2. “Family is a group of intimates who generate a sense
of home and group identity; complete with strong ties
of loyalty and emotion, and experience history and
future”.
(Galvin, Bylund, and Brommel, 2012, p. 6)
The Teller-Morrow family is definitely not a normal or common
family but when they are together, they generate a sense of
home and love. They support each other through everything
and would protect their family at all costs.
3. The Teller-Morrow Family
Clay Morrow, President of Sons of
Anarchy and husband of Gemma
Teller Morrow. He is one of the main
characters in the show and plays an
important part within their family. He
makes all the decisions and takes the
role of the leader.
Gemma Teller Morrow, the mother of
Jax Teller and wife of Clay Morrow.
She is also a very important part of
their family and is a strong-willed
woman. She is definitely a family
person and will do anything to protect
her family.
4. The Teller-Morrow Family Cont.
…
Jax Teller, Vice President of Sons of
Anarchy and son of Gemma Teller
Morrow. Another main character who
would do anything for his family. He
takes the role of a leader but someone
who thinks twice before he acts. Jax
feels the need to change the club and
take on the role of a good father
figure.
Tara Knowles-Teller, doctor at St.
Thomas Hospital and Jax’s wife. A
kind-hearted but strong woman who
helps the club out with their injuries,
etc. When Jax and Tara are together,
their love is immediately seen from
everyone around them.
5. The Family Continued
Abel Teller, Jax’s son and Tara’s Thomas Teller Jr., Jax and Tara’s
adopted son. Abel’s mother, Wendy is infant son. Thomas was named after
currently in rehab for drugs. Jax’s brother who passed away.
6. The Teller-Morrow Family Cont.
…
John Teller, the former
President of the Sons of
Anarchy and the former
husband to Gemma Teller
Morrow. John Teller was the
founder of the Sons of
Anarchy and truly wanted to
change the way the club was
headed. Unfortunately, John
passed away when Jax was
15 years old by a semi-truck.
There is suspicion that John
Teller’s death was not an
accident and that Gemma and
Clay were behind it.
7. The Family Continued
Maureen Ashby, John Teller’s ex mistress Trinity Ashby, John Teller’s daughter and
and the mother of Trinity. She lives in Jax’s Teller’s half sister. She lives in
Belfast, Ireland and is married to the Belfast, Ireland and works in her mother’s
President of the Sons of Anarchy of Belfast. store.
8. The Cohesion of the Teller-Morrow
Family
“Cohesion is defined as the emotional bonding that family members
experience with each other.” (Galvin, Bylund, and Brommel, 2012, p. 30)
With cohesion, there are four levels that range from extreme separateness
to extreme closeness.
The Teller-Morrow family would be in the level of enmeshed. “Family
members experience extreme closeness, loyalty, dependence, and almost
no individuality.” (p. 31)
The family is enmeshed mainly because of the Sons of Anarchy club. In the
club, loyalty and dependence is how they keep the club alive. The
enmeshed family ties are important in their survival as individuals and as a
family. Both Clay and Jax tell their “old ladies” Gemma and Tara about the
club and the secrets within it, showing their loyalty and closeness to their
wives.
9. The Flexibility of the Teller-Morrow
Family
“Flexibility is defined as the amount of change in a family’s leadership, role
relationships, and relationship rules.” (p. 32)
The Teller-Morrow family’s level of flexibility would be structured. “Structured is
when family members experience more moderate levels of change as well as
limited shared decision making and leadership and relatively stable roles and
rules.” (p. 32)
With Clay and Gemma, the decision making is mostly left up to Clay but
Gemma has some say in what goes on. Although she does not make the
changes within the club, she has a great deal of influence over Clay.
With Clay and Jax, the decision making is finalized by Clay because he is the
President of the club. Although Clay will not be President forever, the thought of
him stepping down and losing his power is not a change Clay wants to accept.
10. The Teller-Morrow Family System
The Teller-Morrow family system is interdependence. If one member of the
family acts or changes in a certain way, it affects the rest of the family.
