Running head: CAREER TRANSITIONS IN MR.

MOM 1

Career Transitions in Mr. Mom: A Tale of Two Transitions

Rachel C. Sykes

Bridgewater State University

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Abstract

In the movie Mr. Mom (Dragoti, 1983), both lead characters experience their own career

changes, and progress through their transitions in different manners. This paper analyzes one

character using the Hopson and Adams’ model of adult transitions (1977), which provides a

framework for the stages adults experience when in a career transition (as cited in Sharf, 2013).

This seven-stage model permits flexibility with respect to an individual’s progression, and offers

insight into the relationship between each stage and mood and time. This paper also looks at

sexual harassment experienced by the other lead character, and uses a model proposed by Till

(2008) which seeks to classify the wide range of sexual and gender harassment behaviors (as

cited in Sharf, 2013).

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Career Transitions in Mr. Mom: A Tale of Two Transitions

Job loss can have a significant impact on an individual and his or her family. A person

that loses a job either voluntarily or involuntarily may experience negative consequences of job

loss, such as a loss of income or a loss of self-esteem, whereas others may rapidly transition to a

better position with improved compensation. In the 1983 movie Mr. Mom (Dragoti, 1983),

married couple Jack and Caroline Butler simultaneously face career transitions that unfold in

different ways. Where Jack experiences the severe shock of an unanticipated job loss, Caroline

makes a rapid and successful transition which is marred by issues of sexual harassment. This

paper analyzes these distinct career paths using the Hopson and Adams’ model of adult career

transitions (1977) and Till’s (1980) categorization framework for sexual harassment.

Jack: A Career Crisis

The movie introduces the primary impetus for change —Jack Butler, automotive engineer

and all-around good guy, loses his job due to furlough. When he first hears the news, he responds

with violence by assaulting his former supervisor. He and his fellow job-losers obviously go out

drinking before they all head home. Jack’s family, who has already heard his news,

demonstrates support and encouragement. While not all career changes are so traumatic, Jack’s

experience is one of crisis.

Hopson and Adams’ Model of Adult Transitions

Hopson and Adams’ (1977) model of adult transitions offers a flexible framework by

which to describe Jack’s experiences from losing his job, becoming a stay-at-home dad, dealing

with a moral crisis, and finally rejoining the workforce. Jack’s initial response upon being

furloughed is one of shock, as characterized by Hopson and Adams’ immobilization stage. Jack

remains in this stage for some time, and is characterized by an increasingly slovenly appearance
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and facial hair. In keeping with the immobilization stage, Jack appears overwhelmed,

particularly as he adopts the household responsibilities such as grocery shopping and cleaning.

He is uncomfortable with his new role and cannot accept his new identity as a stay-at-home dad.

As Jack attempts unsuccessfully to find a new job, he experiences the self-doubt stage,

which is marked by a range of emotions, including anxiety and anger. Jack’s anger is tangible in

his interactions with Caroline’s boss Ron. Upon their first meeting, Jack immediately changes

his clothes and comes into the house with a live chain saw to figuratively emasculate Ron. Jack

is also easily manipulated into joining the athletic competition at Caroline’s work party, where

he tries to demonstrate his virility to his family, and more importantly, to Ron. Jack struggles

with his change in employment status and seems to be unaware of how his actions are impacting

Caroline. For example, Caroline does not tell him that she was promoted at work, and then

minimizes her accomplishment, obviously to prevent from upsetting him.

Jack continues his progression through the model stages by entering the testing out phase,

when he finally has a positive attitude towards people and responsibilities. For example, Jack

hosts coupon-poker games with his group of “stay-at-home mom” friends, and exhibits expertise

with the household responsibilities, including grocery-shopping and pick-up/drop-off

responsibilities at school. He also shows signs of improved self-care when compared to his

slovenly appearance earlier in his transition. This change in appearance is used to convey that he

is beginning to accept his new identity as a stay-at-home parent.

Jack faces a further crisis when he believes his wife is having an affair with her boss, and

he is tempted into retaliating by having an affair with his attentive neighbor Joan. He overcomes

this temptation because he successfully progressed through his search for meaning stage and

transitioned into internalization. Jack shows that he has come to grips with his reality as a stay-
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at-home dad by demonstrating the ability to cope with his multiple crises, and even takes pride in

his accomplishments, as his wife did in similar circumstances. He resolves this

misunderstanding with his wife, and demonstrates maturity and personal growth when he finally

shows the support to his wife that she had always shown him.

