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Culture sensitive social work research
Culture and interpersonal relationships
Culture sensitive social work research
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GENOGRAM: HERNANDEZ FAMILY
In this week four assignment, my focus is directed to the Hernandez family. I will present a genogram of the Hernandez family and subsequently identify an element that influences the manner in which Juan and Elena address their presenting concern with their social worker. Additionally, I will explain how the presented genogram may help me as a social work professional to successfully address the needs of the Hernandez family.
The Hernandez family comprises of the Juan, age 27, Elena, age 25, and their two sons, Juan Jr, age 8, and Alberto, age 6. Concerns were raised regarding child abuse allegations after Juan Jr. disclosed a punishment method his parents used while he was speaking to a school social worker.
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As Juan mentioned in the case study, he very much regretted having to drop out of high school and he harbored significant resentment towards his father because of that. Elena also experienced her own unique difficulty as well, revealing to the social worker that as a child she was often held to adult standards while she was still very young.
This is where I believe the choice theory and both social and emotional intelligence are applicable all applicable to varying degrees in this family system. The pictures formed in the minds of both Juan and Elena relating to their expectations of their children’s behavior are incongruent with Juan Jr. and Alberto’s normal childhood development. As Glasser (1984, p. 32) asserts “all our behavior is our constant attempt to reduce the difference between what we want (the pictures in our head) and what we have (the way we see situations in the
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As Kirst-Ashman and Hull Jr (2012, pp. 453-454) reminds us, “the family is central to Hispanic culture and is hierarchical in structure. That is the father is the primary authority figure (Devore & Schlesinger, 1996). Furthermore, scholars inform us that many Hispanic fathers appear somewhat aloof from the family, especially the children as it is the father’s role to pursue instrumental roles such as earning a living. Often, this results in the father being less likely to express emotional support (Kirst-Ashman & Hull Jr., p. 454). Understanding these concepts of the Hernandez family culture as well as asking questions about their family members depicted on the genogram can aid me to become more informed. This can be a very positive step in the right direction in building a relationship of mutual respect and trust as in our respective roles as client and social work professional enhancing our ability to work together to determine the best intervention
Social problems include difficulties with family relationships, isolation, interpersonal conflicts, and pressures of social roles. The Latino culture tends to place a higher premium on the well-being of the family unit over that of any one family member, a concept termed familialism (Smith & Montilla, 2006). In general, familialism emphasizes interdependence and connectedness in the family, and often extends familial ties beyond the nuclear family (Falicov, 1998). Given these values, Latinos often describe depression in terms of social withdrawal and isolation (Letamendi, et al., 2013). Social roles also play an important role in mental health, traditional gender roles in particular are strongly enforced and can be a source of distress. In Latino culture, men and women are expected to fulfill the roles outlined in the traditions of Machismo and Marianismo respectively. Machismo indicates that the man is supposed to be strong and authoritative, while Marianismo designates the woman as the heart of the family both morally and emotionally (Dreby, 2006). Although there is little research on causal factors, adherence to these traditional gender roles can pose a psychological burden and has been found to be strong predictor of depression (Nuñez, et al., 2015). The centrality of social problems in the conceptualization of depression for Latinos may be reflective of the collectivistic values that are characteristic of the group. Although these values have the potential to contribute to depression, they also have the potential to serve as protective factors and promote mental health (Holleran & Waller, 2003). Therefore, it is imperative that the counselor carefully consider cultural values, both in terms of potential benefits and drawbacks, to provide appropriate counseling to the Latino
As a social worker I respect the decisions of the Sanchez family, after all they have the right to make their own choices when it comes to services. As suggested by Deci and Ryan (2012), all humans have a desire to be competent and have a sense of control over their situation. In this family, Mr. Sanchez is making most of the decisions and as a social worker it is important that I accept this because he knows what is best for his family. The members of the Sanchez family have goals they would like to achieve and as a social worker it is my job to guide them in achieving their goals while allowing them to be in total control of their
The family dynamics of the household changed throughout the years of Dominic’s childhood. When Dominic was born, we lived in a rural neighborhood apartment that was not completely safe (My Virtual Child). Once Dominic’s sister Alexandra was born, we began saving more money and purchased a house in a safe rural neighborhood. At the end of Dominic’s childhood the household consisted of both parents and two children, Dominic and Alexandra. Throughout his childhood, his uncle stayed a summer and on another occasion a different uncle stayed for a few weeks. Both parents were employed throughout the entire childhood which resulted in placing Dominic in child-care as soon as possible (My Virtual Child).
