (Galvin et al. p. 99) I am so fortunate

to have a family that is always there for me.

Family conflict My father avoids conflict while my mother talks about everything. It was a

struggle for them to communicate. As I understand it that is one of the many reasons their marriage ended. “Conflicts in families stem from multiple

issues and are handled in a variety of ways.” (Galvin et al. p. 208)

Decision making

Growing up we always went to our mom for an answer to what we were allowed to do. My dad was usually the “good guy” as he didn’t like to say no. “Decision-making processes rely on the

repertoire of strategies members have developed to manage conflicting needs and desires.” (Galvin et al. p. 195)

A family to me means being there for each other no matter

what. The relationships in my life are what make me happy. The bonds I have with these people are more important to me then

anything else. As an adult with a “family” of my own I am enjoying raising my daughter to understand the importance of

family.

Works Cited

• Galvin, Bylund, and Brommel. Family Communication: 2008