Jasmine - Abuse Case Study

Tomorrow-Hollis Jefferson

Professor Baer

Reaction Paper # 1

March 15, 2016

Jasmine

Jasmine is a girl who suffered through many types of abuse. At the age of 10, her mother’s boyfriend raped her. After not getting her any help and punishing her when she had outburst of anger, her mother’s rights were taken away. Jasmine was then placed in foster care with her sisters. All the physical pain Jasmine suffered through not only affected her physically, but mentally as well. Jasmine displayed bad behavior and was in and out of detention facilities. Counseling and therapy didn’t work either. Jasmine’s luck also ran thin when she found a home that she liked and it closed down. The negative experiences she had with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, contributed to her bad behavior at each home. This explains the Social Learning Theory. She expressed aggression towards others because of what she went through growing up. Luckily she had sisters who proved to be a positive influence on her, which caused her to remain stable at one of the homes she ended up at and also do well in high school.

        A preventive service that would have made an impact in Jasmine’s life is Family Resources (Sullivan, 206). In Family Resources, they put shelters as top priority to provide structure and discipline for the kids who have gotten in trouble. In the shelters, they provide transportation to schools, counseling and help with homework as well as a basis for forming relationships. Jasmine never had any stability in her life or any positive influences up until her sisters provided it for her. This Family Resources service would have provided her with the necessary support and positive influence she needed in order to stop her from showing aggression and bad behavior. If she had been able to go to one of the shelters, it would have kept her out of the detention facilities and away from the negative surroundings. She could have also gained positive relationships by being around others in similar predicaments.

Casey

        Casey is a nine-year-old boy who was in court because he punched his mother in the face when she tried to discipline him. He punched her so hard it almost fractured her cheekbone. When asked why he did it, he said that he sees his moms’ boyfriend do it to get what he wants. In Casey’s eyes, to get what he wants, he needs to physically hurt his mother. The theory that explains his case is the Social Learning Theory. Casey learned a bad habit in a bad environment. Witnessing domestic violence contributed to him acquiring that habit and caused him to lose respect for his mother. Instead of him listening when she was trying to discipline him, he hit her to get what he wanted. His mother’s mistake was letting her son see what her boyfriend does to get what he wants.

        For Casey, a preventive service that may have worked in preventing him from being in court is Health Families Florida (Sullivan, 102). This service can begin during pregnancy or 3 months after the child is born. The purpose of this service is to provide caregivers with support to ensure that the child grows up safe and free of neglect. Casey punched his mom in the face, simply because he saw someone else do it to get something they want. Had he not seen it, he wouldn’t have done it. Having this Health family’s service from the moment the child is born or a little after, provides the caregiver help with building a respectful relationship with the baby. One of their tasks is to help the caregiver develop problem-solving skills. If Casey learned from a younger age what was right and wrong and how to respect his mother, he wouldn’t have punched her in the face just because he saw someone else do it. Instead, he might have even intervened when he saw his mother get hit because he would have known that, that is not ok.

Charlton

        Charlton is a 15-year-old boy, with a strong attachment to his mother. From a very young age, he witnessed his dad beat his mom because of a pregnancy he didn’t want. Seeing this made him grow very attached to his mother, which explains the Attachment theory. The Attachment Theory states that babies/toddlers seek to be near their primary caregivers. Charlton at the age of 15, still clings to his mother and wants to sleep with her at night. Despite this clingy behavior, he is aggressive with her and his siblings. The reason for his behavior difficulties was seeing his father beat his mom when he was just a toddler. Being around that negativity and aggression made him acquire that same behavior and express it towards his mom. The reason he was in court was because he took his anger out on his teacher, imitating the way his father took his anger out on his mom.