Family Patterns Of The Nguyen s - 1176 Words

Family Patterns The family pattern of the Nguyen’s is a strange combination of both enmeshed and disengaged patterns of communication and relationships. For one, each member of the family is well aware that the school expelled the middle son, Gary. They also later become aware that he is in the possession of a gun. However, although they are aware of these issues, no one knows the reasons behind them. Tringh exemplifies this pattern when she cries to her mother, â€Å"I don’t even know what’s happening with my own children.† Furthermore, while the family is willing to talk to Jimmy, his life with his girlfriend remains a complete secret. Ultimately, the family seems quite aware that there are some serious issues within the structure of their†¦show more content†¦Because of these factors, it creates a sense of secrecy within the family, and again, the lack of communication among members causes serious strife and conflict within their relationships. Despite these m aladaptive family patterns around their relationships and communication, the Nguyen family possesses inherent and individual strengths that demonstrate their resilience. The greatest and most prominent strength of the family is their ability to adapt to differences in culture and expectation. Although they are having their struggles in America, they are still ultimately successful in making a living for themselves in a different world. Along with the stress, the parents are still in conjunction with one another with regards to family values and it is clear that each member deeply cares for one another. This aspect of resilience is crucial because it has positive implications as to their willingness to change as a family unit for the better. Additionally, it is clear that the family is a set of very hardworking individuals, who have hope for a better life despite all the obstacles faced, and the very definition of resilience is the ability to see have hope in situations that others ( non-resilient individuals) would not. Again, this particular set of strengths is important in allowing and assisting in the family altering their problems. With hope, it will help the family work towards their goals if they truly believe that their family can change