Week 8- Family Crisis

This week in class we discussed the ABCX model in analyzing families when they go through crises. A is the actual event or stressor, B is Both resources and responses of the family members throughout the trial. C is cognitions, or what the family is thinking at the time. X is the total experience. I decided to apply this to my family's "rough patch". For A I put down the last few years, as we have just had thing after thing happen to us. Lawsuits, deaths, going through 4 vehicles in a matter of weeks (one of which was our uncles-which caught on fire, through no fault of our own) Loss of jobs, several health issues, appliances breaking down on us, severe storms, etc.  B was quite lengthy as well. My family had quite a few resources, I suppose our greatest was our Faith, and knowledge that there is a bigger picture, and though hard, our trials will eventually end, and we will be thankful for them. I also believe that our sense of humor and down to earth, do what needs to be done with a smile on your face mentality was a great resource to us. Other resources we had were family, close friends, and our strength as a family unit, our self-sufficient habits and skills (ability to cut our own firewood, can our own food, having a food storage). Our cognitions were diverse. I felt they were all fairly healthy. Granted, we did have our moments of doubt and frustration, but overall, we were looking to the future, looking for the steps that needed to be taken today, and laughing at all that had happened previously. When the truck caught on fire, my mom was laughing so hard she had to walk away so the State Patrol wouldn't see her tears. Plus, the cops usually don't like to see people laughing hysterically at the scene of an accident. I feel that based on all of these factors, our family's total experience was strengthened through these events.

I especially liked learning about the strengths and abilities that make a family grow closer through these trials and plan to employ them in my future family. I want to be able to survive a situation like that with my future husband and children. (Not to say I am wishing for a situation like that, I just want the skills that would help me survive.)