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Dysfunctional Differences In The Wall Family

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The Wall family is a very unique family that does come across as dysfunctional. The family is composed of Rose Mary Walls a mother who is free spirited and is an artist, a father Rex Walls, who is a very logical thinker, but a full of paranoia and is an alcoholic, and the four children Lori, Jeanette, Brian, and Maureen. This family although appears dysfunctional is unique in their own way as well. The main strength that has stood out is that even though the family is dysfunctional they all still love each other. The father Rex has problems of alcoholism, and doesn’t take responsibility for his actions and has even stole from his family, but yet Jeanette still loves him regardless. The children’s bonding experiences grow more through their troubles. They look out for each other. In one chapter, Jeanette talks about how her and her siblings had to ride in the back of a U-Haul and they had …show more content…

Differentiation is the ability to express your own individuality (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011). Although each family member is different in this system, they all have their own individual characteristics. The parents also are a part of the family projection process. Since the parents are both free willed they project their own unresolved emotional attachments to the children. This meaning that the father and his alcoholism and the mother in her nonchalant tendencies with her kids. She is more focused on her artistic works than watching over her children. Rex and Rose Mary do protect their children when needed and despite their parenting styles, they are doing what they believe to be best. In some chapters of the book, the family experiences parentification. This is a process in which the parents look to the children for nurture and support (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011). While the mother is doing her own things the children seem to take control and take care of each other and sometimes even their

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