Family Assessment of the Griffin Family Alan Ly N480 California State University, San Marcos
The Griffin Family The Griffins are a traditional nuclear family that reside in a suburban area of Quahog, Rhode Island. Peter is the head of the household along with his wife, Lois. They both have three children: Meg being the oldest, Chris as the middle child, and Stewie as their youngest. They also adopted a white talking dog named Brian as a member of their family. The Griffins are a dysfunctional family with individual flamboyant traits such as Peter’s clumsy behaviorism, Lois’s wild character, Chris’s awkwardness, Meg’s incomprehensible mindset, Stewie’s heinous persona, and Brian’s sharp-witted intellect. Although the Griffins spend much time together as a family, they often ridicule each other especially with Meg being their scapegoat. Their life revolves around family and social issues but every day is indulged with jokes and light-heartedness. However, through the numerous conflicts that occur within the family, they are able to find a resolution to their problems which ultimately strengthens their family bond.
Meet The Griffins Peter Griffin Age 42
Occupation: Shipping clerk at the Pawtucket Brewery - Obese Irish American - Clumsy mannerisms - Previously worked as a toy safety inspector and a fisherman - Laughs like a little child - Frequently gets drunk at the Drunken Clam bar with his neighbors Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe - Prone to accidents and injuries - Best friends with his dog Brian
Occupation: Full-time stay-at-home mom - Born into a wealthy household - Always puts up with Peter’s shenanigans - Does most of the cooking, cleaning, and caretaking for Stewie - Teaches piano lessons on the side - Lois is promiscuous and sometimes seen cheating on Peter - Sexually attracted by her neighbor, Quagmire
Meg Griffin Age 18
Lois Griffin Age 43
Occupation: Student - High-school adolescent - Often ignored and berated by her family - Scapegoat of her family - Low self-esteem - Bullied at school due to her appearance, personality, and unpopularity - Tries to boost her egotistical image by fitting in with societal norms - Engages in dangerous activities just for attention
Meet The Griffins Chris Griffin
Age 14
Occupation: Student and cashier at the Quahog Mini-Mart - Socially awkward - Naive but kind-hearted - Has a close relationship with his father, Peter - Has prepubescent problems with girl's, family, and school - Self-conscious about his appearance and weight - Secretly admired by Herbert the neighborhood pedophile
Stewie Griffin
- Peter and Lois’s 1-year-old infant - Well articulated with a British accent - Highly intelligent but has childish Age tendencies - Engages in violent behavior and criminal mischief - Has a strong hatred for her mother Lois and attempts to kill her but fails every time - Best friends with his stuffed teddy bear, Rupert - Obsessed with world domination
Brian Griffin Age 8
1
- Anthropomorphic talking white Labrador - Best friends with Peter - Very mature and intelligent, the rational decision-maker in his family - Aspiring but struggling writer - Smoker, drinker, and recovered cocaine addict - Ashamed of his canine habits such as howling and barking - Has unreciprocated romantic feelings for Lois
Peter and Obesity Obesity is referred to as an excess amount of body fat compared to lean body mass and a weight 20% above the upper range for ideal body weight. A BMI of over 30 indicates obesity (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Obesity is not simply a disease but a condition with many contributing factors. Its etiology stems from the interrelationship of genetic, environmental, and behavioral components. The most common cause of obesity is due to a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet especially with excessive saturated fat intake. Physical inactivity is also a common cause of obesity. A sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity due to the imbalance of food energy consumption and expenditure from lack of physical activity. Obesity is a major health concern because it is associated with various complications such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, osteoarthritis, cancer, and many cardiovascular diseases (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). These comorbidities result in a lower quality of life and decreased life expectancy. While obesity can be treated through surgery, it is especially important to encourage weight loss by promoting a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. Peter’s height and weight are 5’10 and 270 lbs respectively. His BMI is 38.7 which puts him in the obese weight category. He stated that he has been obese all his life. Peter does not eat a healthy diet nor does he engage in adequate physical activity. He spends most of his day at home watching television. He has a love for food high in sugar, sodium, fat, and refined carbohydrates including beer. Peter has difficulty with exercise and frequently loses his breath after few seconds of running. He had suffered a stroke several years ago after eating thirty hamburgers in one sitting which resulted in temporary hemiplegia. Peter realizes that he is obese and had attempted to lose weight in the past. In one instance, he had lost significant weight through liposuction but ended up gaining all his weight back. Obesity affects his daily life because of many different reasons. He often crushes his wife Lois during lovemaking and is sometimes frustrated that he is unable to see his genitals. His primary doctor and neighborhood also tease him because of his weight. Due to the genetic predisposition of obesity, his son Chris and daughter Meg are also overweight.
