The morrow family N480

The Morrow Family

Meet the Morrow Family

LukeMorrow(earlytwenties)

IntimacyvsIsolation

● Familyroleanddynamics:LukeMorrowisathirdgenerationmarineandCassie'shusband.

● LukemarriesCassieofconveniencetopayoffthe$50,000heowesto“Johnno,”hisdrugdealer.AlthoughLukehasbeencleanfor2years,afterthe deathofhismother,LukebecameanaddictandtotaledaclassicCorvettethathisdadhadinhisautoshoponthefreeway. JohnnoletsLukeborrow $50,000,afterJohnnohearsthatLukeisbackintownhefindsLukeandthreatensLuketopayhimback.LukegoestoaskhisbrotherJacobforhelp buthisbrotherdeclines,leavingLukewithnochoicebuttomarryCassie.

● LukegetsapurpleheartaftergettingwoundedincombatinIraq.

● Lukeisportrayedasbrave, go-getter,andlovinghusbandanduncle.

Cassie Salazar (early twenties)

Intimacy vs Isolation

● Family role and dynamics: Young waitress/ bartender and performer who marries Luke Morrow, soon to deploy Marine, for military benefits due to the inability to afford health insurance

● She was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes 6 months ago and can not afford to pay for her insulin.

● She marries Luke Morrow of convenience, which both were aware of the fraudulent marriage. She is portrayed as hard headed and later becomes a lovable and caring wife.

Jacob Morrow (late 50’s)

Generativity vs. Stagnation

● Family role and dynamics: Mr. Morrow is Luke’s and Jacob Jr. father and retired military police. Mr. Morrow got a purple heart for being injured in combat in a desert storm. Mr. Morrow retired from the crops to take care of his ill wife after being diagnosed with cancer, he remained by her side until her last breath. Now he has his own auto service company, alongside Jacob Jr, his older son. He is portrayed as a hard headed leader, who is highly respected by his family.

Jacob Jr. Morrow ( late 30’s)

Intimacy vs Isolation

● Family role and dynamics: Older brother of Luke Morrow, works as a mechanic for his dad's auto service company. Luke goes to Jacob for help, to pay off Johnno, but his brother becomes upset and tells Luke to never come around his family. At the beginning of the movie both brothers were not as close to each other, but later became really close after Lukes injury in combat. He is a loving and caring older brother.

Hailey Morrow ( late 30’s)

Intimacy vs Isolation

● Family role and dynamics: Wife of Jacob Jr. and mother of Spencer. She wants her husband and Luke to have a good relationship. She is a sweet and caring wife, and is there beside her husband throughout the movie.

Spencer Morrow ( school age) Industry vs Inferiority

● Family role and dynamics: Son of Jacob and Hailey Morrow. He loves playing with Uncle Luke. He is a joyful and a energetic kid.

Duvall Family Theory

The Morrow Family is in the “Launching families” stage of the Duvall Family theory. This is when the first to last child is leaving home. Luke and Jacob Jr are son’s to Jacob Morrow and have grown up and moved out of home. Luke has joined the marines and married Cassie, while Jacob Jr has created a family of his own along with his wife Hailey. At this stage there is an “adult-to-adult relationship with children, along with resolving midlife issues (Lang, 2020).” Luke and his dad had to work around their differences after Luke got injured in combat. His dad along with his brother united to help Luke get back on his feet.

Drug Addiction

After the death of his mother, Luke Morrow became a drug addict who stole a $50K Classic Corvette car from his fathers auto shop and totaled it while driving it on the freeway. Since he didn’t have the money to pay it off, he asked his drug dealer “Johnno” to let him borrow the money. Although he has been clean for two years, Luke is now getting threats from Johnno, saying he will hurt his family if he doesn't pay him back. According to Rane, “well over 100 million family members worldwide are affected by the addictive behavior of a relative which has a highly stressful impact on them (Rane et al, 2017).”

