No matter who you are I believe that everyone will go through stages in their life that will get them to where they are on today. I am a person who has a very interesting story; this is the first time it will be told in full. We were asked to use Erik Erikson’s theory of development as a guideline to telling the story of our lives. At first I was very nervous; however, I soon realized that this would be a fun task. Erik Erikson has eight stages of Development (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I will be walking you though my life using each one of his stages drawing out the map of my life. Within my life I have had some very interesting encounters. I have been through foster care, abuse, rape, molestation, starvation, adoption, depression, and success. Although my life may not be perfect, I believe that I have overcome these battles and become the person that I am on today. I will be talking about a few crises, milestones, and some of the people that were set in place to help me and or hurt me. At a young age I was put into foster care. This was something that I would have to say has both its ups and downs. I saw good days and there are other times that I would not see the day at all. I was subjected to abuse, neglect, and even love while in foster care. The reason I was but here is because my mother had too many children and was very abusive. My mother, Rose Brown, was hit by a car at a young age causing her to have several different mental health issues. By the time I was seven my mother had nineteen children. Because of her lack of ability to take care of her children my mother had to put us all in foster care. As time went on, being in foster care didn’t seem that bad. I thought that it would never end; however, it ended for me ... ... middle of paper ... ...care. I say this because I was trying to figure out who I could trust (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). I have been through the second stage as well; this stage is Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). This happened the most when I was very young and in foster care. I have seen myself go through several other stages as well. Now that I am looking back on my life I would have to say that I never gave up. I always pushed through everything that I had to. I am now at the point where I am trying to find love and success. I now believe that I am in the “Intimacy Versus Isolation Stage” (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman). My life may not have been perfect; however, I did experience the stages that I was supposed to according to Erickson. Works Cited Zastrow, C., and K. Kirst-Ashman. Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Brooks/Cole, print.
One of the biggest misconceptions that we have in our country is that foster care is a great thing; well, it’s not. There are so many flaws in our foster care system to even consider it a good idea. With constant reports of abuse, depression, lack of stability, to even the terrible after effects of the foster care system, like homelessness and incarceration; the foster care system hurts more than it helps. Our foster care system is bad for America, but most of all, our children.
This paper will contain research done about foster care, including a brief history and progressing along to the system today. This research interested me because it is a professional career option after graduation. I found both positives and negatives about the foster care system that children and foster parents go through on a daily basis. As the paper progresses I will be explaining these positives and negatives in more detail. Throughout the paper I will be referencing different scholarly sources that explain foster care in different ways. Overall, this paper will show different aspects that the general public may never know about foster care.
Addressing the needs of children in foster care has been an issue that has tried to be addressed in many ways. In 2001, approximately 300,000 children entered the foster care system, with the average time spent in placement equaling 33 months (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d.). Statistically, the longer a child is in the foster care system, the greater number of placements they will have, and instability increases each year (Bass Shields, & Behrman, n.d). I recently read a novel by a girl who was placed into the system at age two, and by age 12 she had already experienced 14 different placements (Rhodes-Courter, 2007). Stories such as this one are not uncommon in the foster care system, especially if the child is a member of a sibling group or
One thing that catches my attention during my research about foster care adoption I thought once the foster children find a home their suffering will come to an end but I was so wrong and learning more about their situation it open up my eyes to the other tragedy that will continue to follow them wherever home they go. Some kids even though they found a new
The song “Independence Day”, by Martina McBride, gives the account of an 8-year-old girl’s life, ravaged by her father’s alcoholism. The song ends when she is sent to “the county home,” leaving the listener to wonder, “What next?” A life in foster care is next for that little girl and many others like her. Over 530 thousand children were in foster care in 2009 (“Sexual Abuse: An Epidemic in Foster Care Settings?”). For these foster children, their stay in foster care will affect their future for the rest of their lives. Research proves that our country’s poor foster care system results in negative effects ranging from poverty and joblessness to psychological and physical problems. Programs centered on family preservation, stability, and preparation for the future will help these children later in life.
