Analysis of Case Study from a Perspective of Human Development Essays

Analysis of Case Study from a Perspective of Human Development Essays Analysis of Case Study from a Perspective of Human Development Essay Analysis of Case Study from a Perspective of Human Development Essay Analysis of Case Study from a Perspective of Human Development across the Life Span From the angle that the case study has been presented, I as the school’s social worker have been tasked to look into the case of â€Å"Yasmin† a previously high achieving student who has recently been scoring low grades and is reportedly moody. We have been informed that she lives with her mother and five other siblings. Their ages were not presented, and as such, we will be conducting this analysis on the assumption that her mother is in her fifties, her eldest brother in his twenties, her elder sister in her late adolescence (17 – 18 yrs), and that her younger siblings are in primary school. Much of our analysis will be based on Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Development [1950; 1968]. Analysis amp; Assessments Yasmin was â€Å"abandoned† by her biological father soon after her birth, at a stage of life where an infant would normally be going through the stage of â€Å"Trust VS Mistrust† as defined by Erikson [1950; 1968]. This is generally a period of time where â€Å"Caregivers comprise the infant’s main Microsystem [Bronfenbrenner, 1977], and through the nature and quality of their interactions, influence his/her perception and understanding of the world as either safe or fearful†. [Sugarman, 2005] Erikson [1950] mirrors that perspective, and states that the major emphasis for the child is the need for the mother’s positive and loving care, and if this need is not met, the child will move into a state of â€Å"Mistrust† where she would develop deep seated self-esteem issues, and a sense that the future may not be as stable as hoped. With the knowledge that Yasmin’s father abandoned the family at this juncture in time, we may need to make the assumption that Yasmin’s mother may not have been in the right state either mentally or emotionally to care for her newborn child. This coupled with the fact that her mother was the only caregiver present; Yasmin probably did not get adequate attention and care, and may likely have developed a negative self concept, and may harbour an abnormal view of the world. Yasmin’s mother soon remarried, and she gained a new father figure in her life. The support of this new caregiver may explain how she matured into a student who was capable of doing very well in school; her teachers called her â€Å"bright†. One may make the assumption that her step-father was supportive and played a huge role in her development bringing security into her insecure world. As such, Yasmin would have probably developed a strong attachment [Bowlby, 1988] to her step-father. At this juncture, she would have been going through what Erikson [1950] defined as the stage of â€Å"Autonomy VS Shame†, where her parents being newly married with a new sense of hope would have worked to develop her in terms of right and wrong, giving her the autonomy to make her own decisions. This would have been further reinforced when her younger siblings were born. By then, Yasmin would probably have already transited into what Erikson [1950] defined as the â€Å"Play Age†, one of â€Å"Initiative VS Guilt†. We can make the assumption that although parental attention would have waned at this juncture, the play and interactions she would have built with her younger siblings would have further strengthened her development. She likely would have been given the opportunity to take the initiative to at times care for her younger siblings, identifying her â€Å"social role† as one of the elder sister, further growing her in terms of confidence. However, her step-father’s recent death must have affected her greatly. As earlier stated, she may have likely seen him as the one who brought her out of her â€Å"rut†, and was probably very attached to him. His death would have been a huge blow to her, and her deep seated esteem issues from her infancy may have resurfaced. At this juncture, she would have just entered into adolescence, a period where she would undergo huge changes both in the physical and socioemotional domains, and would be faced with the major developmental task of creating an identity for herself in the transition to adulthood, her â€Å"personality† so as to speak [Perkins, 2008]. Erikson [1968] defined this as a period of â€Å"Identity VS Role Confusion†, whereby she would be faced with further developmental tasks or discovering herself as an individual, separating herself from her family, achieving new and more mature relations with her peers, and to establish a â€Å"life’s philosophy† [Harder, 2009], in other words finding her meaning and calling. This is a turning point in her life, a period whereby she is confronted by the need to re-establish boundaries for herself and to do this in the face of an often potentially hostile world. [Richard, 1983] and at this juncture her academic success may likely contribute greatly to her formation of identity. She has probably gravitated towards the stage of â€Å"role confusion† whereby the sudden loss of a father figure and breadwinner in the family, coupled with the sudden stigma of being poor, negative choices made by elder role models and the likely withdrawal of her mother have caused her to lose her self-esteem, to question what is right and wrong, and to go on a search for acceptance; leading her into a state of â€Å"moratorium† [Erikson, 1968] where she has chosen to seek the influence of her peers (however negative their behaviours are). This has caused a change in behaviour (eg. the defiance at home, and academic failure) [Kwok, et al, 2008]. Yasmin’s Mother upon being interviewed has informed us that she is depressed and does not know where to turn. She is very affected (assumption) by her husband’s death and the behaviour of her two older children, and does not think she can do anything about Yasmin’s grades. She is likely finding it difficult just holding everything together. She is working as a cleaner at night and (assumption) spends the day taking care of the younger siblings. This is a period in her life that she herself is going through what Erikson [1950] defines as the period of â€Å"Generativity VS Self Absorption† where her most major developmental