N480 - The Pinkman Family from Breaking Bad - Visual Report Assignment

Visual Report by Kevin Goudswaard

MEET THE PINKMANS

Age: 24

Jesse is a drug addict that has turned to meth manufacturing. He lives to party, which always involves abusing multiple substances. He has a pattern of returning to his family for recovery, before venturing out on his own again.

Age: 14

Jake is Jesse's little brother. Although Jake excels in school and seeks to make his parents proud, he secretly wishes to rebel, and resents Jesse for garnering his parent's attention.

Age: 50's

Diane is Jesse's mother. Although she feels strongly that Jesse should leave the family alone, she takes him in, and seems interested in giving him chances to earn his way back in.

Age: 50's

Adam is Jesse's father. Because of Jesse's colorful past with drug abuse, Adam has taken the approach to cut him off, and insists other family members join him in this endeavor.

The Pinkmans are a Caucasian, middle class traditional nuclear family living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. All members embody traditional gender roles and sexual orientations. Jesse, the eldest son, has battled substance abuse throughout his adolescence, which has caused family backlash, resulting in rigid barriers between himself and the rest of the family. Extended family is absent, aside from Jesse's deceased aunt, whom he helped care for in her last days battling cancer. This resulted in Jesse's self-perceived inheritance of her house, where he has been living ever since. Occasionally, Jesse's bout with drug use causes him to come back to the family for a pseudo rehab session a practice they have become increasingly impatient with.

After several failed chances, and the discovery that Jesse had been manufacturing methamphetamine in his his deceased aunt's house, the family moves to evict Jesse legally, then opts to repair and sell the house. Through borderline extortion, Jesse manages to purchase the house with money earned from drug Manufacuring, effectively sealing the break between himself and the family.

Jesse Pinkman

Jake Pinkman

Diane Pinkman

Adam Pinkman

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE

Although Jesse is moving back and forth between being independentand dependent on his parents, living alone when away, his brother Jake is only 14, and still lives at home full time. This puts the family awkwardlybetween stage 4 and stage 5 (Denham, 2016).

According to Duvall's family stages of development, the family is finishing raising their adolescentchildren, which puts them in stage 4. Jesse moving in and out however, is a defining characteristic of stage 5.

This back and forth, coupled with the challenges of substance abuse and addiction,create troubled relationshipsbetween Jesse and the rest of the family

COMMUNICATION, TRADITIONS, STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES

Traditions

The Pinkman family has a welldefined tradition of eating dinner together as a family.

Although non-religious, the behaviors mirror a traditional American Christian-derived cultural practice of eating dinner together around a table. During dinner, the family discusses Jake's direction with school, and sports, being careful to guide him in these decisions.

Strengths

• The family communicates

• Table time

• Concern for safety and well-being of family members.

• Family defines boundaries

Communication

Overall, the Pinkman family is able to communicate verbally about the problems the family is facing as a whole, as well as the concerns of individuals.

Unfortunately, because of the nature of Jesse's drug problem, his credibility is nullified, and his voice in family affairs is often muted.

Challenges

• Hidden agendas and secrets

• Hyper-rigid boundaries

• External resources not accessed

• Favoritism

• Privacy violations

Jake struggles with living in his brother's shadow, and secretly resents Jesse for being the subject of their unending concern. He only tells Jesse this late into the problem.

Adam's decision to disallow Jesse any more chances has caused him to assert his opinion with an authoritarian tone, demanding others concede and join him in authoring Jesse's exile. This is reinforced non-verbally in several interactions with Jesse, especially from Diane.

CONDITION: DRUG ADDICTION

Jesse's drug addiction has been occurring for so long that he is now involved in the manufacture of methamphetamine, leading to a dangerous lifestyle as a result. Those who get close to him either support the destructive lifestyle or get taken advantage of, indirectly supporting the lifestyle (usually financially).

When Jesse falls into danger, or needs help, he begrudgingly asks his family, who have communicated their intention to cut him off from help. This cycle reflects a form of caregiver burn out as the family ceases to be able to handle the stressors that Jesse brings.

The family roles become divided over this condition. Adam assumes the role of the protective father, seeing Jesse as a threat to his younger son, Jake. Diane takes the role of the supportive wife, entrusting that Adam's brutally rigid barriers are the best course of action. Jake takes the role of the model child, attempting to win his parent's attention by highlighting the differences between himself and his brother.

