The Jarrett Family In The Film, Ordinary People

The film “Ordinary People” is about the Jarrett family, who has struggled with communication and grief after the loss of their son Buck. Beth Jarrett, the mother, has a distant and strained relationship with her surviving son Conrad, who copes with the help of his Psychiatrist, Dr. Berger. Conrad’s father, Calvin, struggles to connect with his depressed and suicidal son while appeasing his wife’s attempt to avoid all conversation about the death of Buck. The use of creating safety, contrasting or even AMPP could have really impacted the Jarrett family and potentially could have prevented divorce. Conrad, the son of Calvin and Beth, was involved in a boating accident with his brother, Buck, which left Buck dead. Conrad constantly has flashbacks of the accident and he struggles to move past it. When Conrad tries to talk to his mother, he usually will mask what he actually means because he knows that she wants to avoid the topic of Buck’s death. Talking through the topic Conrad could have used effective listening to encourage his mother to converse with

Although he does struggle through the problems facing Buck’s death, he tries to communicate with Beth the best he can. Calvin uses silence when he tries to mask what is actually happening in his family’s life, and tells everyone that things are going well. Violence is used when Conrad asks where his mother went. This could have once again been avoided if the Jarrett family could practice healthy communication in their everyday lives. The Jarrett family’s communication struggles were a main problem of the family not being able to heal from the death of Buck. The whole issue circles back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and certain needs not being met before others. Safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization are all the needs that needed to be met in order for them to feel safe again in their own