Introduction
The film that I selected for this paper is Bend It like Beckham and I will describe the family that it focuses on. Furthermore, I will provide a detailed assessment of the family’s culture and ethnic traits as well as how they influence various aspects of their life. Finally, the family’s development levels are also discussed extensively. In line with Friedman, Bowden and Jones’s (2003) thoughts, this paper takes the standpoint that exploring and understanding the various dynamics of a family is critical if an optimal nursing intervention is to be devised.
Description of Movie Family
The film is a comedy that reveals to the audience the dilemma of culture clash. It does so by placing the viewers in the middle of a Sikh family, which resides in London, UK, as it makes concerted efforts to make sense of life in a foreign nation. Jessminder is the chief character and is represented as a tomboy who dreams of football stardom. She also aspires to exorcise England’s World Cup woes (Clarke, 2014). Over their fireplace, Jessminder’s parents have a shrine to an ancestor.
While this is the case, Jess, as her friends refer to her all through the film, does not follow her parent’s traditions by enshrining David Beckham over her bead. Her family persistently hopes that their daughter’s football dream is just an adolescence effect and as such, it would come to pass (Clarke, 2014). They also hope that Jess would follow her sister’s discourse; that of learning to be a true Sikh woman. The parents then come to realize that their daughter’s obsession is taking root in her young life. Therefore, they caution that her football tendency will no longer be tolerated. However, Jess does not relent (Clarke, 2014). Instead, she carries on, and it reaches a point when she is presented with the opportunity to play professional football. Thus, according to Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003), the way that a family interacts with each other and with different social contexts can help in determining a potential medical issue that is facing a family in general as well as the individual members.
Family Processes
As it is evident, the Sikh family hails from India, which means that they are of Indian ethnicity. Besides, it is apparent that the family, especially the parents, is Buddhists. This is especially so given that they have placed a shrine to an ancestor. This is a typical ritual in this particular religion. These cultural and ethnic traits influence a set of aspects.
One of these is the sociocultural sphere (Hardy &Laszloffy, 2005). As such, it is visible that the Sheikh parents approach sociocultural practices in a way that resemble their religion. For instance, they want Jess to follow her sister’s path, which is purely by Buddhism.
Another effect is on the environment. It is perceptible that the inclusion of the Sheikh family in a foreign land inhabited by a distinct ethnic group and religion leads to the creation of a diverse environment (Lettenberger-Klein, Fish &Hecker, 2013).
The Sheikh family situation also has an effect on communication. As it can be seen in the movie, especially during the initial interacts, the orientation of Jess and her family to Punjabi makes it tough to communicate with the natives (Hardy &Laszloffy, 2005). Given that Indians are minorities in London, the Sheikh family perceives them as have little or no power at all.
The family’s cultural and ethnic traits, as well, has an effect on the decision making. According to Friedman, Bowden and Jones (2003), the racial culture that a person belongs to and his or her experiences with other ethnic groups easily and quickly affects how people make important decisions including those that relate to healthcare. As it is seen, the members of the Sheikh family make decisions solely based on the Buddhist culture. For instance, it is as a result of the father’s faithfulness to the culture that he sees the course followed by Jess, that of playing football, as inappropriate for an Indian female. According to him, Jess is making the wrong decision.
In terms of roles, it is plain that the Indian course has forced the Sheikh family to believe that people should respect and uphold their designated roles. For instance, Jess’ parents think that Jess should look forward to becoming a wife and not pursue what is reserved for men such as football.
Values, Socialization & Child Rearing, Healthcare Beliefs and Practices, Adaptation
It is plain that the ability of the family to socialize is depicted differently by the various characters. On one hand, Jess does not seem to have any particular difficulties in his interactions with other people including those from other racial groups. On the other hand, the father is not comfortable when socializing with individuals from other cultures. This is especially due to the racial abuse that he had been subjected to previously. Nevertheless, the childbearing function of the family is visible. For instance, the Jess’ parents are motivated to lead their children in the right path. The father is constantly seen advising the young Jess about different issues not only about football but also his relationship with other people.
Healthcare beliefs and practices are not well brought out in the movie. Nevertheless, as it is evident, the Sheikh family members all appear to be healthy. This is despite the fact that the family situation that the members are faced with can potentially give rise to disorders such as depression. What this shows is that the Sheikh family has an optimal approach towards health. It may be that they have a way to cope with or mitigate health risk factors a thing that assists them to lead a vigorous life.
The family is divided in terms of the ability to adapt to new situations and stress. The adaptation ability of the father is lacking. At first, after arriving in London, he was already showing signs of adapting to the new environment. Nevertheless, after constant prejudice from his colleagues in football from the majority group, he became uncomfortable with his new setting. Jess’ character is the converse of her father’s. This is so given that she fits well within any new environment that she is subjected to. She is also very comfortable when interacting with other people regardless of their differences.
It is right to claim that the family’s level of development, also called functional competency, is that of borderline. This is especially so due to the idea that unstable relationship characterizes the family (Lettenberger-Klein, Fish &Hecker, 2013). As it is evident, her parents are not comfortable with the course that Jess is seeking. Her father, having experienced discrimination in which he was a target, fears for her daughter to encounter the same issue. Even after advising her, Jess is not moved. As a result, the father develops an indifferent attitude towards her daughter. This is a typical borderline functional competency.
Summary/Conclusion
In sum, it is clear that that the movie “Bend It like Beckham” is an important media given that it helps the readers to understand the family culture at play. From the above analysis, the Sheikh family dynamics are problematic. As such, unlike Jess, they are not able to seize critical opportunities as a result of their inability to adapt to changes. Jess, on the other hand, has embraced the shift. This preparedness helps her to reject the suppressing values and beliefs that are likely to inhibit her progress.
References
Clarke, N. (2014). Bend it Like Beckham. Retrieved from mem.intervarsity.org/mem/resources/bend-it-beckham
Friedman, M. M., Bowden, V. R., & Jones, E. G. (2003). Family nursing: Research, theory and practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hardy, K. V., &Laszloffy, T. A. (2005). The cultural genogram: Key to training culturally competent family therapists. Journal of marital and family therapy, 21(3), 227-237.
Lettenberger-Klein, C. G., Fish, J. N., &Hecker, L. L. (2013). Cultural competence when working with American Indian populations: A couple and family therapist perspective. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(2), 148-159.
