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Running head: PARENTHOOD TELEVISION SERIES

The Parenthood Television Series Emily Linsky Oklahoma State University

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The show Parenthood is a story following the Braverman family tree. From Zeek and Camille Braverman, come their four children. The television series ran live for five years while documenting the lives and tragedies of the adult children, their significant others, and their children. Adam, Sarah, Crosby, and Julia are Zeek and Camille’s four children (IMDb, n.d.). With five different sets of parents portrayed throughout the show, there is a large variety of aspects to be observed. The parenting represented in season one of Parenthood will be analyzed in the current paper, first through the application of three theories, followed by six heavily researched topics of parenting. First, to summarize the main characters in the television show. As previously stated, Zeek and Camille have four children and six grandchildren in season one. Adam is married to Kristina and their children are Haddie and Max. Sarah is a single mother, somewhat recently divorced from her husband, Seth. Her children are Amber and Drew. Crosby has a previous love affair that comes into the picture in season one. Her name is Jasmine, and she brings Crosby his five-yearold son, whom Crosby has never met. His name is Jabbar. Therefore, Crosby and Jasmine begin co-parenting, even though there is nothing romantic between them, at first. However, by the end of season one, it looks like Crosby and Jasmine’s relationship begins to be rekindled. Lastly, Julia is married to Joel. Together, they have one daughter named Sydney. From the Pilot Episode, it is obvious that the Braverman clan is full of love and affection towards one another, despite all their differences (Howard, Grazer, Katims, Trilling, Watson, & Nevins, Episode 1, 2011). This is one reason why Parenthood is such an entertaining series that portrays various parenting styles and practices.

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First, the Social Learning Theory was developed by Albert Bandura. Furthermore, John Watson also did a lot of early research in behaviorism. John Watson’s basis on learning from operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and social learning are the three aspects seen prominently in Amber Holt’s life (Holden, 2010). The main reason given for Sarah and Seth’s divorce in season one is the fact that Seth is a drug-addicted, alcoholic, and deadbeat dad. Also, Amber is a junior in high school and has already been very experienced with drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. Although it is easy to excuse this behavior as Amber acting out due to her father issues, there is likely a deeper meaning to this behavior, according to the Social Learning Theory. It is very possible that Amber learned that it was “okay” to smoke and drink with minimal consequences from watching her own father throughout her childhood (Howard, Grazer, Katims, Trilling, Watson, & Nevins, Season 1, 2011). When Sarah decides to separate her ex-husband, Seth, away from Amber and Drew, she only had their best interest in mind. With that being said, moving away was possibly the best thing that could happen for Amber and her own well-being. Amber was becoming very sexually involved with her boyfriend, while engaging in risky behavior with drugs and substances (Howard et al., Episode 1, 2010). Almost the majority of all behaviors can be influenced by operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or social learning (Holden, 2010). This means that it is likely that Amber involuntary learned that doing drugs was acceptable, especially with her mother enabling her father’s behavior. Furthermore, multiple research studies have shown that fatherless children have a greater likelihood of drug abuse and criminal activity (Satherly, 2011). That is seen in Amber’s life right off the bat in Episode One, as she gets arrested with her cousin, Haddie (Howard et al., Episode 1, 2010). Thankfully, throughout season one, various members of

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the Bravermen Family started stepping into Sarah, Amber, and Drew’s lives to fill those holes that Seth Holt left. Next, the Parenting Styles Approach can help viewers define the various parenting styles of the main characters in Parenthood. There are four parenting styles, as theorized by Diana Baumrind, which are authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful/uninvolved. A child’s behavior can be directly related to the parenting style in which they grew up with. Also, it is very possible and somewhat common for the two parents to have two different parenting styles (Holden, 2010). That is seen in Parenthood a couple of times throughout the series. Just as parenting styles can affect how children behave and react, it can also affect how the children may parent their future offspring. For example, when Crosby first met his five-year-old son, Jabbar, he was very uninvolved. Crosby did not even know he had a son, and he did not mean to be absent all of his life up until this moment. However, he was caught off guard, awkward, embarrassed, and uninterested in being a father. Crosby did not even know how to be a father. It would be intriguing to watch the characters develop and see how Crosby turns out as a father. Furthermore, Zeek is an authoritarian father and grandfather. In the very first episode of the season, Zeek tells Max to “kick some ass” in his upcoming baseball game. Max’s father and Zeek’s son, Adam, sternly asks his father to take his aggression down a notch. Adam quickly adds that he does not want his children raised in the same way he was raised. “I don’t want them to feel like everything in life is a war,” Adam says. (Howard et al., Episode 1, 2010). This is seen in how Adam parents his children. He is stern, but loving, which can be considered more of an authoritative parenting style (Holden, 2010).

