Child Psychological Instability Essay Example

family dynamics is, and how it influences children social behavior. According to the illustration, Carlos Mendez is a teenager who comes from a family of six people including his grandmother who is the mother of his father. Apparently, his father, Luis Mendez who is a construction worker has been unemployed for two years until recently. That happened when the building industry went down due to the recession. That caused the family to go through tough times and economic challenges. As a result, Luis frequently fights Emily Mendez; his wife and the mother to Carlos and Josey Mendez. Josey is an elder sister to Carlos, and she is seventeen years old.

Carlos was experiencing anger problems at school and was referred to the school social worker after he displayed an angry outburst in the classroom. The anger problem however continues, and Carlos was found in other indiscipline encounters including; being out of class without approval, fighting in the hallway and being disrespectful towards his teachers. The vice principal wanted to suspend him from school, but the social worker intervened. Carlos was supposed to have another meeting with the social worker. From there last meeting and the meeting with Carlos mother, the social worker noted that Carlos was a good kid and it was only from the previous year that he started getting into trouble. Emily asserted that Carlos occasionally had arguments with both parents, but nothing abusive or abnormal had been noted. Carlos described his grandmother, Martha Mendez as irritating since he always supported Louis in reprimanding other family members. The social workers’ notes described Carlos as a person with a highly wanting self-image. He has no

friends, and he hates his father for being abusive.

The Origin of Carlos’ Problems

In my perspective, Carlos like any other teenager comes from a struggling family. His father was unemployed for two years and his mother a part-time dry cleaner who can barely fend enough for the family. This incidence discourages Carlos especially when he compares himself with his peers at school; hence he has a low self-esteem. According to Ngwokabuenui (2015), one of the causes of indiscipline is poor conditions at homes. According to Emily Mendez, the family is going through hard economic times thus confirming the low-income family conditions. Moreover, the frequent fights between both parents provide a hostile environment for Carlos hence affecting him psychologically. The family continues to linger in this horrible situation since there are no proper communication channels between the family members. That is because Emily’s marriage seems to be in turmoil. That is evident when Emily was hesitant to reply to the social workers’ question about her marriage. Since Carlos is just a child and is not mature enough, the unpleasant conditions at home contribute highly to his actions and general behavior.

Theoretical Explanations of Carlos’ Problems

Carlos’ problems can be explained by the Functionalist theory. According to this theory, the emphasis is not placed on individuals but focuses on social problems that arise due to the failure of social institutions like family, education sector or the economic sector to embrace change. In our case, Carlos’ problems originate from the inability of the family to maintain any peaceful social environment. From the functionalist perspective, family plays a crucial role. It is the most basic social unit that should provide emotional and

practical support to its members and more so the children. The family should provide food, shelter, security and an identity to its members. That is very important because it instills a sense of belonging into the child and make them feel important and appreciated. Family members should help and comfort each other during rough times. An adverse change in the family structure brings disorganization which causes problems that threaten the stability of the household.

Basing on this theory Carlos’ problems originate from the unrest in his family. The problem started after his father lost his job thus making the family unable to provide the basic needs like food and Clothing. That was revealed when Emily told the social worker that at one point, they had to depend on the food bank for provisions. The family was also unable to support its members emotionally. That is evident when Luis fights with his wife frequently. Moreover, Emily tells the social worker to help Carlos because when his father finds out of his indiscipline, “All hell will break loose!”. It is also evident that there is poor communication in the family since the marriage is experiencing difficulties. All these family problems have made Carlos to be emotionally affected hence the anger outburst results. The outbursts are also due to the suppressed hard feelings resulting from unreleased anger emanating from the experiences in his family. Carlos also has no one to talk to even in his family. His elder is too busy in her world and seems not to mind about what is going on with her brother. Similarly, Carlos has no friends in school, and that means that he

is too preoccupied with his bitter emotions and feels that no one understands him.

Intervention

According to Kornblum and Julian (1995), a discord in communication channels among people in a social system is a primary cause of social problems. From the discussions above, Carlos’ problem is structural and individual. We, therefore, need to change the structure of the existing family setting and then strive to assist Carlos’ at a personal level. First, Carlos parents should be made aware of their impact on the behavior of their child and be encouraged to undergo counseling. That can be done by a psychologist or a medical counselor with a better understanding of the situation and neutrality. In their counseling, the parents ought to realize that they are fully responsible for what shall come out of their kids. They would have an option of deciding whether to mentor them into responsible adults or just to leave them for fate to decide their destiny. That will help to enhance some affection in the family and reduce the hostile confrontations of the parents in front of the children. That will also enable the parents to love their children in a better way. Carlos won’t feel neglected, and also he won’t torment himself with the idea that his father mistreats his mother.

Carlos and his sister should also be counseled not only by the social worker but also with the parents. They should be reminded to treat each other with respect and love. Temper control strategies should also be reinforced. Moreover, Carlos should be encouraged to participate in co-curricular activities like playing soccer, swimming, and athletics. In such events, he will be able to socialize

with others and realize the importance of teamwork where every person has a particular role to play as well as appreciate every team member. He should also be allowed to join his peers in activities like birthday parties and other events. That will help him develop his social skills and abilities hence he will be able to make more friends. Carlos would also be able to respect others with their capabilities and not to look down upon them by regarding himself as some genius.

Carlos teachers should be made aware of the current family situation so that they help and encourage him accordingly, instead of subjecting him to severe punishments that won’t be helpful. That would also make him comfortable in the classes and give him a chance to reform and discover his best abilities as well as weaknesses and be able to work on them with a positive attitude.

Martha Mendez should be advised not to interrupt in the family affair of her son. She should instead focus on mentoring her grandchildren and teaching them good morals. She should also embrace and love Emily as her daughter-in-law, and that would lead to a peaceful coexistence of members in the family.

Louis Mendez should be advised to look for alternative ways of earning a living apart from his usual occupation. In case things don’t work out for him, he ought to manage his ego as a man and maintain respect for his family. That can be emulated from people who hold more than three jobs and still manage to have a good family life. That will help improve the financial capabilities of the family and also prevent possible

sources of domestic unrest. I believe that the above recommendations would assist in resolving Carlos’ problem and also cement his family fabrics.

Conclusively, emotional stability of a person is largely dependent on the general environment of the individual. For a better upbringing of children, parents need to give them enough love and attention. With a suitable environment, children can grow and mature into responsible adults with good moral values and lead a responsible life. That would also set a benchmark for the society to embrace and appreciate the need for a good and peaceful family.

References

1. Kornblum, W. & Julian, J. (1995), Social Problems, New Jersey: prentice-hall, inc.Ch.1.
2. Ngwokabuenui, P. Y. (2015). Students’ Indiscipline: Types, Causes and Possible Solutions.