In 1980, Arlene Skolnick's "The Paradox of Perfection" was published in Wilson Quarterly around the time when the "ideal family" was highly regarded. The article expresses the idea that the perfect family dose not exist. This essay is a prime example of how society views on what a family should be, subconsciously affects the behavior and attitude of the average family. As a psychologist from University of California, Skolnick presents her views through a series of historical contexts and statistics. Skolnick ironically exemplifies through the media that the picture perfect family is nothing more than a myth; in other words she uses the media concepts of a family as a foothold to convey her thoughts.

Although the article was written more than 20 years ago, Skolnick views projects a future representation of society and how their portrayal of the "ideal family" has not change. The essay covers an array of...