Duvall’s Development Stages Duvall’s (1977) Family Developmental Theory states that “family interactions among family members change over time in relation to structure, function (roles), and processes” (Kaakinen, Coehlo, Steele, Tabacco, & Hanson, 2015). It depicts the family life cycle and developmental tasks that need to be completed for a given family stage. The Griffin family is in the “families with adolescents” stage. In this stage, adolescents start to establish their own identities while still being part of the family. They think about the future and what goals to pursue. Adolescents in this stage also identify their roles in family, cooking, repairs, and power base (Kaakinen et al., 2015).
Culture and Religion The Griffins are a middle-class family who live in the suburbs of Quahog, Rhode Island. They know all their neighbors well and regularly socialize with them. Peter has a job at the Pawtucket Brewery while his wife Lois is a full-time homemaker. Chris and Meg attend James Woods Regional High School and Stewie and Brian stay at home during the day in the care of Lois. Peter was raised as a Catholic by his devoutly religious father, but he attempted to create his own religion several times. Lois is a protestant and Brian is an atheist. Their family attends a local church in Quahog.
Strengths
Challenges
- Family deeply cares for one another’s success - Frequent family bonding - Openness to talk about issues - Regularly eat dinner together - Forgiving when problems subside - Shares similar humor and laughter
- Does not respect boundaries - Adults act like children - Physical altercations are common - Lack in faithfulness - Excessive mockery within the family - No motivation to upkeep health - Blame is often shifted to another person
Communication The family speaks mostly with sarcastic humor. They tend verbalize flashbacks with, “like that one time…”. Meg, being the scapegoat of the family, is often talked down on. As a result, she runs to her room and cries. Lois speaks affectionately towards Stewie but her kindness is not reciprocated. Stewie has utter resentment and grimaces in disgust at her. Open communication is encouraged and each family member is not afraid to say what is on their mind. Communication includes a lot of ridicule, yelling, and aggression. However due to their family strength, they are able to find a resolution to their problems. When Chris speaks, he does not sound confident. It is not uncommon to see Chris and Meg yell at their parents as they are sometimes more reasonable than Peter and Lois. Brian is the most mature in his family; he is intellectually gifted and the guidance for his family. There is frequent hugging and smiling in the family especially between Peter and Lois. The intimacy level between Peter and Lois is still high.
