Introducing the concept of systems to beginning family counseling students who have been traditionally trained in a mental health model can be an arduous task. This article offers an instructional method of using popular films to help students to widen their range of personal constructs to include that of cybernetics. The Matrix offers the opportunity to discuss multiple realities and the concepts of recursion, equifinality, morphostasis, morphogenesis, and open and closed systems with relation to selected scenes from the movie. Questions for discussion and other potential systems-oriented popular films are offered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abraham, M.
(Producer), Rosenman, Z. H. (Producer), Ludwig, T. (Producer), Riche, A. (Producer), & Ratner, B. (Writer/Director). (2000). The family man [Motion picture]. United States: Touchstone Pictures.
2.
Amatea, E. S.
, & Sherrard, P. A. (1995). Inquiring into children’s social worlds: A choice of lenses. In B. A. Ryan & G. R. Adams (Eds.), The family-school connection: Theory, research, and practice (Vol. 2). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
3.
American Psychiatric Association
. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
4.
Becvar, D. S.
, & Becvar, R. J. (2000). Family therapy: A systemic integration. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
5.
Bertrando, P.
(2000). Text and context: Narrative, postmodernism and cybernetics. Journal of Family Therapy, 22, 83-103.
6.
Finerman, W.
(Producer), Radcliffe, M. (Producer), Barnathan, M. (Producer), & Columbus, C. (Writer/Director). (1998). Stepmom [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.
7.
Gilbert, L.
(Producer, Writer/Director). (1989). Shirley Valentine [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
8.
Goldenberg, I.
, & Goldenberg, H. (2000). Family therapy: An overview (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
9.
Haft, S.
(Producer), Jungerwitt, P. (Producer), Thomas, T. (Producer), & Weir, P. (Writer/Director). (1989). Dead poet’s society [Motion picture]. United States: Touchstone Pictures.
10.
Higgins, J. A.
, & Dermer, S. (2001). The use of film in marriage and family counselor education. Counselor Education & Supervision, 40(3), 182-192.
11.
Hiller, A.
(Producer, Writer/Director). (1972). Man of La Mancha [Motion picture]. United States: United Artists.
12.
Hollis, J. W.
(2000). Counselor preparation, 1999-2001: Programs, faculty, trends (10th ed.). Philadelphia: Accelerated Development.
13.
Kelly, G. A.
(1955). The psychology of personal constructs (Vol. 1). New York: Norton.
14.
Liddle, H. A.
, & Saba, G. W. (1982). Teaching family therapy at the introductory level: A conceptual model emphasizing a pattern which connects training and therapy. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 8(1), 63-72.
15.
Monk, C.
, Winslade, J., Crocket, K., & Epston, D. (1997). Narrative therapy in practice: The archeology of hope. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
16.
Musca, T.
(Producer), & Menendez, R. (Writer/Director). (1988). Stand and deliver [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.
17.
Neimeyer, G. J.
(Ed.). (1993). Constructivist assessment: A casebook. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
18.
Nichols, M. P.
, & Schwartz, R. C. (1998). Family therapy: Concepts and methods (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
19.
Pittman, F.
(1999). Beware older women ahead. Psychology Today, 32(1), 60-63.
20.
Rudin, S.
(Producer), Nanas, H. (Producer), & Brooks, A. (Writer/Director). (1996). Mother [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
21.
Silverman, J.
(Producer), Wachowski, A. (Writer/Director), & Wachowski, L. (Writer/Director). (1999). The matrix [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.
22.
Simpson, D.
(Producer), Bruckheimer, J. (Producer), & Smith, J. N. (Writer/Director). (1995). Dangerous minds [Motion picture]. United States: Hollywood Pictures.
23.
Strand, P. S.
(1997). Toward a developmentally informed narrative therapy. Family Process, 36(4), 325-339.
24.
Warren, B.
(1990). Psychoanalysis and personal construct theory: An exploration. Journal of Psychology Interdisciplinary & Applied, 124(4), 449-464.
25.
Zweibel, A.
(Producer), Nelson, J. (Producer), & Reiner, R. (Writer/Director). (1999). Thestoryofus [Motionpicture]. United States: Universal Pictures.
