Human Growth And Development Analysis

tender-hearted Growth And Development AnalysisAs a kind c be worker I comport ofttimes learned through trial and error what whole kit in the real world, basing my practice on common-sense and not on abstract theories. But I visualise my views are often based on opinion and prejudice rather than evidence-based, peer-reviewed knowledge and as Beckett suggests, our take in theories and estimations ab expose why people are as they are and be pay back as they behave, are commonly quite inconsistent and arbitrary, based on our own live and on our own rents (Beckett, 20028).Human growth and discipline theory is concerned with understanding how people grow and change through come to the fore their lives, from the merry earliest tips to old age, and at that placefore is essential for in miscellaneaing genial work practice. The theory mint be applied to a variety of areas within compassionate life-time and conduct including fond, cultural, emotional and psychological, and also, moral, intellectual, spiritual and biological viewpoints. In this assignment I impart focus on the psychological and cultural significance of the stages of development in relation to a 12 year old in foster care.Jake, a triple heritage British male, was taken into care 4 unyielding time ago following him being remove from his perplex Maggie an African Caribbean female aged 32. Jake and Maggie lived in a 3rd floor, 2 bashroom level in an area where drug dealing and drug equald crime is common place. In can bedroom he had a plastic box for his clothes and mattress on the bare floor with a bucket for a toilet as Maggie would lock him in his room when she went out. Maggie had been using drugs for m any years and her previous partner (Jakes father) introduced her to heroin 5 years ago. She quickly became addicted and the race broke take brusquely afterwards. Jakes father has not had any relate or attempted to make contact since the break up. Jake and Maggie had been kn own to Social Services as Maggie was a victim of domestic violence and worn-out(a) 4 months in a womens refuge.Jake has had a number of placement breakdowns and has been un qualified to form any fasteners with any of the foster carers. Jake would often defecate around the house and his last placement broke-down because Jake defecated in the foster carers bed then went on to smear their bedroom walls. Jake displayed tighties in using a knife and fork and would often get frustrated and either eat with a spoon or his hands. Maggie had been diagnosed as suffering from a severe depression, worsened by her drug addiction. It is thought that whilst Maggie was going through a depressive episode she would physiologically abuse Jake. Jake was often left on his own for long periods whilst Maggie would be out in appear of drugs. When she returned home Jake was subjected to emotional abuse and was often blamed by Maggie for their situation.Jake has been in the fostering system for a number of years and in that time he has not formed any meaningful alliances. Whilst in placement Jake disclosed events and thoughts which alerted foster carers to the fact that there may be some unresolved issues that need to be addressed before Jake can move on with his own growth and development. Jake would often turn to pulling his hair and banging his head on the wall if he felt he had make something wrong and was going to be blamed for it. For example, when he accidentally breaking a cup. Jake is being assessed by CAMHs as he has been displaying behaviour that indicates there may be an underlying depressive mental wellness problem. Theories of human development have produced explanations about the origins of mental disorder in the areas of psycho-analysis and child psychology, from the early grand theories of Freud and Bowlby and win developed by Klein and Ainsworth.Freud saw psychodynamic theory as a more than informative imitate in relating past psychological events to presen t day symptoms. Freud believed behaviour is not ruled by conscious processes notwithstanding conflicting unconscious processes, he saw a persons psychological processes involving counteracting forces competing in an intra psychic conflict, a imagination shared by more theorists of human growth and development. In Freuds instance a child starts life with specific sanctioned instinctual of necessity, such as for food or sexual gratification. Internally, the id continually seeks to meet these needs, period the ego mediates between the desires of the id and the restraints of the external world, particularly the demands of significant and powerful adults in the childs life, such as his m opposite and teachers. According to Freud these adult figures are eventually internalised in the form of the superego, or adult conscience. The childs ego attempts to negotiate the competing demands placed upon him, create his own distinct personality and progressing to adulthood (Freud, 1949).E riksons psychosocial stages of development have Freudian psychodynamic origins. The idea that unconscious processes cause conflict within humans is also central to Eriksons theory. His staged development model is based on the idea that these intra-psychic conflicts occur throughout our lives and need to be resolved satisfactorily if we are to avoid psychological distress and mental illness (Erikson, 1995). Eriksons psychosocial theory of human development builds on Freuds psychodynamic model, only while Erikson accepts