An uncanny similarity is that both ladies resorted to fantasizing about a better situation in order to cope with their real lives. Precious used to daydream about a better life where she had a constant companion who loved her and people generally treated her better while miss AZ often dreamed of running away with her siblings and growing breasts so that she could feed her youngest sister. Psychologists explain that victims who resort to these escapist fantasies are those who have given up hope that things might get better thus are at the bottom emotionally. Such individuals should therefore be treated respect and humility so that they can come back to reality and start to believe they deserve the proper treatment they are getting (Adults Surviving …show more content…
Society is quick to judge them but most of these women are mostly victims themselves, have been threatened by the abuser or are both emotionally and financially dependent on him. They may also be afraid of facing the abuser and in some instances they refuse to believe what is going on even ending believing that the abused child is making up stories. This however is not an excuse or a justification for their actions but merely an insight to the motives of why such incidences occur (1in6, 2016). In the case of Precious her mother later own tries to explain that she was just as much a victim as her daughter. In a similar AZ, her mentally disturbed father was the breadwinner and had dominated her mother and the whole family into silence. He did not even allow them to socialize with others thus the Isolation. Her mother according to her was just as powerless and got sucked into living in delusion just like her children (Ivers, …show more content…
My duties as a social worker would be to encourage her to break this cycle continue her education and become the mother figure that she wished that she had. In the book we see that her fellow students and teacher genuinely care for her and her wellbeing and provide a support system however this is just a first step. Even if precious finishes school, but continues to live with her mother the chances of her ending up like her mother is extremely
This would be unwise in the case of Precious until some firm ground rules were set, and probably not even then. A family systems practitioner would do well to look at the multigenerational genogram with Precious, in order to see the patterns of abuses throughout previous generations. This could help highlight to Precious the importance of the abuse stopping with her and her children. An eco-map would also be helpful, so that Precious could make a map of the people who are the most important to her, those who support her, and have them available as supports. It would be beneficial to support Precious in achieving some emotional distance, possibly differentiation, or feeling family ties without being constrained by them. However, I wonder if that would be sufficient. I feel as though her mother would never be a positive influence in her life, and I certainly don 't think her father would. In this case, though it is pathologized for family systems theory, it may be the most beneficial to the client to promote emotional
Lee Daniel’s Precious is a movie centered around Precious Jones, a 16-year-old overweight black girl living in Harlem, New York. The movie begins when she is in public school pregnant with her second child by her father. Because Precious is pregnant, the principle recommends an alternative school for her. At home, Precious is a servant to her mother, Mary, who is physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually abusing her. Mary constantly tells Precious that she is not good enough and that no one will ever want her. At times of distress, Precious tends to dissociate and fantasize about another life where she is a blonde white girl. She wants to be famous and loved by all. Precious arrives at the alternative school hardly knowing how to read or write. She gets placed in a class of girls with a dedicated teacher, Ms. Rain. Ms. Rain asks each student to write in a journal every day, and she will write back to their letters. This is the first time in the movie when Precious feels very
The story of “Precious” provides an excellent example of how a person can become lost in the system, and also how one can begin to turn things around by utilizing available resources. Precious’s mother, Mary, has been taking advantage of Precious to help her manipulate the system so Mary can continue to receive welfare benefits. Precious ultimately meets with the social worker, Mrs. Weiss, who begins to help her move forward in life. It is my understanding that Precious initially met with Mrs. Weiss for welfare benefits, but this relationship seemed to change as the movie progressed. I was admittedly taken aback by the conditions of the office in which Mrs. Weiss worked, how she interacted with Precious initially,
If a magnificent movie is judged by its ability to leave a message with you long after you’ve seen it, then the movie Precious is one of them. There are various reasons to see the movie Precious. Rarely does a movie upset and inspire you at the same time. It will leave you emotionally. It is a movie set in 1987 Harlem about overweight, uneducated, African American teenager who is a victim of incest. Among other things, it is a story of perseverance and survival. It also gives us a raw look at the connection between abuse and eating problems.
An abused woman is always faced with a number of different choices from which she may consider, with regards to seeking help or ending the relationship with a variety of alternatives, the woman knows each decision involves a variety of risks. Time after time, the common question arises, “why doesn’t she just leave?” This question can be answered by analyzing the psychological effects domestic abuse has on women. Many women are unable to cope with the emotional and psychological stress of domestic abuse and resort to violence and extre...
When you think of the word “poverty” or “poor” what comes to mind? Some think of hunger, minorities, dirty areas, women, and homeless people. What about when you hear the term “abuse”? For most people, abuse means physical; getting beat up or hit. Although abuse can mean getting beat up or hit, there is far more that follows. Abuse can take on many forms like physical, emotional or sexual. The film Precious by Lee Daniels, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, encounters not only the obvious sexual abuse but physical and emotional abuse as well. Precious starts off with Claireece Precious Jones, played by Gabourey Sidibe, at her school in Harlem. She is called to the office because the principal has found out she is pregnant…Again. Kicked out of school, Precious now tries to find an alternative when her principal tells her about “Each One Teach One”, an alternative school. Precious enrolls and goes through a journey with her new teacher, who becomes her closest friend, her newborn son, and her abusive mother. This drama film is brutal, hard-hitting, and very emotional.
