Salamanca Family of Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul Ryan Bautista N480 Visual Report Dr. Sprague
La Familia es Todo (Family is Everything)
Hector "Tío" Salamanca (Age: 70) Tuco Salamanca (Age: 47)
Lalo Salamanca (Age: 50s)
Drug dealer and nephew to Hector Salamanca. He has psychotic tendencies, including unprovoked attacks and violent outbursts. He has been shown using the Cartel's products (crystal meth), which may contribute to his psychopathy.
Drug dealer and nephew to Hector Salamanca. He is a cunning individual who meticulously calculates his moves. He enjoys physically and psychologically torturing his opponents and is capable of maintaining his composure.
Druglord and patriarch of the Salamanca family, who suffered a stroke that left him paralzyed and wheelchair bound. He is a ruthless killer that places significance on family as he has been seen teaching his nephews that, "La familia es todo." Prior to the stroke, Hector was the righ-hand-man to drug kingpin Don Eladio, controlling a large portion of the Cartel's drug trade.
Leonel and Marco "The Cousins" Salamanca (Age: Early 30s) Twin brothers who are both nephews to Hector Salamanca. They are dangerous enforcers that serve the Cartel and are capable of enacting brutal killings without hestation or emotion. They are primarily nonverbal and will act out upon the demand of their elders.
Hector's Condition In the events of Breaking Bad and Better Caul Saul it is made apparent to the audience that Hector's immobility and inability to speak is a result of a stroke. While this information is obvious, the key information to Hector's condition that can be easily missed is why he suffered from a stroke. In an episode of Better Call Saul, hitman and body guard Mike Ehrmantraut briefly mentions that Hector is taking nitroglycerin because he "has a bad heart." In a following episode, Ignacio "Narcho" Varga, an insider going against the Salamanca family, switches Hector's nitroglycerin for ibuprofen resulting in his eventual stroke. Nitroglycerin in its oral form is medication used in the treatment of heart failure, where it increases cardiac output, reduces blood pressure, and thus, assists in preventing anginal attacks (Vellerand & Sansoski, 2018). Ibuprofen, an NSAID, increases the risk for strokes by affecting vasoconstriction, which interferes with the supply of blood flowing to the brain and thus causing his eventual stroke. In addition to his physical limitations, Hector can be regarded as a sociopathic individual. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2013) sociopathy is defined as having a consistent disregard for rules and social norms with repeated violations directed towards others' rights. Throughout the entirety of the series, Hector demonstrates ruthless, cruel behaviors against civilians, opponents, and even acquaintance within the Cartel. His family is the exception to his sociopathic tendencies, which may explain why his nephews show poor
Salamanca Family Structure & Culture A Family Consumed in Drug Culture ●
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It is not known how long the Salamanca name has been associated with the Cartel for. However, it is known that Hector's nephews (Tuco, Lalo, Leonel, and Marco) were raised into following his footsteps. As a family working in the illegal businesses of methamphetamine trafficking and distributing, the family structure and culture ends up emulating aspects of the Cartel's structures. ○ Positions within the Salamanca family are treated as a hierarchy with Hector's, as the druglord and elder, word taking precedence over all else. ○ Violence is used as a means of demonstration and punishment. ○ Family is the most important aspect of life, which causes varying degrees of trust issues with outsiders working alongside the
Dynamics and Duvall ●
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● *C10H15N is the chemical formula for methamphetamine
According to the works of Duvall and Miller, family dynamics are altered based on changes that occur against or within individuals or the entire family unit (Kaakinen et al., 2015). After Hector suffers from a stroke, the family finds itself in a difficult situation where they must delegate roles that Hector held in order for the Salamanca family name to retain power and recognition within the Cartel. Being that the Salamanca family is not an ordinary family, the family unit can be viewed as being at the middle-aged parents stage of family life cycle, where members are tasked with ensuring security and maintaining kinship ties (Kaakinen et al., 2015). ○ Family is everything "La Familia es Todo" to the Salamanca family. ○ Members of the family are always looking out for one another, and are willing to take on prison sentences, murders, and die for each other's sake.