Culture/ Religious Traditions

The Morrow family is a white, blue collar, middle class family who lives in Carlsbad, CA. They don’t practice any particular religion, but participating in the arm forces runs in the family. Luke is a 3rd generation marine, his grandfather fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, and his father Jacob is a retired military police officer. Jacob along with his son Luke both have received a purple heart from the military after being wounded in combat. Luke and Cassie have opposite beliefs, Cassie doesn’t like military men and has liberal beliefs, while Luke portrays red viewpoint for not wanting to cheat the government when Cassie asked her best friend Frankie for a fraudulent marriage.

Communication

The Morrow family is not a very united family at the beginning of the movie. In the beginning, Luke returns home before being deployed to Iraq and stops by to visit his brother Jacob Jr at the family's auto shop. Jacob was happy to see Luke, but soon it turned downward after Luke asked his brother for help. Jacob Jr asked Luke to never come around his family again. Luke and Jacob project to have a love and hate relationship with each other. Luke and his father Jacob had years without talking to each other, but reunited after Luke got wounded in combat, when Cassie had no choice but to tell Luke's father about their marriage, which upset Luke. After Luke's father first found out about the marriage between Luke and Cassie, Luke was very scared his father would figure out it was a fraudulent marriage and turn them in. Luke and his fathers communication became stronger after his leg injury.

Strengths:

● After Luke got injured his father and brother helped carry him in and out from a three story apartment (helping each other out when one is in need)

● Despite their different point of views, Luke and Cassie were able to work out their differences as a married couple

● Luke’s family was all present at the hospital after they found out Luke was injured in combat (strong family support)

● Despite Luke being found guilty for fraudulent marriage, Cassie and his family stayed by his side

Weakness:

● Luke was pushed away from the family after becoming a drug addict and totaling a 50k car.

● Luke is prideful and refuses the help of Cassie and his brother Jacob.

● Luke’s anger towards Cassie after she reveals their marriage to his father

● Jacob Jr. kicks out Luke after he goes to his fathers auto shop to ask for money.

Family System Theory

1. All parts of the family system are interconnected. When Luke got injured during combat, his family came together to support and helped him get in and out of his third floor apartment since he was in a wheelchair and incapable of walking.

2. The whole is more than the sum of the parts. When Luke pled guilty for committing a fraudulent marriage, his wife along with his family were very disappointed but never left his side. His family supported his decision and they were very understanding.

3. All systems have some form of boundaries or borders between the system and its environment. The Morrow family follows flexible boundaries. When the family first met Cassie, they were a little skeptical about their marriage, but as they got to know Cassie the family showed loved and care for her.

4. Systems can be further organized into subsystems. Lukes family is broken down to Luke and Cassie, his wife, and Luke and his father and brother.

Dysfunctional family process related to Luke's history of substance abuse and insufficient problem- solving skills with his father who he had not spoken to in years due to his drug addiction.

Interventions:

1. Refer for family therapy. Rational: Family therapy is generally advisable to restore healthy family dynamics and to provide the appropriate environment and support for full recovery (Ackley, 2017)

2. Work with family members to support a sense of valued fit on their part; include them in treatment planning and identify the importance of their roles in the client’s care. At the same time, encourage their pursuit of positive outside activities that enhance their sense of belonging.

Rational: Sense of belonging (valued fit) has been identified as a buffer to depression among both depressed and nondepressed individuals with a family history of alcoholism. A buffering effect was not found for individuals with a family history of drug abuse (Ackley, 2017)

3. Work with families in a way that incorporates cultural elements. Rational: Activities such as tundra walks and time with older adults supported in treatment were used successfully for substance abuse treatment with Yup’ik and Cup’ik Eskimos (Ackley, 2017)

Outcomes:

1. Luke and his father Jacob will attend a family therapy twice a month for the next three months.

2. Jacob will value and show a sense of belonging towards Luke for the next few weeks.

3. Jacob and Luke will bond with each other during Sunday football for the next two weeks.