1. An analysis of the Scavo Family as seen on
ABC’s premiere TV soap opera
Breanna
Pimpare

3. The Scavos as a Cohesive Family
O “Family members strive for emotional closeness, loyalty, and
togetherness with emphasis on some individuality” (PG 31)
The Scavos share experiences together such as meals, family trips, school
functions etc. as well as Tom and Lynette that manage their time both together
and apart. Lynette has a close group of girlfriends on the lane that she plays
poker with weekly and gets together with for coffee. All members of the family
have their own individuality but they know they always have each other for
support.

4. A flexible adaptability
O The Scavos struggle with
ups and downs of who the
“bread winner” will be how
to balance career and home
life. Both Tom and Lynette
“share decision making, and
shifting rules and roles.”
(PG 32) Lynette becomes a
career woman at times
when Tom takes a turn
being a stay at home dad,
Lynette compromises her
career to help Tom build his
dream pizzeria and Tom
provides for the family when
Lynette battles with
lymphoma and cannot work
etc. High levels of changes
occur in this family and
everyone learns to adapt
quickly.

7. Commitment:
“Implies intense singular energy directed toward sustaining a relationship.”
(PG 129)
O Tom and Lynette stay not only committed to each other,
but supportive of each other, always complimentary and
happy with their marriage because they want to, not
because they have to. They face illness, incredible stress
from children, Toms other daughter who was unknown
for a prolonged period of time and a secret dealing with
Lynette’s college roommate and Tom.

8. Marital self-disclosure: involves not only the disclosure by one
partner but the listener’s responses that can be perceived as supportive,
understanding, accepting or caring.” (PG 132)
Lynette struggles to convey to Tom what it is like being a stay-at-home parent
after being a successful business woman prior to having kids. Lynette not
only discloses to Tom what it is like, she leaves him at home one night while
she attends a party after filling her ADD kids up with sugar. Tom thanks
Lynette for opening his eyes and promises to be more supportive.

9. Intimacy
Tom and Lynette don’t
always get much alone
time dealing with separate
careers on both their parts.
They get creative at times
and find sneaky ways to
continue showing their
affection.
Tom hits a “mid-life crisis”
and decides he wants to
open up a pizzeria. Lynette,
although hesitant because
of money issues, supports
Tom’s dream as they work
together to make it a
successful business.

11. Dialogue
Tom and Lynette face challenges throughout their marriage on the show including
Lynette’s diagnosis with lymphoma, Tom’s secrets from his past affairs, financial stress
putting their five children through school, constant power struggles between being the
stay-at-home parent or the breadwinner, numerous mid-life crisis's ranging from when
Tom decides to buy an expensive sports car without consulting Lynette to his decision to
be in a childish garage band, to him opening a pizzeria and going back to college to
learn Chinese. Communication and “…an interactive involvement between two people.”
(PG 112) is absolutely necessary to get through their often tough times.

13. Deception- Tom’s Secret
O Tom fails to tell his wife
and family about his other
daughter Kayla that he had
with another woman in his
past. Tom’s secret is on
the verge of being a toxic
secret when Lynette
threatens to leave Tom
and take the kids. “Toxic
secrets poison family
relationships; key family
issues and stories remain
untold and unexplained.”
(PG 89) After revealing his
secret other life Lynette
and the children learn to
accept Kayla into their
family.

14. Jealously- “…is an aversive emotional experience characterized by feelings of
anger, sadness and fear induced by the threat or actual loss of a relationship with
another person to a real or imagined rival.” (PG 146)
O Throughout their marriage Tom and Lynette
experience many instances of jealously on both their
parts. Lynette finds out that her friend and old
roommate Renee had a love affair with Tom in their
past, or when Tom Realizes the new manager at their
pizzeria is staying late after hours just to get closer to
Lynette.

15. Other Intimacy
Factors
Sacrifice: Tom and Lynette are
the #1 sacrificing couple on the
show especially when it comes
to their careers. They each give
up their dream careers at one
point or another to comply with
the others demanding schedule.
Tom works in Advertising and so
does Lynette so the tension
runs high at times when one is
succeeding and the other must
act as a stay at home parent.
Regardless both give in to
sacrifice to make their marriage
work.

16. Tom finds out that he has a
daughter separate from his
immediate children whom he Forgiveness
had with another woman 12
years prior. Although Tom is
unaware of the conceiving of this
little girl for some time, he is
highly aware of the incident
involving this other woman much
before his marriage with Lynette.
Lynette does not find out about
his deep secret until the she
catches Tom sneaking around
and spending money on movie
tickets and flowers, which
Lynette assumes is for another
woman. All the while Tom hides
his secret until he has no choice
but to come clean when Lynette
threatens to leave him unless he
unveils the truth…

17. Continued…
The mother of Toms
daughter Kayla
demands child
support as well as
becoming a part of
the Scavo family's
daily lives.
Lynette digs deep
into her heart to
welcome this new
child and to forgive
Tom for never telling
her of his love affair.

18. Validating Conflict Type
O “…partners respect one another’s
point of view on a variety of topics
and, when they disagree, try to
work out a compromise.” (PG 172)
O Lynette’s past of growing up with an
alcoholic mother makes for a difficult
power struggle between Lynette and
Tom. This troubled childhood left
Lynette with a constant fear that
everything in her life could fall apart
suddenly, so she needs to control
everything in order to feel safe and
secure. Lynette's insecurities about
her past make for her need to control
everything often overbearing for Tom
to always have to step down to. But
regardless they make a point to
understand each others point of view
whether it’s concerning work, their
misbehaving children or their
personal ambitions such as Tom’s
choice to quit his job and go back to
college to learn Chinese.