As of 2014, there were over 415,000 children in the foster care system. Foster care is the raising and supervision of children in a private home, group home, or institution, by individuals engaged and paid by a social service agency (Legal Dictionary, 2016). Care givers can be of kin relationship to the child, or may not know the child at all. Group homes are run by a social worker and can house multiple children at a time. These homes are usually regulated by the state and/or government. Children of all ages go through many emotions when their lives revolve in foster care. This paper will discuss the emotions children deal with regarding separation from birth family, the effects of abuse, and the possibility of having to transition out of
“About two-thirds of children admitted to public care have experienced abuse and neglect, and many have potentially been exposed to domestic violence, parental mental illness and substance abuse” (Dregan and Gulliford). These children are being placed into foster care so that they can get away from home abuse, not so they can move closer towards it. The foster children’s varied outcomes of what their adult lives are is because of the different experiences they grew up with in their foster homes. The one-third of those other foster children usually has a better outcome in adult life than the other two-thirds, which is a big problem considering the high percentage of children being abused in their foster homes. Although, the foster care system has most definitely allowed children to experience the positive home atmosphere that they need there is still an existed kind of abusive system in the foster care program that is unofficial but seems to be very popular. Foster care focuses on helping children in need of a temporary stable environment; however, foster care can have negative impacts to the children and the people around them concerning the foster child going through the transition, the parents of the foster child, a new sibling relationship, and problems that arrive later influencing the foster child long-term.
Erik Erikson developed eight psychosocial stages that occur through life. These stages help parents of younger children understand what the child is thinking and why they are acting the way that they do. For a person to become a well-rounded adult they need to succeed in each level. This essay will discuss the first six stages into young adulthood.
The woman given in this case study is not doing well. It is needless to say that she probably didn’t think that her life would end up this way. A woman of her age and a mother of two going through a divorce is always a stressful and complicated time. To make matters worse, this crisis in her life corresponds perfectly with a crisis in her faith life. My initial guess is that these two crises are not individual events, but rather that they are interrelated on a fundamental level. From the information given in this case study it would appear that this woman is experiencing developmental issues in two ways: her divorce and crumbling family life has thrust her into a psychosocial crisis of early adulthood, and the resulting crisis has revealed
...olation and loneliness. This is the stage that I am going through now and I believe that I am on track. I have friends and a boyfriend. My relationships are healthy, I know what I want to be and get out of life.
This assignment’s main focus will be centred on Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, which consists of eight stages however only the fifth stage ‘identity versus role confusion’ will be discussed. Aspects such as identity crises, exploration of autonomy whilst developing a sense of self, factors that may contribute to identity formation as well as the successful/unsuccessful resolution of this particular stage will be discussed thoroughly. Erikson’s theory was also expanded by James Marcia, who identified certain identity statuses. The discussion will then progress to the psychosocial development of a case study based on Anna Monroe in connection to the difficulties she faced, such as gender, sexuality, peer pressure,
82). As human beings, we are constantly encountering and resolving conflict events, which Erikson called developmental crisis. The approach we take to resolve these crises depends on the influences that are around us and the actions that we take. After examining each stage and my experiences with each one, I feel as if I have a better understanding of how I became the person I am today. My parents, family members, teachers, and coaches, along with all of the other people in my life, have helped me to create an identity for myself as I have moved through the stages of psychosocial development. Analyzing Erikson’s theory in this manner has granted me a better understanding of psychosocial development, which will be invaluable for my future career as an
Psychosocial development is development on a social realm. Psychosocial development is how one develops their mind, maturity level, and emotions over the course of one’s life. The rate of development depends on different factors such as biological processes as well as environmental factors. A man named Erik Erikson who was a psychoanalyst who believed that early childhood successes and failures were responsible for influencing later developmental stages developed this theory. Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development is based around the theory that social experience has an impact over an entire lifespan. There are eight stages developmental stages of development in the psychosocial theory and I will briefly examine all eight stages in this
Human development describes the life stages of human beings that progress from birth to death. This essay will use theorists Erik Erikson and Daniel Levinson to compare early adulthood to middle adulthood focusing on their physical, cognitive, and social development. The essay will also define stress and discuss the best ways to cope with stress.
Erikson’s first stage of development is the Trust versus Mistrust stage that occurs from birth till the first 18 months of life. According to Erickson this is the period in which infants develop a sense of trust or mistrust, depending largely on how well their caregivers meet their needs (Feldman). During this stage of my life I was being taken care of by both Mom and Dad, but primarily by Mom. My mom was a stay at home parent while my dad worked. Both my