In HDFS 3920-Issues in Family Systems, I created an analysis paper on the movie "Gifted" using the Family Systems Theory. I developed a deeper knowledge of child development, family dynamics and families in society. Throughout the process of writing this paper, I engaged in a peer editing process which connected me with my classmates and strengthened my proofreading and revision skills.

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Family Systems Analysis Paper
Delaney Smith
University of Georgia

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Family Systems Analysis Paper
Part A
The movie Gifted explores the life of a nontraditional family who experiences many
influential events and conflicts that impact their familial patterns and functioning. The family
consists of seven-year-old Mary Adler and her uncle Frank Adler who raised her. Mary and her
uncle Frank make up a unit of immediate family members and Mary’s grandma Evelyn Adler is
an external family member who attempts to take custody of Mary (Allen et. al, 2017). Mary’s
mother Diane was an outstanding mathematician who took her own life when Mary was six
months old. Frank and Mary’s neighbor, Roberta, is an important support system for the Adlers
as they both share a strong emotional connection to Roberta. Due to the family’s unique
composition and experiences they have a distinct emotional climate, familial boundaries,
maintenance patterns and identity (Allen et. al, 2017).
Emotional Climate
The emotional climate of a family refers to how the family promotes emotional well-
being (Allen & Henderson, 2017). The emotional climate of the familial unit of Frank and Mary
involves closeness, cohesion and cooperation. Mary feels comfortable asking Frank questions
about important topics such as religion. Frank answers honestly, provides her reassurance and
accepts that she may have her own beliefs (Allen et. al, 2017). Continually, the power is shared
unusually, and Mary is given more freedom and power than a typical seven-year-old. For
example, when Mary gets in trouble at school she is not scolded or grounded, instead Frank sides
with her because he trusts her judgement and emotions (Allen et. al, 2017). Frank still holds the
majority of the power and authority however it is different from the typical ‘father’ role.

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Furthermore, Frank and Mary use strategies such as open conversations, nurturance and
involvement to maintain a healthy emotional climate (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011). Objectively,
the emotional climate does not seem completely appropriate for Mary’s age level. The situation
is abnormal due to Mary’s intelligence and ability to operate at a very mature level. Frank makes
sure she is educated in the field of mathematics but is still able to live a semi-normal life and
attend a regular elementary school. This shows Franks ability to regulate Mary’s development in
a healthy way and cooperate with choices regarding the aspects of her well-being.
Boundaries
Familial boundaries can show relationships within the family and also delineate one
family from outside influences (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011). In the beginning of Gifted, Mary
and Frank have mainly closed external boundaries. The two of them were isolated from Evelyn
and did not allow influences from others. Mary and Frank seemed to exhibit morphostasis in
which they resisted changes and wanted to continue life the same way they had been (Allen &
Henderson, 2017). Frank knew Mary was exceptionally intelligent yet seemed as if he was
isolating her from the world. Once the family experiences a school conflict and Evelyn is
contacted, their external boundaries become more open. Frank and Mary receive influences from
a judge, professors, teachers, Evelyn and a foster family (Allen et. al, 2017).
Towards the end of Gifted, Frank and Mary exhibit morphogenesis and are open to
change that is healthy for Mary’s individual development and the family system as a whole. The
internal boundaries of their family are diffused and unclear (Allen & Henderson, 2017). Frank
and Mary have a somewhat enmeshed relationship in which they are overinvolved and seem to
rely on the other person emotionally (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011). This enmeshment makes
sense since they are mainly secluded with just each other. In addition, neither of them has much

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personal space and Mary does not even have her own room. On the other hand, Frank does
promote differentiation as he allows Mary to make decisions for herself, have her own identity
that is not influenced by others and he still maintains a strong connection with her (Anderson &
Sabatelli, 2011).
Maintenance
Frank and Mary have limited financial resources as Frank works as a boat mechanic and
does not have health insurance for Mary. Their daily tasks consist of school, family activities, the
beach, and work. Frank gives Mary the necessities such as food, shelter and education (Allen et.
al, 2017). Frank tries his best to maintain a healthy environment for Mary with their limited
means. For example, Mary has a cat which provides emotional support for her and she has her
own DVDs for entertainment (Allen et. al, 2017). The family is somewhat under organized in its
arrangement due to their lack of resources. Frank and Mary’s family has a priority for education,
values their time spent together and makes the most out of the resources they do have.
Identity
Their family has a distinct identity formed by family themes and legacies. A family
theme is a set of expectations about how those in the system will behave and legacies are themes
passed down from generations (George, 2020). Frank and Mary have a family theme of
educational importance. Frank has fostered Mary’s abilities and let them grow to an exceptional
standard. Frank and Mary believe in standing up for oneself and being independent. This is
shown by Mary getting in a physical altercation at school because a student destroyed another
student’s project. Mary wanted to stand up for the underdog and was acting based on empathetic
reasoning which Frank respected (Allen et. al, 2017). Their family has a legacy of extreme
intelligence. Mary’s grandmother is very intellectually gifted, as well as Mary’s mother who was