Another interesting part of the condition is the nature of drug culture. Jesse follows a pattern of behaviors consistent with gangster culture and drug use, combining it with his own form of artistic expression in his speech, dress, and identity. Although he embraces this culture as something important to his identity, the family rejects the expression, seeing it instead as menacing.

BRONFENBRENNER'S ANALYSIS

Microsystem

Jesse lives outside the household, but nevertheless remains part of the family's microsystem. There is a physical separation between the households, however. The focus of Adam and Diane is Jake, though Jesse creates emergencies that supersede their time with Jake. Normal day to day activity consists of Jesse on his own, and Adam, Diane and Jake living in selffabricated ignoranceof Jesse's state. Jesse is highly constrained by his own addiction in the microsystem.

Mesosystem

Adam has a full-time job where he spends his days, then delights in time with the family during dinner. Diane is largely the same. Jake interacts with his high school and is a member of a soccer team. He is also active with government regulatory bodies that govern local businesses and has won awards. Jesse regularly interacts with drug addicts, drug dealers, the strip club, and prostitutes, who frequent a motel functioning as a drug den.

Exosystem

Adam is influenced by his job's managerial personnel. Diane is influenced by the neighborhood in which the family lives, evidenced by the clean home she keeps.

Jake is influenced by the school system as a whole.

Jesse is influenced by the upper echelons of the drug empire in which he works. He is also influenced by the police force, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Macrosystem

American culture and civil laws influence and guide all family members.

Caucasian family culture guides decisions to own and upkeep a home and move toward starting a family and continuing employment in support of the next generation (Jake).

The family exists in a democratic republic that has strict laws regarding drug use and manufacture.

There is an assumption that a family should be self-sufficient, and able to thrive free of external help. Capitalism promotes work culture, punishing those without a "normal" job.

Chronosystem

The family is influenced by the progression of time, and Jesse is seen as a lost cause in the grand scheme of time. As the parents proceed with raising Jake, they are influenced by the yearning to reach retirement and move past high stress periods of their life. Jake is influenced by the yearning to move into adulthood, and Jesse is influenced by his uncertain future. Jesse's drug addiction has proceeded through his adolescence and is turning into a lifetime battle for the family.

Dysfunctional Family Process – Drug Addiction

NANDAS AND INTERVENTIONS

Interrupted Family Processes

Parental Role Conflict

Interventions

1) Family Therapy – restores family dynamics, which fosters support.

2) Educate the family on the disease process of addiction - Family education facilitates understanding of the disease and its causes, effects, and treatment.

3) Encourage familial participation in treatment of addiction – Substanceabuse is a family disease. If everyoneparticipates in healing, everyonecan be healed.

Interventions

1) Acknowledge the range of emotions and feelings felt by family members - Nurses can better support caregivers regarding their perception of family support and expressive family functioning.

2) Assist family members to recognize the need for help and teach them how to ask for it.

3) Support positive individual and family coping efforts - Positive feedback reinforces desired behaviors and supports the family unit.

Interventions

1) The nurse should be available to accept and support parents by listening and discussing concerns.

2) The nurse will inform parents of financial resources, respite care, and home support to assist them in maintaining sufficient energy and personal resources to continue caregiving responsibilities.

3) Teach the client about available community resources (e.g., therapists, ministers, counselors, self-help groups)

Source: Ackley, 2021

OUTCOMES

Dysfunctional Family Process – Drug Addiction Outcomes

1) The family will identify ways to cope effectively and use appropriate support systems (Therapy, counseling, 12-step).

2) The family will treat Jesse as normally as possible to avoid overdependence(family).

3) All family members will participate in the development of the plan of care to the best of ability (Jesse and family).

Interrupted Family Processes

Outcomes

1) Family will verbalize internal resources to help deal with the situation.

2) The family will verbalize understanding of the disease of addiction.

3) The family will identify the need for and seek outside support.

Parental Role Conflict Outcomes

1) Diane will exhibit assertiveness and responsibility in active family decisionmaking regarding care of Jesse.

2) Adam and Diane will describe and select available resources to support parental management of the Jesse's and family’s needs.

3) Adam and Diane will express feelings and perceptions regarding impacts of illness, disability, and/or hospitalization on parental role.

Source: Ackley, 2021

REFERENCES

Articles, Journals and Books