Family Assessment and Intervention Model The Family Assessment and Intervention Model views family as a dynamic, functional unit in interaction with their environment. The purpose of this model is to protect family members from illnesses or condition that negatively affect the family’s core (Kaakinen et al., 2015). A family’s core is composed of the family’s basic structure, function, processes, and energy. The role of the family is to protect and buffer from perceived threats to the family system. Maintaining homeostasis is crucial when stressors such as physical or health problems penetrate the family’s barrier. The family must adapt to the stressors to preserve family stability. The Family Systems Stressor-Strength Inventory (FS3I) is used to determine the stressors and strengths within the family (Kaakinen et al., 2015). The family’s strengths are focused on to help identify strategies and develop interventions to solve the problems. Three areas are addressed in this model: 1) Wellness-health promotion activities 2) Family reaction and instability at lines of defense and resistance 3) Restoration of family stability and family functioning (Kaakinen et al., 2015). Peter’s obesity is viewed by his family as a chronic problem. Stressors perceived by Lois include the inability for Lois to fully function as an intimate partner. The overall family stressor is the realization of Peter’s compromised health. His excessive weight has caused his family to become frustrated and anxious regarding the outcome of his health. The family is stressed that they have to go out of their way to help Peter try to maintain normal health. They constantly worry that Peter is developing new comorbidities, but ends up going to the doctor who directly tells him, “it’s because you’re fat”. This model would help the Griffin family because it identifies and focuses on strengths in the family to restore well-being. It also helps determine primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention (Denham, Eggenberger, Young, & Krumwiede, 2015). They have a strong family bond and are able to rectify interfamilial problems. Strengths of the family to cope with Peter’s obesity include family support, open communication, stable income to buy healthy food, and desire to seek help.
Interventions Problem: Peter is suffering from obesity as evidenced by a BMI of 38.7, an excessive and unhealthy food intake, and a sedentary lifestyle. He is not currently on a treatment plan for weight loss. 1.
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Teach Peter and his family on how to measure portion sizes and how to modify Peter’s current caloric intake to help him maintain proper weight loss. - Rationale: Current guidelines for treatment of overweight and obesity recommend moderate caloric restriction (i.e., 20%-30% energy deficit from daily weight maintenance requirements) (Catenacci et al., 2016). - Outcome: Peter and his family will demonstrate accurate food measurement to determine how much of a caloric restriction Peter would need to effectively lose weight. Inform the Griffin family of the disadvantages of trying to lose weight by dieting or exercising alone. Encourage both dieting and regular exercise into Peter’s weight loss plan. - Rationale: Physical activity alone is not an effective method for achieving initial weight loss, although most overweight or obese people tend to choose exercise as the first interventional option. Without calorie restriction, weight loss through exercise alone is quite small, about 0.1 kg/week (Fock & Khoo, 2013). - Outcome: The Griffin family will verbalize the importance of implementing both dieting and exercise to maximize weight loss. Encourage significant others and family members to offer support. Have Peter and his family attend a support or community group where Peter can share his experience and find alternative interventions for weight control. - Rationale: Support and encouragement from friends and family, and even the religious background, are essential to personal well-being and play an important role, but when performed in groups of the same kind, can become even more effective (Santos, Pasquali, & Marcon, 2012). - Outcome: Peter and his family will demonstrate social involvement through through the use of support or community groups to help cope with their situation.
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[Untitled Stewie]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/Stewie_Griffin.png [Untitled Brian]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Brian_Griffin.png/195pxBrian_Griffin.png
References (cont.) [Untitled Peter Chicken]. Retrieved from http://s.eatthis-cdn.com/media/images/ext/820962504/familyguy-lead.jpg [Untitled Peter Gym]. Retrieved from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CTNhCzmUjlw/hqdefault.jpg [Untitled Chris Meg]. Retrieved from http://pre06.deviantart.net/768b/th/pre/i/2013/234/0/a/chris_griffin_vs_meg_griffin_by_mig hty355-d6j7uc9.png [Untitled Home]. Retrieved from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pe5eLN0pNv8/maxresdefault.jpg [Untitled Fight]. Retrieved from http://thefw.com/files/2012/05/best-family-guy-fight-scenes.jpg [Untitled Stewie Lois]. Retrieved from http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/familyguy/images/4/44/FGuy_AprilInQuahog_0047F.jp g/revision/latest?cb=20100312235825 [Untitled Hug]. Retrieved from https://fthmb.tqn.com/reW0EyQAisAYuloSgdUNZwAdwi0=/768x0/filters:no_upscale()/abo ut/fgstewiefood_72-56a00a215f9b58eba4ae988f.jpg [Untitled Peter Exercise]. Retrieved from http://assets.menshealth.co.uk/main/thumbs/27828/familyguy111040211__square.jpg