Sam Shepard and the dysfunctional American family : therapeutic perspectives

• Published in: American journal of psychotherapy Vol. 44; no. 4; pp. 563 - 576
• Main Authors: SPARR, L. F, ERSTLING, S. S, BOEHNLEIN, J. K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bronx, NY Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy 01.10.1990; American Psychiatric Association
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cultural Characteristics; Drama; Drama - history; Families & family life; Family - psychology; Family Therapy; Famous Persons; History of medicine; History, 20th Century; Humans; Literature, Modern - history; Marriage; Medical sciences; Parent-Child Relations; Parents - psychology; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; S Shepard; Shepard; Shepard, Sam (1943-2017); Social Alienation; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Sociocultural environment; United States; United States; Social environment; Human; Family environment; Familial relation; Models; Social interaction
• ISSN: 0002-9564; 2575-6559
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1990.44.4.563

In depicting dysfunctional families Sam Shepard brought a greater intensity level to family portrayals than had previously been seen in modern American theater. In part, his plays appear to reflect the tumultuous tone of the late 1960s and early 1970s when American society was in flux and when the national uncertainty reached down to the basic unit of society, the family. Yet, despite addressing recently emerging social issues, Shepard's plays also depict universal family conflicts. There have been and always will be compelling forces that threaten domestic cohesiveness. While Shepard's families reflect extremely high levels of disorganization, they also demonstrate scenarios recognizable to all family therapists. They reassert the family's power and its influence on individual development. They also indirectly ask us to reflect on our current clinical practice and research. Family therapists need to continue to pay attention the content issues of family organization as well as therapeutic techniques. Shepard's plays remind therapists to look beyond internal dynamics in order to consider connections and affiliations that integrate families with outside communities. He underscores the importance of knowing the meaning and context of traditional rites of passage within families. Family therapists or other care providers may unwittingly undermine the significance of these family rituals by prescription of "expert" advice.