The Hopson and Adams’ (1977) model is valuable as it emphasizes flexibility, which

permits analysis of a wider range of situations. This is useful, as not all people progress through

its stages in the same order, nor do they have to experience each level. This model offers a

sufficiently broad framework to encompass many behaviors and feelings but is also flexible

enough to accurately track a person’s unique progression. Jack’s progress was characterized by

much time and emotion spent in the immobilization and self-doubt stages, after which he moves

to the letting go stage, and concludes with search for meaning and internalization.

Caroline: Successful Career Transition and Sexual Harassment

When family breadwinner Jack loses his job, Caroline proposes she go back to work,

much to the obvious discomfort of her husband. She quickly lands a job, gets promoted, and

makes herself invaluable by impressing a demanding client. Her transition, as portrayed, was so

rapid and uncomplicated that it does not serve as a good use of Hopson and Adams’ (1977)

transition model. However, Caroline does experience gender and sexual harassment, which can

be analyzed in a framework proposed by Till (2008). Till’s model consists of 5 categories of

sexual harassment, where the categories are determined by severity, with level 1 being the least

severe, and level 5 being the most severe.

Characterizing Sexual Harassment by Category

When Caroline first begins working, she experiences Level I gender harassment as

described by Till (2008), when her boss Ron arrives at Caroline’s house to bring her to the
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airport for a business trip, Ron puts his hand on her shoulder and squeezes her, telling her how

nice she looks. At first, she does not express much distress at this transgression, and Ron repeats

this level I gender harassment again on the airplane, although this time, Caroline reminds him

that she is married. This depiction of inappropriate workplace behavior might offer the viewer

some insight into the work environment in the 1980s.

Later, Ron enters her hotel room without permission and attempts to have sex with her.

This behavior would align with both level I gender harassment characterized by verbal sexist

remarks, and level 5 sexual assault with Ron’s unlawful entry onto Caroline’s room and his

forcible attempts to grab and kiss her. Despite Caroline’s clear verbal objections and demands

for him to leave, Ron continues to pressure her until she resorts to violence and punches him.

Till’s (2008) model is relevant because it can be used to catalogue a wide range of

behavior. This in turn allows for clarity when discussing what can be an emotionally charged

topic. Eliminating confusion in terms may permit speakers to focus on constructive dialogue.

Perhaps the depiction of Caroline’s assertive method of dealing with this harassment—

punching her boss and quitting, after which she is then begged to return to work—is not

constructive, as many women in similar situations are not empowered to deal with workplace

transgressors so forcefully. Women who respond in such a direct manner should not expect to

receive apologies and pleas to return to work but instead may suffer in career progression or

perhaps with a job loss. A study by Gutek and Koss (1993) of 72 women engaged in litigation

regarding such harassment have categorized study participants’ emotional responses into four

categories 1: confusion and blame, 2: fear and anxiety, 3: depression and anger, and 4:

disillusionment (as cited in Sharf, 2013). Caroline, perhaps atypically, skips over confusion and
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blame, as well as fear and anxiety, and goes straight to anger. Her violent reaction is reminiscent

of Jack’s when he learns about his job loss.

Final Notes

This movie was released in the early 1980s, and society’s views on sexual harassment

and assault have changed since then. In the 1980s, society was more accepting of women facing

harassment and gender discrimination than today. I found the recent “me too#” movement both

frightening and empowering, as many individuals discussed these issues directly and gained a

sense of the pervasiveness of gender discrimination and abuse, including all forms of inequities

and sexual assault. However, the portrayal of job loss and change in this movie seem just as

relevant today as they were in the 1980s; some individuals who leave their jobs experience crisis,

whereas others may have a simpler transition.

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References

Loring, L. (Producer), Shuler, L. (Producer), Spelling, A. (Producer), Dragoti, S. (Director).

(1983). Mr. Mom [motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox.

Sharf, R.S. (2013). Applying career development theory to counseling, 6th Edition. Belmont,

CA: Cengage Learning.