Strengths ● ● ●
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Weaknesses
Substantial support of one another Delegation and coordination of tasks Common goal
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Determination to maintain familial bonds and security Common goals Mutual understanding concerning necessary choices Considerate of eachother's needs
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Communication
Obsession for power and control over territory and drug trafficking Blinding allegience to the Cartel
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The nephews do not often communicate with one another since each is busy with his respective responsibilities with maintaining drug control
Personal grudges against certain characters leads to each nephew's death, which ultimately leaves Hector the last surviving Salamanca
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The stroke left Hector unable to verbally communicate Tuco's psychotic fits leads to aggressive communication Leonel and Marco seldom talk, which is a lack of communication on their end
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Family Systems Theory Family Systems Theory, in the context of family nursing, provides information about families as a whole and individuals existing within these family units (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Within this framework, there is a significant assumption: there are adaptive and maladaptive features that are designed for families to maintain stability (Kaakinen et al., 2015). When looks at the Salamanca family, one very apparent feature that serves as both an adaptive and maladaptive feature is each family member's dedication towards one another. This undying dedication is what keeps the family system stable as all differences are set aside for the sake of supporting family members during their times of need. There is no better example than the Salamanca nephews showing absolute support for Uncle Hector during his initial hospitalization after his stroke. This bond can also be seen as a maladaptive feature since the obsession with protecting family is so great that each individual is willing to be killed for the sake of one another. When taking in considerations towards the care of Hector Salamanca's condition, Family Systems Theory can enable the attending nurse to identify interventions in accordance with Hector's role within the Salamanca family system (Lander, Howsare, & Byrne, 2017). As an individual accepting of substance abuse within his family, especially amongst his nephews, Hector did not show concern regarding the level of influence drugs had on his family. As a result, Hector would end up losing his family members to the prison system because of their drug use and distribution of it. He did not consider the idea that family members influence their social environment, which in turn, influences them back (Lander, Howsare, & Byrne, 2017), leaving him with less family members to care for him until he was the last alive.
Problems 1.
2.
3.
Hector is unable to verbally communicate his troubles due to his stroke. Hector is almost entirely immobile and needs assistance with activities of daily living. Hector can be very aggressive and distrustworthy towards others, making it difficult to provide care.
Interventions 1.
2.
3.
Outcomes
Assist Hector with using 1. others means of communication and educate family members about understanding these 2. new methods of communication Work with Hector and family members in delegating responsibility for assisting him with 3. ADLs, especially since family is extremely important to Hector. Garner trust from the patient and his family by facilitating activities to build rapport. Follow with trust-building exercises.
Hector will build an intermediate level of communication using a bell to respond to yes or no questions by the time of discharge Hector and his family will compile a rotating schedule of who will be assigned to assist Hector throughout the year by the time of discharge. Hector and his family will develop a comfortable level of trust with the attending nurse, and partake in trust-building exercises by the time of discharge.
References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistic manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing: Washington, D.C. ISBN-13: 978-089042558 Kaakinen, J., Duff-Gedaly, V., Hanson, S., & Coelho, D. (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice and research (5th ed.). F.A. Davis Company: Philadelphia. ISBN-13: 9780803639218 Lander, L., Howsare, J., & Byrne, M. (2017). The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: From theory to practice. Journal of Social Work Public Health, 28, 194-205. Vallerand, A.H. & Sanoski, C.A. (2018). Davis's drug guide for nurses (16th ed). F.A. Davis Company: Philadelpia. ISBN-13 978-0803669451
Image References https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/038/224/732/large/ninyorch-tuco-tr-0025.jpg?1622525227 https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Tony-Dalton-as-Lalo-Salamanca-in-Better-Call-Saul.jpg https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/breakingbad/images/3/34/TioSalamanca.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100516195603 https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/breakingbad/images/8/8d/Cast_bb_800x600_the-cousins.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170613184841 https://external-preview.redd.it/bgObbovbPL220Pac_WPftasZsXyj5meg5V0DspGRsJc.jpg?auto=webp&s=81c9233157bd125a913187d39109d8f3a9d57146 https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/projects/404/7588031.5472baae36594.jpg
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