Feminist Criminology, 7(2), 146-162. Kinder-Matthews, J. & Co., Ltd. (1994) The 'Standard' of the 'St Working with female sexual abusers. (pp. 57-67). The 'Secondary' of the Miccio & Fonseca, L.C. a.
“Women have throughout history been the most victimized by someone they knew (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg. 1) Most abusers usually start out with emotional abuse because it makes the target emotionally weaker and less likely to fight back. It also probably has the most different ways to inflict abuse. Characteristics of emotional abuse usually consist of putting her down, making her feel bad about herself, name calling, mind games, humiliation, making her feel guilty, and think she’s crazy. A more specific action would be using the children to make her feel guilty about them (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.2). This is usually done by using visitation to harass her and or the children, using the kids to relay messages, and threatening to take them away( National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.2 ).Abusers are also known to use things like “coercion and threats”( National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Pg2 ). “Two of the most common threats are to leave them or commit suicide” (National Coalitional Against Domestic Violence pg 2 ). “Most domestic abuse cases are never reported to the authorities (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence pg.1 ).” This is probably due to the fact that most are too ashamed of what is going on and feel that they let it happened or they deserve the horrible ...
The family lives in a public housing subsidy tenement and received public assistance from the State. Her first child, who she called "Mongo", because she was born with a disease called Down syndrome lived with her grandmother, but on days the social worker would visit the grandmother would bring the child by to visit. Though the grandmother was very much aware of the abuse that was taking place in the home, she turned a blind eye. I personally think she was one of the contributor to the dysfunction, though it never show her hurt or abusing precious the fact that she pretend like everything was okay and would help the mother lie to the social worker, so she could continue to receive benefits from the state for her daughter and granddaughter show how e...
Jasmine Beckford’s case is the oldest out of the three; in 1984 Jasmine died as a result of long-term abuse aged 4. In 1981 her and her younger sister suffered serious injuries and were paced with foster carers for six months. After this they were allowed back home with their mother on a trial basis as social services were meant to support them. During the last ten months of Jasmine’s life she was only seen once by social workers (Corby, 2006).
The mother is a selfish and stubborn woman. Raised a certain way and never falters from it. She neglects help, oppresses education and persuades people to be what she wants or she will cut them out of her life completely. Her own morals out-weight every other family member’s wants and choices. Her influence and discipline brought every member of the family’s future to serious-danger to care to her wants. She is everything a good mother isn’t and is blind with her own morals. Her stubbornness towards change and education caused the families state of desperation. The realization shown through the story is the family would be better off without a mother to anchor them down.
In many ways, social controls failed her as a young child and the aftermath exposed her to a cruel and abusive upbringing. In most instances, when all parents are unable to take custody of their children any immediate and available family will take the child to prevent the child from becoming a ward of the state. It is clear this social control failed Aileen, because placement in her grandparents home only meant a childhood of physical and mental abuse. This instance impedes the recognition of deviant behavior on her part because from an outsider's perspective she grew up under the support of biological family. To unknowing outsiders, she did seemingly grow up in the broken system of orphanage. The control theory helps explain Aileen’s upbringing and its impact on her own mental health and deviant behavior. “Control theorists state that people conform because of the controls or restraints to which they are subject” (13). It seems as though Aileens upbringing caused her to conform to the violent mannerisms she witnessed as a child. Beyond this, the theory explains that “the control exercised by these people [institutions like family] explain why most out-of-control infants
In both of these stories there are certain characteristics of females that are the same, they are inner strength, obedience, honor and respect, the good of the family is better than the good of the individual.
These numbers demand the public’s attention. The pain of just one child should be more than enough to cause a person to jump up and help, much less the pain of more than six thousand children. The U.S. Department of Justice calls children the “perfect victim” for six major reasons. Firstly, since children are typically not emotionally or physically mature, they will try to avoid talking about the abuse. The second reason that they provide is that often times the child does not want to betray the person who is abusing them due to the fact that, many times, the abuser is someone close to them or even related to them. Thirdly, many times there is not enough medical evidence or reliable eye witness accounts for the police to persecute a sexual predator. Unfortunately, the child’s testimony is easy for most any defense attorney to strike down. Two more reas...
Child sexual abuse is defined as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared, or else that violates the laws or social taboos of society” (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 470). In Bastard out of Carolina, Ruth Ann “Bone” Boatwright started experiencing sexual child abuse from her stepfather at the age of twelve, which changed aspects of her life forever. Coincidentally, it was proven through research that young girls between the ages of 13 and 16 suffered sexual abuse by adult men that they knew previously (Ajduković, Sušac, and Rajter 475). While it could be a family member, an acquaintance, or a friend, the feelings of betrayal remain the same.