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a math prodigy and Frank who is a former professor. Their family is biologically programmed to
be intelligent which has been passed down from generations.
In addition, the loss of Mary’s mother has shaped the identity of Frank and Mary’s
family. Frank does not believe in overworking Mary at a young age. He wants Mary to have her
own individual identity that isn’t influenced by his own opinions. Frank has allowed Mary to be
differentiated and have her own opinions and values. She is encouraged to think for herself yet
still share a connection to the family unit. Frank is hesitant to allow Evelyn to have a role in
Mary’s life because he believes she will strip her of healthy differentiation and not allow her to
think for herself and be independent (Anderson & Sabatelli, 2011).
Part A Conclusion
Overall, the family has an underlying theme of exceptional intelligence and the
reregulation of this theme is affected by past tragedies and family patterns. Frank has created a
climate of strong emotional connection that promotes acceptance and nurturance. Frank provides
Mary with the necessities and does his best to accomplish maintenance tasks with the resources
he has. Frank and Mary are working on adjusting their family patterns to their situation in order
to meet the individual needs of members and the needs of the family as a whole.
Part B
There are many factors that impact how a family functions and views the world. These
factors can include the family life cycle, social influences, specific celebrations and rituals, and
the philosophy of life. Frank and Mary’s life is clearly impacted by these factors to a substantial
extent. Their family behaves a certain way due to their perception of the world which shapes the
roles each of them have assumed in the family subsystem and in a social context.
Social Influences

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Social influences are extremely impactful on a child’s development and family
functioning. Social factors such as the parental social network, the child’s social network and
their community are relevant to the family patterns of Frank and Mary. The social network refers
to people outside the household who engage in activities and/or exchanges with members of the
immediate family (Cochran & Brassard, 1979). Social networks have direct and indirect impacts
on families. A parent’s social network can directly impact a child through the child’s relationship
with them or can impact them indirectly by how that network member affects the parent
themselves (Cochran & Brassard, 1979).
In Gifted, the main person in the family’s life is their neighbor Roberta, who is a middle
aged African American woman. Roberta has a positive impact on Frank and Mary. She gives
advice, is emotionally nurturing and offers childcare for Mary every weekend. A family habit is
that Mary stays with Roberta every Saturday in order to allow Frank some impendence to engage
in activities that are normal to men his own age. Frank would not have the opportunity to do this
without the support system of Roberta (Allen et. al, 2017).
Children need interactions with people beyond their family in order to experience
cognitive and social stimulation. Roberta broadens the interaction patterns of Mary and can serve
as a female role model for Mary due to the absence of her mother (Cochran & Brassard, 1979).
Roberta is a resource to the family emotionally, cognitively and physically as they would not be
able to maintain the same level of functioning in these aspects without her. Roberta’s presence in
Mary’s life is important so that she has a healthy relationship with a female outside of the family
in order to establish her own sense of identity after having interactions with both genders. Social
support is shown to benefit functioning of individuals and familial units by promoting the well-
being of family members (Jack, 2000).