Do you have any friend or relatives that are considered to be broken or disorganized family? Do you know that many disorganized family are likely to ties with their extended family? If you know any broken or disorganized families, you may realized that a broken family usually faced many difficulties, such as financial problem, missing family members, and they tend to be unhappy comparing to others. Moreover, missing a father figure in the house for a child could cause numbers of problems. In the novel “Looking for Work” the main character and also the author who named Gary Soto, a nine year old Mexican American boy, he was from a disorganized and broken family. That Gary desire to live out a life style just like the standard white American
After reviewing the Sanchez Family case study, I have chosen to review Emilia Sanchez with Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial development, Operant Conditioning, and Social Learning Theory. In her case study, Emilia is described as being the oldest daughter in the Sanchez family, she helped her mother a great deal with housework and with helping care for the younger children and was a good quiet child who never gave her parents any problem, however at the age of 14, things changed, and she got involved in drugs. Now at 28, she has lost custody of her son due to her problems with drugs, and she is estranged from her parents due to having an abortion shortly after her son was born because her parents have very strong religious beliefs and they
When asked directly about his children, he usually redirected the question for Anna to answer. It is very obvious that she deals with most of the household and child rearing responsibilities. These are very common gender roles in Latino families. Traditionally in the Latino culture, the mother is thought of as the one who takes care of the children and the home while the father is working and protecting his family. Although the brunt of the childrearing seems to be Anna’s job, she is also contributing to the financial earnings. Taking on both roles is much more common in contemporary society. The traditional gender roles of Machismo and Marianismo are becoming less important to the younger generations. “In the United States, Latinas, who typically work outside the home, likewise report less rigid gender roles than may have traditionally been the case”(Cauce & Domenech-Rodriguez 2000, pg.15) . Despite this fact, women are still mostly in charge of the domestic responsibilities. This is the case for Anna and
Latinos’ culture consists of tight-knit families that are multigenerational living together. Latino culture is a collectivistic culture that puts group interests over individual interests. When counseling Latinos, one needs to keep in mind the importance of family in their culture. Family members need to be a part of the counseling process. At times, group counseling with the whole family can help, along with involving the family in the treatment process.
In both cultures, grandparents and elders are highly respected, the father holds most of the power and is the decision maker of the household, the mother is the caretaker of the household, and the children’s only responsibility is to go to school and receive an education. This is the case in almost every Hispanic family because they tend to keep traditional values. This hierarchy also occurs in traditional American families. It was always thought that the “absence of a father is destructive to children, particularly boys, because it means that children will lack the economic resources, role model, discipline, structure, and guidance that a father provides.” (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) However, this is no longer the case. The differences between American family structures can be most clearly seen when separated by socioeconomic class. Now, studies have shown that “children from single-mother families do approximately as well as children from two-biological-parent families.” (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) This encourages mothers to believe that a single-mother household is still successful. Therefore, the mother becomes the decision maker and caretaker. This concept also applies for opposite genders. In single-father households, the father is not only the decision maker but the caretaker as well. These family structural differences make way for another similarity in Hispanic and American cultures. Faith
This paper will use the Sanchez family case study to discuss, analyze, and assess two members of the Sanchez family, Alejandro and Gloria Sanchez, through the application of one theory each from four theoretical lenses: Person-in-Environment perspective, Biopsychosocial Lens, Sociocultural Lens, and the Social Change Lens.
In a 2004 journal by Susan Auerbach, the concept of parental influence and support for Latina/o students is addressed.... ... middle of paper ... ... Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(2), 119-130. Oliva, M., & Nora, A. a.
In doing so young Soto is showing his form of support for his family, no matter the circumstance. When wanting to rake leaves for money, his neighbor states,” It’s summer, and there ain’t no leaves…but she had a job for me and that was to get her a Coke at the liquor store” (20). In “The Color of Family Ties” Gerstel and Sarkisian remind us that family is not just about the ways we look and speak to each other, nor about an absent father or the amounts of money we have, but they clearly state, “These findings remind us that love and family connections are expressed both through talk and action” (51). His persistence is admirable, although his siblings disagree for we can see unity, strong family connections, and happiness when Soto describes one of his family gatherings stating, “Our own talk at dinner was loud with belly laughs and marked by our pointing forks at one another” (22). Although Soto’s family is not perfect they manage to prove to us that functionality within a family does not come from wealth, but in showing full acceptance in one another financially and psychologically, and to support each other no matter the
The Sanchez Family is a large family that emigrated to the United States of America from Mexico. The family is deeply rooted in the Catholic faith and retains their Mexican culture. The family members that this case analysis will focus on are Hector Sanchez and his daughter, Gloria Sanchez. This analysis will provide a review of the family members and how each lens and theory is related to the family member and their presenting concerns.
In this specific article, the authors had several questions about the way Mexican Americans went about their parenting. Mostly, they aimed to find a connection of how cultural values and neighborhood dangers impacted parenting. Past research discovered that it was quite hard to fit Mexican American parents’ parenting into the four parenting styles, because they were influenced by so many different factors. The four main types of parenting styles discussed were authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and neglectful. The participants were biological Mexican/Mexican American families of 5th grade students who lived in the same household in Southwestern United States.
Family is one of those words that have a significant meaning to various individuals. Family may be viewed one way to an individual and another way to someone else. Family consists of those who have played a particular role in one’s life, whether it is positive or negative. In this paper, I will assess Reymundo’s family both nuclear and extended and speak of how his family has become significant in his life and how they have played a role in his decisions. I will also speak of my personal reactions to the story as well as address ways that as a social worker I could work to impact the gang problems in Orlando.
Naturally, I am a tall male 6’ in height. One particular family member that I seem to share this with is my uncles. My brothers are also tall moderately as well as my father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Another character trait that is obvious in my family history is our eye color. A dominant eye color is most definitely present in my family genogram. Everyone in my immediate family eyes are hazel. My grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles mainly all have hazel eyes. This is definitely a characteristic/trait that exists, by nature, between most of my family members. One other characteristic in my genogram project, which seems to be a result of nature, is the fact that we have so many boys! As I mentioned earlier, the more families expand