When Jax agrees to go nomad because of tension between him and Clay,
Tara becomes upset that he didn’t talk to her before he decided this. It
ended up affecting her and her job at the hospital. Gemma is also upset
about Jax’s decision which affects her and Clay’s relationship.
11. Narrative Theory
“Narration involves verbal and
nonverbal symbolic actions, words
and/or deeds, set within a
sequence of events that have
meaning for those who create or
interpret them.” (p. 72)
Before John Teller died, he wrote
a book about Sons of Anarchy
and what his dreams were for the
club. In this book, John writes
about freedom but not for material
goods such as illegal weapons.
When Jax finds this book, he sees
what his father wanted all along
and begins to wish for the same
thing.
12. Communication Privacy Management
Theory & Boundaries
The communication privacy Their boundary rule usage is that
management theory is how family they do not speak of what
members decide to talk about happened. It remains private and
private information. only between them two.
Boundaries are what surrounds
the private information and
whether that information will be
disclosed to others.
Jax and Tara have a boundary
rule based on the context and the
risk/reward ratio. Jax and Tara
killed the man that was stalking
and harassing Tara. The risk of
people finding out will land both of
them in prison.
13. Communication Patterns that
Influence Family Meanings; Rules
With the Teller-Morrow family, they use the regulative rule. “Regulative rule
prescribe acceptable communication behavior– how when, where, and with
whom to talk.” (p. 83)
With Clay and Jax, they know when it is an acceptable time to talk about
the club and the things going on within it. An example would be when
Opie’s wife Donna was killed because Clay made a terrible mistake. The
only people that knew about this were Clay and Jax and they had a
regulative rule on when and where to talk about this.
14. Family Secrets
In the Teller-Morrow family, there are a great deal of secrets kept from each
other. Lies and secrets are shared between every single person in the Sons of
Anarchy.
The type of secrets that they keep from each other are usually toxic secrets.
“Toxic secrets poison family relationships; key family issues and stories remain
untold and unexplained.” (p. 89)
A major toxic secret that was revealed in season 3 was that John Teller had an
affair with Maureen Ashby while staying in Ireland. Only Gemma and Maureen
knew about this secret and the secret that Trinity was John Teller’s daughter. It
was only because Jax and Trinity were kissing that Gemma and Maureen
agreed to tell them that they were related.
Gemma is usually the one who keeps the most secrets from her family, either
to protect them or to keep them close.
15. Functions for Family Secrets
Functions for secrets can be a for The privacy function is also seen
defense. between Tara and Gemma.
“Defense secrets protect “Privacy secrets are concealed
information from outsiders who because they are seen as
might use it against family personal and/or irrelevant to
members.” (p. 90) others.” (p. 90)
The secret that Clay mistakenly The secret that Tara was
had Opie’s wife killed was a pregnant with Jax’s baby was only
defense secret for him and his known between her and Gemma.
family. He did not want the club to Tara felt that Jax wasn’t ready for
use that information against him. another child and felt that it was
only her concern.
16. Marital/Partnership Maintenance
Marital/Partnership Maintenance is very important to both Clay and Gemma and Jax and Tara.
Both relationships express the maintenance strategies of openness and assurances.
With Clay and Gemma, they share a great deal of assurance. “Assurances include stressing
love, support, and commitment.” (p. 108) Gemma is incredibly supportive of Clay and the Sons
of Anarchy. She is always by his side and shows that she is committed through everything.
With Jax and Tara, they share a great deal of openness. “Openness includes self disclosure, as
well as explicitly discussing the relationship and sharing thoughts and feelings about relational
problems.” (p. 108) When Tara became an “old lady”, she told Jax that she wanted to know what
he was doing and the actions of the club. They also discuss their future and when Jax proposes
to Tara, he tells her he eventually wants to leave the Sons of Anarchy and raise their family the
right way.
17. Relational Maintenance Strategies;
Rituals
“These special meanings, enacted
in repetitive form, contribute
significantly to the establishment
and preservation of a family’s
identity or relational culture.” (p.
