The Grape Family
The Grape Family
Anne Reynolds
SOWK 545
February 14, 2013
Victoria Winsett
The Grape Family
Family Composition The Grape family in the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” consists of five siblings: Larry, Amy, Gilbert, Arnie, and Ellen. The mother and father are now deceased. The father committed suicide sixteen years ago in the family’s basement at the age of forty. The mother recently passed away from complications due to morbid obesity, her age unknown. This is a Caucasian family that was raised in Endora, Iowa. The older brother Larry has moved away and disconnected himself from the family. Amy and Ellen recently moved to Des Moines Iowa leaving Gilbert and Arnie still living in Endora.
Family Problems After Gilbert’s father committed suicide his mother went into a deep depression and could not cope with the day to day activities in her family. It was during this time that Gilbert became the head of the household and the primary caregiver not only to his younger siblings but to his mother as well. In dysfunctional families with deficient parents, the children are often robbed of their childhood and learn to ignore their own needs and feelings (Forward, 1989). A complete shift in roles took place because his mother was mentally not capable of giving her children the needed protection, support, or care. According to Minuchin, (1974), the role reversal develops when families are unable to maintain hierarchical generational boundaries in which the parents’ guide and nurture their children and the children seek comfort and advice from their parents. Arnie was diagnosed with mental retardation/developmental disability and was not expected to live past the age of ten. Mental retardation is significant subnormal cognitive functioning with a deficiency in age appropriate adaptive behaviors such as communication, social skills, and self-care (Papalia, 2008). It is estimated that less than one percent of the population is diagnosed with mental
Anne Reynolds
SOWK 545
February 14, 2013
Victoria Winsett
The Grape Family
Family Composition The Grape family in the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” consists of five siblings: Larry, Amy, Gilbert, Arnie, and Ellen. The mother and father are now deceased. The father committed suicide sixteen years ago in the family’s basement at the age of forty. The mother recently passed away from complications due to morbid obesity, her age unknown. This is a Caucasian family that was raised in Endora, Iowa. The older brother Larry has moved away and disconnected himself from the family. Amy and Ellen recently moved to Des Moines Iowa leaving Gilbert and Arnie still living in Endora.
Family Problems After Gilbert’s father committed suicide his mother went into a deep depression and could not cope with the day to day activities in her family. It was during this time that Gilbert became the head of the household and the primary caregiver not only to his younger siblings but to his mother as well. In dysfunctional families with deficient parents, the children are often robbed of their childhood and learn to ignore their own needs and feelings (Forward, 1989). A complete shift in roles took place because his mother was mentally not capable of giving her children the needed protection, support, or care. According to Minuchin, (1974), the role reversal develops when families are unable to maintain hierarchical generational boundaries in which the parents’ guide and nurture their children and the children seek comfort and advice from their parents. Arnie was diagnosed with mental retardation/developmental disability and was not expected to live past the age of ten. Mental retardation is significant subnormal cognitive functioning with a deficiency in age appropriate adaptive behaviors such as communication, social skills, and self-care (Papalia, 2008). It is estimated that less than one percent of the population is diagnosed with mental
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