Introduction
Throughout the film Parenthood, the characters Gil, Karen, and Helen Bachman undergo significant personal growth, illustrating the evolution of their personalities. This paper examines how socioemotional, cognitive, social, and vocational development concepts are depicted through scenes involving these characters.
Socioemotional Development Issues
Unlike his wife, Gil represents the sandwich parent, as he has experienced echoes of his father’s upbringing. Nevertheless, he has children and has overcome his fears of becoming like his father. To accomplish this, Gil has talked to his father and grandmother, and these actions demonstrate Gil’s social development (Ebert, n.d d.).
His older sister Helen likewise keeps the specifics of her father’s upbringing in mind. The heroine has undergone a developmental journey successfully balancing having a career, being an example to the children, and being friends with them.
Cognitive Development Concerns
The children’s relationship with their parents completely represents cognitive development as they face changes. Children show a particular stage of cognitive development when parents help them deal with transformations. Karen and Gil are representatives of authoritative parenting; they teach children by demonstrating a good example, which helps them get their sons in good shape. At the same time, Helen is a permissive parent. She does not punish the children but provides tremendous support, for example, to the son through puberty (Ebert, n. d.). Through thriving parenting strategies, the children were successful in overcoming cognitive stasis.
Social Development Issues
Besides dealing with family issues, Gil, Karen, and Helen try to lead daily social lives. As a result, Gil is generative as he thinks about contributing to the future and the best for his children; at the same time, Helen begins to date her son’s teacher. However, Helen tries to spend time with her children and her boyfriend, balancing her duties as a mother with her intimate life (Ebert, n.d d.). Whereas Karen spends most of her time at home, she is likewise generative, contributing to the socio-psycho-emotional development of the children. She and her husband and their children respect each other’s decisions, demonstrating a high level of intimacy in parenthood.
Vocational Development Concepts
Gil represents professional development in the film while his wife devotes her time to the home and the children. Despite all the worries and initial fear of his wife’s pregnancy, he has managed to overcome all the tensions and restore the balance between career and family (Ebert, n. d.). Likewise, Helen has a good career as a bank manager, allowing her to provide for herself and the children.
Conclusion
Gil, Karen, and Helen Bachman, the personages of the film Parenthood, experienced notable personal development, showcasing the transformation of their characters. This paper investigated how scenes featuring these individuals illustrate key concepts of socioemotional, cognitive, social, and vocational development.
Reference
Ebert, R. (n. d.). Parenthood. Roger-Ebert. Web.