ideas, such as the unconscious, he rejects concepts of the personality which are described exclusively in footing of sexuality. Again, like Freud, Erikson believed childhood was central in the development of personality, but that the personality continued to develop beyond the age of five (Erikson, 1995).Eriksons psychosocial model describes eight stages from infancy and adulthood. At each stage a person encounters new challenges. If they are not successful in meeti ng these challenges, they may reappear as problems in the future. However, while each stage presents new challenges, they also provide opportunities to deal with the unresolved issues. In Eriksons model there is no assumption that one stage has to be fully completed or that the roughly favourable outcome has to be achieved before moving on. In fact, he acknowledges that it is likely that everyone will have unresolved issues from previous stages and there is a favourable ratio between favourable and unfavourable outcomes (Erikson, 1987). However, the more unresolved issues carried forward, will impede successful progressionan unfavourable outcome in one stage makes it more difficult to meet fully the challenge of the next stage (Beckett, 200642).Eriksons model proposes a firstborn stage that involves establishing a sense of trust (0 1 yrs.). If partly or in all unsuccessful at this stage, then it will be more difficult to achieve a sense of familiarity at the next stage (1 3 yr s.), and then more difficult still to develop a susceptibility for initiative in the next stage (3 5 yrs). The next stage in Eriksons model (6 11 yrs) involves establishing a sense of competence and achievement, confidence in ones own ability to make and do things (Beckett, 2006 43). It is difficult to conclude how successful Jake was able to negotiate previous stages, however it has been suggested that despite adversities some children are able to develop reasonably well-adjusted personalities demonstrating resilience and normal development under difficult circumstances (Crawford Walker, 2003 48). one of the weaknesses of Freuds and Eriksons theories of human growth and development using stages as the model, is the underlying assumption that everyones lives follow these particular additive lines, and that we all, more or less, achieve the same milestones at the same time. However, we know this is rarely the case. It appears, for instance, that these theories were based solely on a bloodless, male Eurocentric model, and do not consider specifically customs from other cultures or perspective. Baltes (1987), for example, suggests human development is multidimensional, involving biological, cognitive and social dimensions, and multidirectional, not to be viewed as a integrity fixed route which represents the norm, but as periods of varying growth and differing paths.Bowlby differs from Freud in that he saw an attachment between child, and mother or unproblematic attachment figure (which may differ according to the social and cultural background of family), as an essential need in itself and not simply to meet basic needs, such as, food and sex Mother love in infancy and childhood is as of the essence(predicate) for mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health (Bowlby, 1953). Attachment theorists maintain that the way we relate to other people through our lives is influenced significantly by our first relationship with our mother or par ticular attachment figure (Howe, 1995 Howe et al, 1999). They suggest, like Erikson and Freud, that many problems in adulthood stem from unresolved issues in these early attachment relationships and these early relationships can bring to pass an adults ability to form relationships, to parent, to deal with loss, and influence mental health in adulthood (Bowlby, 1990). While accepting oftentimes of his work, critics of Bowlby cl butt he placed too much emphasis on the child/mother relationship and suggest children may form several attachments which can be equally important (Rutter, 1981 Fahlberg 1991). However, children who experience scathe are sometimes unable to progress without repressing or closing down part of their conscious awareness of these events. We can imagine Jake needing to shut out his experiences of childhood neglect and, according to Freud, automatically and unconsciously repress the events of neglect and abuse. We can see how city block out these unresolved is sues could emerge in the form of depression at some point in the future. There is evidence of the social origins of depression in women, suggesting that specific life events, losses and major long term problems, such as childhood abuse, are significant causes of depression (Brown Harris, 1978). I feel that this surpass reflects Maggies current situation.We can imagine Jake experiencing a sense of loss or maternal deprivation (Crawford Walker, 2003) when confront with his mothers depression. This is a common emotional reaction in carers of adults with depression, the seemingly most central and common experience was the feeling that the person they had known who had become ill had gone away they had become someone elsethere is the loss of the person that was, and secondly, and more complexly, there is the experience of the loss of the previous possibilities (Jones, 1996 98-99). Although Maggie may have go through depression continuously before Jakes birth, it is more probable that she had periods of respite when her capacity for emotional ardor