This paper attempts to perceive the Tenenbaum family through interactions with each family member and describe the reasons for certain behaviors using patterns observed in research studies conducted on families. It theorizes that the family dysfunction present in the Tenenbaum family originates from Royal Tenenbaum's absence and his wife's pressure on her children to become intellectual geniuses and talented individuals. The occurrence of these factors causes the adult Tenenbaum children to become stagnated in childlike states of mind, unable to cope with their emotions. First, the paper notes the family systems theory created by Murray Bowen. This theory is used to focus on the interlocking relationships between the family rather than individual characteristics. This allows the family to be described in terms of association with each family member. Royal Tenenbaum's separation from his family is described as a cause for his children's sense of abandonment and loss of self-esteem. Etheline Tenenbaum furthers the blow by being overbearing on her children's future success instead of giving them time to be youthful. As a response to their parent's treatments, the children fail to learn to live independently and are forced to move back home to learn how. Triangling between Margot and Richie Tenenbaum occurs as a method to reduce the tension between their relationship. Finally, Royal Tenenbaum plays a role in reversing the dysfunction of the family, proving that he had been the cause of the discord. Wes Anderson is a modern day filmmaker whose movies often observe interactions in dysfunctional family units. In Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums, the source of family dysfunction derives from the absence of Royal Tenenbaum and Etheline Tenenbaum's push on their children to succeed, leading to a childlike state in adulthood and the inability to cope with emotions. Through the family systems theory proposed by Murray Bowen and other research studies on separated parents, the behavior patterns witnessed in the Tenenbaum children are described as being a natural reaction. Finally, as a way to depict how Royal caused the dysfunction, Anderson reverses it through the change and growth of Royal's character, revealing that the parents are the support system for the family; when they fail to fill their role, it causes the children to have psychological problems. The Tenenbaum family resides in a five-story house in Manhattan. The household is made up of Royal Tenenbaum, the father, Etheline Tenenbaum, the mother, and their children Chas Tenenbaum, Richie Tenenbaum, and adopted daughter Margot Tenenbaum. According to Murray Bowen, the family must be viewed as a unit or "a network of interlocking relationships" (Kerr and Bowen p. ix). If a family was observed as individuals in a household, then the observations would only serve its purpose as a study of an individual person. By categorizing a family as a network, the interactions within the family can be described in relativity to the other family members. "The thoughts, feelings, and behavior of each family member both contributes to and reflects what is occurring in the family as a whole  (Kerr and Bowen 166). For example, when Chas moves back home, Margot hears of it and decides that she too will move back into her childhood home even though she is married. At this same time, Richie returns from his travels. This behavior of moving back into their mother's home reveals that the family is dependent on each other to the point where they cannot operate independently. "There is a strong relationship between the transfer of general and emotional help and close proximity between adult children and their mothers  (Compton and Pollack). The children rely on their old home as a place where they exhibit their talents. Before moving back home, Margot had fallen into a depressive state whereas she locked herself in the bathroom and refused to see anyone. She stopped writing her acclaimed plays. Yet by the end of the film, she has begun to write again. The same happens to Chas; following the death of his wife in a tragic plane crash, Chas has been living in a frustrated and panicked state of mind that he carries on to his two young sons, Ari and Uzi, forcing them to go through evacuation drills of their house and daily fitness exercises. By moving back home, Chas learns to let go and live. Richie also experiences the importance of family and setting when he learns to voice his feelings. The dysfunction existed in the family because the members influenced each other in negative ways. "The chil