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The third and final theory that can be applied in Parenthood is the Emotional Security Hypothesis Theory. This theory focuses on how secure children are compared to their exposure to marital conflict. For example, if a child is exposed to conflict between two parents often, it can cause emotional distress and become problematic. The solution to this problem is for a couple to never disagree in front of their child. However, it is essential that the child sees that the conflict is resolved in a positive and loving way. This way, the negative effects of martial conflict do not directly affect the child and his/her well-being (Holden, 2010). The main characters in Parenthood do a wonderful job of portraying their martial conflicts. First, Adam and Kristina seem very emotionally distressed and worn-out in season one. There are many issues and transitions that they are working through, while trying to maintain a healthy marriage and love Haddie and Max well. When they do disagree on something, they are often seen in their bedroom while the children are asleep or watching television in the living room. While Joel can be quite authoritative and Kristina can be quite permissive, they both meet in the middle to get the job done. Continuing on, Joel and Julia are a couple that really try to focus on each other while they are parenting. There are multiple times in season one that they are seen taking each other out on dates to spend quality time together. It is true that the time that they are putting into each other will be worth it in their marriage and the relationship with their daughter, Sydney (Howard et al., Season 1, 2010). The first of many research topics that can be applied through the first season of Parenthood is this concept of acceptance. For example, it was difficult at first for Adam and Kristina to accept the fact that their son, Max, had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of high-functioning autism (Autism Speaks, n.d.). In Episode Three, the realization really hit them as Max got kicked out of his school for his various

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behavioral issues. Adam was left to desperately find a cure to this diagnosis that was marked on his son. Although, he quickly realized that Max could not be cured. Max needed to be understood (Howard et al., Episode 3, 2010). Many researchers believe that if Asperger’s could be cured, the world could have been possibly left behind without great inventions from people like Thomas Edison and Bill Gates (Nosal, n.d.). Furthermore, research shows that parental acceptance or rejection can directly affect a child’s psychological well-being and lifespan development (Kirkcaldy, 2015). Adam and Kristina were given resources to now cope with Max’s everchanging mood swings, hypersensitivities, and social interactions. Eventually, Max’s parents caught on to how to love and accept him in the way that he needed to be with his Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis. Next, in Episode Four, the audience sees the first glimpse of Haddie fulfilling the role of the sneaky teenager. Her parents, Adam and Kristina, find out that she has been dating a boy for a whole month without telling them. Even worse, they have been “Facebook official” too! (Howard et al., Episode 4, 2010). During this time of adolescent development, children’s cognitive abilities are definitely being strengthened. However, they are not quite ready to think like an adult just yet (Holden, 2010). This led to Haddie promptly sneaking out of her house not necessarily see her boyfriend, but just to get out of her house and away from her parents. From Adam and Kristina’s perspective, this can be seen as a rejection of their parental values and authority (Holden, 2010). Haddie is quickly picked up by her father and grounded from everything that a teenager lives for. Discipline is essential for children because it sets a foundation for their lives. It teaches them about accountability, responsibility, and confidence in their decisions. However, it is important to remember to keep calm when striving to positively

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reinforce a child. This prepares children to discipline themselves later on in life as they navigate future challenges (Lee, 2018). Another research application topic seen in Parenthood is bribing. In Episode One, Max does not want to give baseball a chance. In fact, he is absolutely against it and refuses to put on his baseball uniform. Adam feels very strongly about Max playing baseball because it was such a big part of his own childhood. However, Kristina eventually resorts to bribing Max with ice cream. She continues to up the bribe from a single scoop to a double scoop, then a triple scoop. Eventually, Max finally agrees (Howard et al., Episode 1, 2010). Bribing children is definitely one of those controversial parenting topics that it seems that no one can quite agree on. Research shows that children do actually improve their results if they hear word of a possible reward after the task is completely successfully. However, the results were most powerful if they received their reward beforehand, which is an interesting result (Dowling & Yahnke, n.d.). Furthermore, there is controversy about offering food as a reward because it could lead to weight gain and cavities (Alder & Bass, n.d.). Although the audience does not see results from this particular bribe in Parenthood, it could possibly be agreed that bribing Max to do what his parents already told him to do was not necessarily the correct thing to do. There are four attachment styles that can be seen throughout adolescence. These four were theorized by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth through the Attachment Theory. The four characteristics are secure, avoidant, ambivalent/resistant, and disorganized attachments (Cherry & Gans, 2017). If a child psychologist were watching Parenthood, they would definitely coin Max as a child with an avoidant attachment style. Most of the time, this type of attachment would come from an emotionally unavailable parent, but that is not the case for Adam and Kristina. They are very responsive to their children. However, research shows that both children

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and adults alike with Asperger’s Syndrome fall under this umbrella of having an avoidant attachment style in their relationships. This is most likely due to the fact that these individuals have poor communication skills and can seem distant to their loved ones (Lau & Peterson, 2011). Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are typically uneasy about physical touch and other nonverbal communications (Bressert, 2017). Furthermore, Max is well taken care of and loved well, but he still shows signs of an avoidant attachment style (Howard et al., Season 1, 2010). Next, parental stress is defined as “a set of processes that lead to aversive psychological and physiological reactions arising from the attempts to adapt to the demands of parenthood. There are four different stressors to parents that are due to marital or relationship, work or financial, personal, or child-related stressors (Holden, 2010). Although all of the sets of parents on Parenthood experience some sort of stressors throughout the series, one that sticks out is Julia’s relationship with her daughter, Sydney. Julia and Joel have a unique family dynamic because Julia works long hours as a lawyer, while Joel is a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, Julia experiences parental stress from her work environment, but she also feels guilt for leaving Sydney. She feels a sense of pride from her work, which is good for maternal satisfaction, but this all still puts a strain on her family (Holden, 2010). Julia feels insecure about her relationship with Sydney because her daughter is closer to one parent over the other. Sydney prefers for her father to play with her and be with her constantly. Although Parenthood portrays Julia and Joel to have a very healthy and happy marriage, research shows that couples who bend the gender expectations for working are more likely to become depressed (Krisch, 2018). Julia and Joel’s family is a great testament to those who choose to break stereotypes and can still be wonderful parents (Howard et al., Season 1, 2010).