and attentiveness to her sons needs was greater than during times of relapse. The difference in the consistency and intensity of a childs attachment relationships is considered an important factor by a number of attachment theorists (Ainsworth, 1973).The theories of human growth and development discussed higher up suggest that Jakes experience of abuse as a child may prevent him from developing into a mentally healthy adult. He may have automatically and unconsciously repressed the trauma of these events, only to experience the mental distress of depression in the future. Jake may have experienced physical abuse from an early age and failed to successfully achieve a sense of trust or autonomy or develop a capacity for initiative while growing up. Even relatively short periods of physical abuse at crucial stages may have placed severe pressures on his relationship with his mother. Jake may have only known his mother as depressed, but their relationship may have determined Jakes future capacity to form relationships, for instance, with foster carers or at school with friends and teachers.The regularity of intervention in Jakes life could be usefully informed by research that cogitate mental distress with experiences of powerlessness. It has been suggested that mental distress may be seen as extreme internalisations of powerlessness placing a paralysing power both over those who may experience such forms of distress, and those who share their lives (Tew, 2005 72). Using social models, Tew suggests two complementary ways to understand mental distress, internalisation or acting out of nerve-racking social experiences and a coping or survival strategyto deal with particular painful or stressful experiences (Tew, 2005 20).A persons mental health needs may, to a certain effect, be determined by their social status of certain social groups that experience systematic oppression (Fernando, 1995 Gomm , 1996). Oppression, exclusion and powerlessness are the central themes of many social models of mental health needs, related to structural inequalities in impairment of age, gender, race and class and so on, and involving families in terms of abuse. As social workers we occupy a relatively powerful position and may collude with the systematic oppression of mordant people with mental health needs Factors such as oppression, injustice, social exclusion or abuse at the hands of powerful others may be concerned in the sequences of events that lead up to many peoples experiences of mental and emotional breakdown. Power issues may also shape the reactions that people receive from professionals and the wider community-for example, evidence suggests that African-Caribbean people may be more likely than many white groups to be dealt with more coercively (Tew, 2005 71).When coming to a stage where we may be better able to understand Jakes current circumstances and making initial judgments about the type of intervention most rough-and-ready in this case, we need to recognise the limitations of our insights and avoid the pitfalls of making uncritical assumptions. Tew suggests that empowerment can be an inviolate part in the process of Jakes recovery. He outlines a model of power in terms of protection and co-operation and oppressive and collusive In its more negative forms (oppressive or collusive power) it may be seen to play a role in constructing social situations which contribute to distress or breakdownin its more positive forms (protective or co-operative power) it starts to define the territory for effective confederacy working, anti-oppressive practice and the enabling of recovery and social inclusion (Tew, 2005, p. 86).According to the psychodynamic model of human growth, Jake may have grown up with many intra-psychic conflicts which may be emerging in the form of a neurotic or reactive depression. He may have many conscious and unconscious needs which she has suppressed and repressed. In denying and blocking out the fulfilment of these needs, he may have shut down areas of his consciousness which allows him to experience emotion act with others in a spontaneous way or experience fulfilling close and intimate relationships with carer and their spouse. Depending on the extent of physical abuse he encountered during his upbringing, it would be reasonable to assume that he may have been completely or partly unsuccessful in achieving a capacity for trust with his parent achieving autonomy or developing a capacity for taking initiative, as described in Eriksons psychosocial model. For these reasons, it seems likely he will have failed to maintain a healthy, consistent and sustained relationship with his mother or other primary attachment figure in the abusive situation he found himself.Intervention must aim to address issues of power and powerlessness, both in the foster carer/child relationship and outside it. As a man, as a person with mental health needs, and as a member of a black or minority ethnic group, Jake may experience oppression, abuse and social exclusion. To address these issues elements of empowerment and partnership should be part of the approach with an intervention designed to address Jakes mental health needs should involve building on his efforts to achieve his own full potential. This will include his ability to form and maintain healthy relationships with others, that would lessen any dependence on formal agencies and develop an alternative kickoff of positive support and increase social inclusion.