113)
Gemma has a family ritual of
potluck dinners at her house,
where the Sons of Anarchy
members and her family enjoy a
dinner together.
18. Relational Currencies
Relational currencies are
the acts of loving
behavior. (p. 120)
With Jax and Tara’s
relationship, they use the
relational currencies of
self-disclosure, sexuality,
and favors.
19. Intimacy within Partnerships
“Commitment implies intense
singular energy directed toward
sustaining a relationship.” (p. 129)
In season 3, Jax tries to push Tara
away to protect her from getting
hurt. Tara expresses that she isn’t
going anywhere and that she is
committed to their relationship, no
matter what.
Self-disclosure is shown between
Jax and Tara. Jax is open with her
about the club and the things he
has done. He is willing to self-
disclose to Tara because he trusts
her.
20. Role Appropriation
“Society provides models and norms for Gemma and Tara are definitely there for
how certain family roles should be their husbands but don’t always do what
assumed, thus creating role expectations.” they are told. They are very strong,
(p. 163) Society is changing as the years go independent woman that don’t like to be
on, but it is still common for the woman to told what to do.
be the stay-at-home wife while the husband “Current research suggests that males’
is the breadwinner. roles are becoming more flexible as adult
Role expectations for “old ladies” are to be partners renegotiate their roles and males
there for their husbands and to do what become increasingly involved in raising
they are told. Most of them work and care their children” (Duckworth & Buzzannell,
for the children. 2009).
Jax and Tara seem to both have the same
roles in raising their children and both are
financial providers for their family.
21. Marital Ideology Role Types
Jax and Tara’s marital ideology would be egalitarian.
According to Hochschild’s research, “egalitarian marriages are when both
partners wish to jointly share home responsibilities as well as take
advantage of career opportunities.” (p. 171)
Jax knows how important Tara’s career is to her and really supports her
working at the hospital.
They both expect each other to put in a joint effort on their work and their
children.
22. Power in the Teller-Morrow Family
The power base in the Teller-
Morrow family comes from
Gemma, where she holds the
affective resources.
Gemma is always caring for her
grandchildren and countlessly
gives her family love and
affection.
She is definitely a family woman
and nurtures Clay, Jax, Tara, and
her grandsons.
23. Influence
Persuasion influence strategies
are important in the Teller-Morrow
family.
“Persuasion influence is giving
opinions, asking repetitively,
begging, or whining.” (p. 190)
When Jax agrees to go Nomad
because of the tension between
him and Clay, Gemma gives
numerous opinions and asks Jax
repetitively to stay.
24. Decision Making
In the Teller-Morrow family, “Accommodation decisions
decision making is normally may favor a dominant
made by Clay. member, and less aggressive
Since Clay is President of the family members may develop
club, he has more say over a pattern of submitting to their
Jax and ultimately makes wishes.” (p. 197)
decisions whether everyone When Clay makes the
agrees or not. decision to mule drugs in
return for cash, Jax is
unhappy with this decision but
submits to his wishes.
25. Unresolved Conflict
The unresolved conflict between Clay and Jax lasted a great deal of time.
The conflict about Clay accidentally killing Donna really hurt Jax because
Opie is his best friend. Jax could not get passed it, which ultimately made
him chose to go Nomad.
Jax wanted to disengage himself from Clay. “Disengaged members avoid
each other and express their hostility through their lack of interaction.” (p.
226)
26. “Inside the club, there had to be truth. Our word was
our honor. But outside, it was all about deception.
Lies were our defense, our default. To survive, you
had to master the art of perjury. The lie and the truth
had to feel the same. But once you learned that skill,
nobody knows the truth in or outside the club;
especially you.” John Teller
27. References
Galvin, K. M., Bylund, C. L., & Brommel, B. J. (2012.). Family Communication (8th ed.). United States: Pearson
Education.
"John Teller Quotes from Sons of Anarchy." John Teller Quotes from Sons of Anarchy. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec.
2012.
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