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Lastly, the Braverman family shows various socioeconomic statuses, which is “the term used to describe the relative social position of an individual or family.” This position is usually based off income, level of education, and occupation (Holden, 2010). It does not specify in season one what Zeek and Camille do for a living, but they have a nice house and they offer to pay for things that people with money can afford. Their children work a number of occupations. For example, Sarah is a bartender, and she has been for ten years. Also, in Episode One, she moved back in with her parents. As previously stated, Julia is a lawyer, and she has a very nice home. Crosby works at recording studio at an entry-level job. Lastly, Adam works in the corporate world as a businessman. Therefore, all four Braverman children and their parents have very different socioeconomic statuses (Howard et al., Season 1, 2010). Parenthood has many good sets of parents to compare to each other. The two sets of parents to focus on are Adam and Kristina compared to Sarah. The way Adam and Kristina parent and love each other is very admirable. The audience can tell that the two are very different, but they can work really well together. They communicate with each other enough that while being in a successful marriage, they can also be successful parents. Furthermore, they discipline swiftly and promptly, while still giving their children enough freedom to not lash out. In comparison, Sarah is doing the best she can while being a single mother of two teenage children with an absent father. She is similar to Adam and Kristina in how well she communicates with her children. She is sure to let people know when she gets overwhelmed and needs help. However, as a single mother, Sarah has a difficult time filling both the father and the mother roles. She fixes the surface-level issues and does not quite get to the root of the problem: why are Amber and Drew acting this way? The main reason for this difference in parenting styles may be the expectations that are on both sets of parents. For instance, Adam and Kristina have

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each other to bounce off of, but Sarah is on her own when it comes to parenting. She does not have a significant other to depend on, so she must discipline in the quickest way she knows how. In the end, Sarah, Adam, and Kristina are amazing parents that do wonderful things for their children. In conclusion, with five different sets of parents portrayed throughout the show, there is a large variety of aspects to be observed. The parenting represented in season one of Parenthood can be analyzed through the application of three theories, followed by six heavily researched topics of parenting. All things considered, Julia, Adam, Crosby, and Sarah are all very good examples of parents considering their circumstances. Many different theories and research topics are portrayed throughout Parenthood.

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References Alder, L. C., & Bass, P. F., III. (n.d.). Why Parents Shouldn't Use Food as Reward or Punishment. Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx? ContentTypeID=160&ContentID=32 Bressert, S. (2017). Asperger’s Disorder Symptoms. Psych Central. Retrieved on November 7, 2018, from https://psychcentral.com/disorders/aspergers-disorder-symptoms/ Cherry, K., & Gans, S. (2017, November 7). What You Should Know About Attachment Styles. Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.verywellmind.com/attachment-styles-2795344 Holden, G. W. (2010). Parenting: A dynamic perspective. Los Angeles: SAGE. Howard, R., Grazer, B., Katims, J., Watson, S., Trilling, L., & Nevins, D. (Executive Producers). (2010, March 2). Parenthood [Television series]. Berkeley, California: NBC. Kirkcaldy, B. D. (2015). Promoting psychological wellbeing in children and families. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: New York. doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137479969 Krisch, J. A. (2018, May 21). Why Does Breaking Gender Norms Make Us Unhappy? Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/stay-at-home-dad-depression/

PARENTHOOD TV SERIES Lau, W., & Peterson, C. C. (2011). Adults and children with Asperger syndrome: Exploring adult attachment style, marital satisfaction and satisfaction with parenthood. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders,5(1), 392-399. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2010.06.001 Lee, K. (2018, March 12). Find out Why Children Need Discipline. Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/surprising-reasons-why-we-need-to-discipline-children620115 Nosal, M. (n.d.). Asperger's Syndrome: Cure or Acceptance. Retrieved November 5, 2018, from http://www.specialneeds.com/children-and-parents/autism/aspergers-syndrome-cure-oracceptance Parenthood. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1416765/episodes?year=2010&ref_=tt_eps_yr_2010 Satherly, J. (2011, October 28). Absent fathers are fueling drug addiction, anti-social behavior and crime among young people, says charity report. Retrieved November 8, 2018, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054608/Absent-fathers-fueling-drug-addiction-antisocial-behavior-crime-young-people-says-charity-report.html Should parents bribe their children? (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.dywealth.com/resources/blog/should-parents-bribe-their-children What Is Asperger Syndrome? (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2018, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-asperger-syndrome

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