Sweet, Sweet Legacy!

A One-Act Play Satire about Family Dynamics

Authors

  • Ellara Yusea Ananda Petra Christian University
  • Jenny Mochtar Petra Christian University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.14.2.241-247

Keywords:

Bowen family systems, Family dynamics, Growth and development, One-act play

Abstract

This creative thesis aims to illustrate how family dynamics shape individuals’ base behaviors that would further determine their personal growth and development. The story goes with three siblings as main characters, Issa, Dru, and Ade, who mock their elder relatives for fighting over inheritance on the day of the burial of their late grandmother. This one-act play uses dramatic comedy. I use Bowen Family Systems theory in portraying family dynamics in my creative work. The family dynamics are passed down to Issa, Dru, and Ade through multigenerational transmission process, differentiation of self, sibling position, and nuclear family emotional process. The family dynamics shape Issa into a parentified child, Dru into an insolent middle child, and Ade into an emotionally avoidant child. This play underscores the importance of acknowledging the patterns and dynamics within ourselves that determine our growth and development.

References

Berlian, D. (2020). Going Home. Petra Little Theatre. (Original work published 2018).

Clark, L. (2007). Practical Playwriting: A Guide to Writing for the Stage. Pearson Education, Inc.

Gibson, L. C. (2015). Adult children of emotionally immature parents: how to heal if your parents couldn’t meet your emotional needs. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

He Said and She Said - a one-act play by Alice Gerstenberg. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2025, from https://www.one-actplays.com/comedies/he_said_and_she_said.html

Hill, C. W. (2012). Playwriting: from page to stage. Robert Hale.

Hubbard, R. L. (2017). Exploring Theater: Playwriting. Cavendish Square.

IoPT Norge- Institutt for Traumearbeid AS. (2019, August 11). Dr Gabor Maté: Transgenerational trauma, stressed environment and child’s diagnosis [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a13rn8Cduc

Jabbari, B., Schoo, C., & Rouster, A. S. (2023, September 16). Family dynamics. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560487/

Kerr, M. E. (2019). One Family’s Story: A Primer on Bowen Theory. Georgetown Family Center.

Lestari, S. (2012). Psikologi Keluarga: Penanaman Nilai dan Penanganan Konflik dalam Keluarga. Prenadamedia Group.

Sieber, D. (n.d.). What are Family Dynamics?. MyWellbeing. Retrieved October 7, 2025, from https://mywellbeing.com/mental-health-dictionary/family-dynamics

Smiley, S. (2005). Playwriting: The Structure of Action. Yale University Press.

Vertel, A. V. (2023). The order of childbirth in the family and its influence on personality development (using the Psychoanalytic Pedagogy of Alfred Adler as an example). Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University Journal Рedagogical Sciences, 2(113), 28-37. DOI: 10.35433/pedagogy.2(113).2023.28-37

Downloads

Published

2026-07-02

Issue

Section

Articles