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Furthermore, another social influence on Frank and Mary’s family is Mary’s teacher who
is interested in the well-being of Mary and her intelligence. It is indicated that a strong
relationship with members outside the family such as teachers can be a strong protective factor
against risk factors (Jack, 2000). Their family does experience some social risk factors such as a
lower socioeconomic status, lack of job benefits and a single guardian household. Studies shown
that single guardian households are more at risk to be impoverished and have poor health which
places stress on the family system (Jack, 2000). These social disadvantages that because of a lack
of resources can impact the opportunities this family has, their family identity and their ability to
maintain daily tasks.
Celebrations & Rituals
The celebrations and rituals of a family help establish a family’s identity. Rituals promote
the cohesion of a family and allow them to rely on each other (Allen & Henderson, 2017).
Family rituals can range from small, everyday tasks to larger, less occasional celebrations. Mary
and Frank exhibited smaller family rituals like Frank picking Mary up from school every day,
spending time outside and watching a fight on television together once a week. This is something
that provides her stability, creates emotional bonds with her uncle and shapes her identity.
Studies show that children develop a better sense of identity and self-esteem with the presence of
family rituals. Family rituals like the ones Frank and Mary share contribute to a sense of
belongingness, promote identity development and can create a shared belief system within the
family (Fiese, 1992).
Family Life Cycle
Another aspect that is crucial to the family structure of Frank and Mary is the family life
cycle; this concept refers to a family’ progress through normative stages that begins at marriage

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until the death of both spouses (Allen & Henderson, 2017). Frank and Mary’s situation does not
align with the normative stage one event of marriage. Mary is raised by her uncle, never knew
her father and lost her mother at a young age. Studies show new developmental stages occur
through the additions and loss of family members (Hill, 1986). Her mother’s death is a non-
normative life event that caused her extended family to reorganize and adapt.
Additionally, the family does not follow the normative cycle of continued reproduction
and intimacy. Mary is an only child who does not have any sibling interactions or support
system. An importance is placed on an entire family’s interactions with one another in predicting
their family life cycle and assigning roles in the family. The presence of a single parent
household creates different life cycle stages that come along with new roles and expectations.
Families with a single male parent are found to have difficulty meeting household tasks, child-
care needs and establishing emotional bonds (Hill, 1986). Frank is a single male guardian who is
expected to meet these needs and provide necessary resources to Mary by himself due to the lack
of a marital system and motherly presence. The familial roles of Frank and Mary are due to non-
traditional life cycle events like death, nonexistence of marriage, lack of reproduction, absence of
Mary’s biological father, etc.
Philosophy of Life
The way one perceives the world has an effect on their reaction to life events and
decision regarding their family. Life philosophy refers to the personal values one has regardless
of what others think (Kamler, 1984). Life philosophy fosters one’s personal identity while life
style establishes social identity and social belonging (Kamler, 1984). Frank’s life philosophy in
regard to Mary was shown through his choice to shield her from the intense mathematical
training and attempt to give her a normal life; he made these decisions based on his own values

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regardless of what others said. An example of Frank’s life style includes sending Mary to a
traditional elementary school due to societal impacts and social norms.
Moreover, Frank made meaning of the world by recognizing its corruption and remaining
secluded with Mary because of that. He placed a higher value on mental health than bettering the
world through mathematics Due to the current situation of their family, with Mary needing
intellectual stimulation and social normality, Frank adjusted his life philosophy of not
‘exploiting’ Mary’s intelligence by allowing her to do both normal childhood experiences and
difficult schooling. He adjusted his view on the world to let Mary attend college classes and go
play on the playground with girls her age (Allen et. al, 2017). Frank and Mary are examples of
how one’s family can genetically predisposition one’s values and perception of the world, yet
personal growth and social ideas can adjust these thoughts (Kamler, 1984).
Part B Conclusion
Gifted is a great example of how social factors shape the function of a family. Mary and
Frank exhibit rituals that establish stability, cohesion and emotional connection in their family.
Conclusion
Families require constant coping and adjusting based on interactions inside and outside of
the family. In Gifted, their final decision of allowing the intellectual stimulation of Mary in a
challenging setting yet keeping her in age appropriate developmental situations increased the
functionality of the family. This showed their ability to change perceptions and adjust to needs of
family members in order to maximize individual well-being and familial well-being. Overall,
Frank and Mary uphold their own specific values and way of functioning which promotes
healthy differentiation and adjusts to their individual and societal needs.

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References
Allen, K. R., & Henderson, A. C. (2017). Family theories: Foundations and applications.
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Allen, M., Basner, G., Browning, B., Cohen, A., Knowles, T. K., Lunder, K., & Ryant, C.
(2017). Gifted [Motion picture]. United States of America: Searchlight Pictures.
Anderson, S. A., & Sabatelli, R. M. (2011). Family interaction: a multigenerational
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Cochran, M. M., & Brassard, J. A. (1979). Child development and personal social
networks. Child Development, 50(3), 601–616. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128926
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