--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So much of great American drama has been…" description: "\"So much of great American drama has been about a certain kind of dysfunctional family, and maybe my interests are in the kind of strange dysfunction th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/stephen-karam-10010_certain_so-much-of-great-american-drama-has-been_3027093.jpg" --- # So much of great American drama has been about a certain… ![“So much of great American drama has been about a certain kind of dysfunctional family, and maybe my interests are in the kind of strange dysfunction that exists even among deeply functional families.” quote by Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/stephen-karam-10010_certain_so-much-of-great-american-drama-has-been_3027093.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/stephen-karam-10010_certain_so-much-of-great-american-drama-has-been_3027093.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/stephen-karam-10010_certain_so-much-of-great-american-drama-has-been_3027093.jpg) > “So much of great American drama has been about a certain kind of dysfunctional family, and maybe my interests are in the kind of strange dysfunction that exists even among deeply functional families.” [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He explores dysfunction within seemingly functional families, highlighting hidden complexities. **In simple terms:** Even functional families have hidden dysfunction. Key Takeaway Explore underlying family dynamics. Themes family dysfunction drama Mood thoughtful introspective Type dramatic analytical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - family reunions - scriptwriting - social research Key Concepts Psychology narrative Questions to Reflect On - What unseen issues exist in your family? - How does hidden dysfunction affect behavior? A Different Perspective May overgeneralize families. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-drama-915421/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Dysfunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunction/) [Dysfunction Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunction-exists-2330822/) [Dysfunctional family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dysfunctional-family/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Great american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-american/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Dysfunctional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-dysfunctional-2936013/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Dysfunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-dysfunction-4928025/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of the dysfunction that exists underneath the surface of a lot of big business corporations is really profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-pasdar/a-lot-of-the-dysfunction-that-exists-underneath-the-surface-of-a-lot/) [Adrian Pasdar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-pasdar/) > [It seems like all the sitcoms on now, the families are kind of dysfunctional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-nealon/it-seems-like-all-the-sitcoms-on-now-the-families-are-kind-of/) [Kevin Nealon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-nealon/) > [“Families living in dysfunction seldom have healthy boundaries. Dysfunctional families have trouble knowing where they stop and others begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/families-living-in-dysfunction-seldom-have-healthy-boundaries/) [David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/) > [“We are in the era of dysfunctional relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/we-are-in-the-era-of-dysfunctional-relationships/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“One needn't stop dysfunction; just evince and reflect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-harglesis/one-needn-t-stop-dysfunction-just-evince-and-reflect/) [Andy Harglesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-harglesis/) > [“And could you, from a place of love, actually stand up and, use force, to give someone back, the suffering, they were trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-scott-mcleod/and-could-you-from-a-place-of-love-actually-stand-up-and-use-force-to/) [T. Scott McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-scott-mcleod/) > [“It is very difficult to develop a proper sense of self-esteem in a dysfunctional family. Having very little self-worth, looking at one’s own character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/it-is-very-difficult-to-develop-a-proper-sense-of-self-esteem-in-a/) [David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle-lpc-love-is-not-enough/) > [Whereas Absurdism in Europe seemed a logical, almost inevitable response to the irrationality of war, the analogous elements that surfaced in American drama seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-aronson/whereas-absurdism-in-europe-seemed-a-logical-almost-inevitable/) [Arnold Aronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-aronson/) > [I think American drama is at its best when it takes the domestic and makes it epic, like a Greek tragedy in the front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-duff/i-think-american-drama-is-at-its-best-when-it-takes-the-domestic-and/) [Anne-Marie Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-duff/) > [After having struggled through some close friends' and family members' battles with cancer, I wanted to create an American drama about the experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/after-having-struggled-through-some-close-friends-and-family-members/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [One would like to say in the aftermath of the 2008 election that everyone lived happily ever after. But the American drama, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rich/one-would-like-to-say-in-the-aftermath-of-the-2008-election-that/) [Frank Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rich/) > [I'm not one of these people who say how much better American drama is than English. I find it mostly too American, except for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-m-not-one-of-these-people-who-say-how-much-better-american-drama-is/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I think there is a long exploration in American drama of women in particular who, by force of circumstances or because they are predisposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-there-is-a-long-exploration-in-american-drama-of-women-in/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [“With gratitude, I have become a healing balm to thousands of people, if not more, who have suffered child abuse, sibling abuse, a dysfunctional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-arcuri-ctrc/with-gratitude-i-have-become-a-healing-balm-to-thousands-of-people-if/) [Dana Arcuri CTRC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-arcuri-ctrc/) > [“A dysfunctional family makes for great writing -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rose/a-dysfunctional-family-makes-for-great-writing/) [Angela Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rose/) ## More by Stephen Karam > [I've always viewed 'Sons of the Prophet' as the first part of a larger trilogy - not three plays dependent on each other but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-ve-always-viewed-sons-of-the-prophet-as-the-first-part-of-a-larger/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Until I have a family or a mortgage, I'm trying to keep my lifestyle simple and my apartment affordable so that I can continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/until-i-have-a-family-or-a-mortgage-i-m-trying-to-keep-my-lifestyle/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I worry that I will lose control over the projects I get to work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-worry-that-i-will-lose-control-over-the-projects-i-get-to-work-on/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't think I could write a good play if I was setting out to write about the death of the American middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-think-i-could-write-a-good-play-if-i-was-setting-out-to-write/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Under Todd Haimes' leadership, Roundabout created a black-box theater whose sole mission was to house premieres by writers who are just starting out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/under-todd-haimes-leadership-roundabout-created-a-black-box-theater/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I didn't quite fit in in any particular, specific way. I was a gay teenager who was into drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-didn-t-quite-fit-in-in-any-particular-specific-way-i-was-a-gay/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm still learning so much with every play I write. So I wrestle with word choice, rhythm in final drafts. I think you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-still-learning-so-much-with-every-play-i-write-so-i-wrestle-with/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I'm always very self-conscious and assume the way faith or religion might come up in my plays will seem very harsh to people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-m-always-very-self-conscious-and-assume-the-way-faith-or-religion/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [To be totally honest, I thought I would have a Broadway debut in the distant, distant future, maybe in my 60s or 70s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/to-be-totally-honest-i-thought-i-would-have-a-broadway-debut-in-the/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Coming home for me isn't, like, one family dinner. It's about am I gonna see 50 relatives, or am I gonna see 85?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/coming-home-for-me-isn-t-like-one-family-dinner-it-s-about-am-i-gonna/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [When you're the artsy, weirdo, introverted outsider growing up, you don't fit into your community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/when-you-re-the-artsy-weirdo-introverted-outsider-growing-up-you-don/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Writing plays for me is often an act of looking at basement-level fears in terms of where they come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/writing-plays-for-me-is-often-an-act-of-looking-at-basement-level/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [I don't come from a family of artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/i-don-t-come-from-a-family-of-artists/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [ Suddenly you're at church and you hear someone pray, "For gays and lesbians, that they might realize their \[sins\]…" That's happening less and less… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/suddenly-you-re-at-church-and-you-hear-someone-pray-for-gays-and/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [Janet Carroll and Robert Pine, Chris Pine's dad, were in my first play, and they were so astonishingly good, I felt it raised my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/janet-carroll-and-robert-pine-chris-pine-s-dad-were-in-my-first-play/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) [Explore all 68 Stephen Karam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. 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It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. 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