Game of ThronesAn Analysis of the Lannister Family

Novea Lindsay

CohesionAs each member of the Lannister family has reached emotional independence, but maintains a sense of involvement in each other’s lives they are characterized as a connected family.

Flexibility The Lannisters are a rigid family,

experiencing authoritarian headship, firm rules and roles, as well as little change.

Family Roles

Tywin Lannister is regarded as the most powerful man in the all of the Seven Kingdonms, and commands his family as effortlessly as he command his 40,000 soldiers. As the head of the Lannister clan he forgoes providing emotional support in favor of both necessary and material resources.

A knight in the King’s guard, Jamie Lannister keeps himself as close to the king as he does his own family. Providing his sibling with emotional support, as well as family management, Jamie keeps the best interests of the Lannisters close at heart.

Married to the late King Baratheon, Cersei rules the Seven Kingdoms with her son. Determined not lose her kingdoms, Cersei assumes the role of nurturer for her children while still managing the affairs of the older Lanniesters.

“All dwarves are bastards in the eyes of their fathers.” Despite his sagacious ways, Tyrion Lannister is regarded as the black sheep of the family. In spite of this, Tyrion maintains his fidelity and works to not only manage family matters, but nurture the future king.

Role Functions Family Functions:

• Instrumental Provides resources

• Affective Provides emotional support

• Mixed Skill development and system maintenance

Despite their differences and varying roles, the Lannister children all assume an affective position in the life of another.

Family Secrets “Toxic secrets poison family

relationships (89).” Unless you’re one of the Lannisters. Then, they provide leverage. Defense secrets: protects

information from outsiders who might use it against family members (90).

Cersei Baratheon has more to fear from her own family than she does strangers.

Narratives Story

Fucntions:

• To remember and entertain

• Creates belonging and family identity

• Develops family culture

• Provides stability through generational connections

The Lannister uses narratives tool express degradation of another’s character.

Relational Maintenance: Parent and Child

Confirmation: communicates recognition and acceptance

Recognition: acknowledging the person’s existence

Dialogue: implies an interactive involvement between two people

Acceptance: avoids interpretations or judgments

Tywin Lannister and Cersei Baratheon are stark contrasts in their attempts at relational maintenance.

Relational Maintenance: Siblings Confirmation:

communicates recognition and acceptance

Recognition: acknowledging the person’s existence

Dialogue – implies an interactive involvement between two people

Acceptance – avoids interpretations or judgments

Even in adulthood, the Lannister siblings fail to successfully maintain their relationships in a positive manner.

Power Bases Normative Resources: family’s

values of who holds authority.

Economic Resources: monetary control

Affective Resources: who nurtures whom

Personal Resources: personality, physical appearance, role competence

Cognitive Resources: insight, influential reach of one's own power

Power “Every family

member’s power maneuver creates a system-wide effect. As one or more members exert power or respond to other’s power moves, the family system recalibrates itself” (180).

Decision Making

De Facto Decisions: decisions made without direct family approval but are made in order to keep the family functioning.

“Decision making, like power, is a process that belongs to the family system, not to an individual” (195).

De facto decisions appear to be the only type of decisions the Lannisters know how to make.

Conflict Competition:

demands high assertiveness and pursuing what is desired.

Works Cited Galvin, Kathleen M., Carma Lee

Bylund, and Bernard J. Brommel. Family communication: cohesion and change. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2012. Print.

Images from Google