task is to transmit culturally accepted values to her family [Harder, 2002]. Other important tasks may include maintaining the family’s standard of living, and assisting her children with transition into adulthood, and basic parenting [Lachman, 2001]. These tasks however are not being fulfilled in this case. With the loss of her husband, she may be finding it difficult to put food on the table having to work late into the night, let alone transmit values to and assist her children with transition into adulthood. She is probably moving into the stage of â€Å"Self Absorption† whereby she is beginning to become more absorbed by â€Å"her own† problems, and would rather dwell on them instead of taking action in regards to her children’s issues. Yasmin’s Elder Brother has recently been charged with housebreaking, and is facing incarceration. He is in his twenties and in Erikson’s [1968] definition, is in the life stage of â€Å"Intimacy amp; Solidarity VS Isolation†. A period whereby he is faced with the task of finding mutually satisfying, intimate relationships, however, this is also a trying period for him; Erikson describes intimacy as â€Å"finding oneself yet losing oneself in another†, and one can assume that both he and his younger sister took up the responsibilities of filling in as the â€Å"father and mother† of the family when their biological mother could not. Finding himself in the newly vacant position of â€Å"family head†, and wanting to solidify the relationships within his family, he (assumption) attempts to fill the financial need of his family by any means possible, ultimately leading to his housebreaking charge. Looking into his own childhood, we also see that he and his second sibling both experienced their father walking out on the family while they were still in school, during what Erikson defined as the period of â€Å"Industry VS Inferiority†. Being fatherless, both likely may have grown to believe that they were inadequate and inferior to their peers, resulting in deep seated negative self-concepts. Sugarman [2005] also explains that young adults who live in economic deprivation may see â€Å"work† as unattainable. These factors likely played a part in his choice to commit a crime with the intention of financial gain, believing that he would not be able to find proper job. Yasmin’s Older Sister is assumed to be in her late adolescence, a period whereby she is faced with the challenge of â€Å"Identity VS Role Confusion† [Erikson, 1968]. On one hand, she is an average teenager, going through polytechnic and gaining an education. On the other, she doubles up as a â€Å"parent† at home, filling the role that her mother is beginning to relinquish. This role reversal together with the sudden stigma of being poor, has caused her to become confused in her identity creation process and has (assumption) probably led to her belief that like her brother, she will need to step up and provide for her family by any means possible, ultimately leading to her dropping out of school in search of work. Little is known about Yasmin’s Younger Siblings except for the assumption that they are in primary school, and that they are probably in the stage that Erikson [1950] defines as â€Å"Industry VS Inferiority†. A very social stage whereby the major developmental task is to build significant relationships with peers in school and in the neighbourhood, and feelings of inadequacy and inferiority may cause problems in the development of competence and esteem [Harder, 2009] Evaluation amp; Intervention As a school social worker, little can be done on our part regarding Yasmin’s older siblings. We can however, intervene in the dimensions that involve Yasmin herself. These dimensions or rather systems that we have influence over are in Bronfenbrenner’s [1979] terms, the Microsystem, which involve Yasmin’s school, peers, parent and teachers, and the Mesosystem, which involves interaction between Microsystems. Being the school’s social worker, my immediate action would be to focus on Yasmin’s academic success, mainly affected by her current grades and peer group. Knowing that stress has negative effects on self-esteem, which in turn, may lead to risky behaviours in adolescents [Kwok, et al, 2008], focus should be placed on relieving the stress caused by stigma and her family’s low income. This could be facilitated by assisting her mother in applying for educational financial assistance with the school, which will assist the family in the area of Yasmin’s school fees and textbooks. Financial assistance regarding Yasmin’s daily sustenance can also be actualised by applying for the Straits Times’ School Pocket Money Fund. Refer to references It is also my proposal that Yasmin’s teachers and peers be involved as well, as Yasmin being an adolescent has a strong need for acceptance. Having teachers that can act as friends and mentors instead of just educators and disciplinarians can make all the difference; they may be able to encourage and edify Yasmin, working on her strengths and building up her self-esteem; and guide her into making proper peer choices. As Bill Cosby once said, â€Å"Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future†, the peers that surround Yasmin have an integral part to play in her success. As such, it is also my recommendation that the school activate the student council to play â€Å"big brother and big sister† to Yasmin, providing her with a group of peer leaders that she can look to for support and acceptance. Yasmin will also be involved in the school’s â€Å"Time Out Programme† [MOE, 2008] for at-risk students. Her teachers and I will also need to work with her mother to help her understand the needs of her children, and to involve her in Yasmin’s educational journey. Being the school social worker, I would also ensure that Yasmin is accountable for her wn growth and schedule regular sessions where Yasmin can confide and â€Å"check in† with me regarding her progress. As for Yasmin’s family, we may be able to refer them to a nearby Family Services Centre, where they would be able to apply for financial assistance. My referral will also specifically identify the need for family counselling, as there is a need to reorganize the family’s current dynamics, and for specific help to be provided for Yasmin’s older siblings in the areas of career and educational guidance. Yasmin’s younger siblings will also need financial assistance in regards to their education. nbsp;