Understanding human behavior and the social environment
Understanding human behavior and the social environment
Respond to at least two colleague’s post in one of the following ways:
o From a strength’s perspective, critique your colleague’s approach to addressing Francine’s case. Provide support for your critique.
o Critique your colleague’s strategy for applying knowledge of the aging process to work with older clients. Discuss how cultural, ethnic, and societal influences might affect the application of this strategy.
Be sure to support your responses with specific references to the resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references. Understanding human behavior and the social environment
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Colleague 1:BM
As individuals enter the stage of late adulthood, their previous experiences, lifestyle and relationships help determine what, indeed, this stage will entail (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2016). In this week’s case study, 70- year-old Francine sought counseling for symptoms of depression, directly related to the loss of her partner of thirty years, Joan (Plummer, Makris and Brocksen, 2014). Since Francine’s family and loved ones were unaware of the extent of the the relationship between Francine and Joan, Francine did not have the necessary support as she navigated her way through her grieving process. She started drinking alcohol more often, after several years of sobriety (Plummer, et. al., 2014)Understanding human behavior and the social environment.
It can be assumed that Francine’s relationship with Joan, spanning thirty years, has certainly influenced her aging process. In long-term relationships, such as this one, individuals identify as being half of a partnership, as opposed to their individual beings (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2016). These defining relationships allow for individuals to feel supported and share experiences throughout their daily lives. This relationship is at the crux of Francine’s being, and although her partner has passed, its value can be utilized to help Francine cope with the loss and navigate through the remainder of her life. Additionally, Francine’s extensive experience within the workforce will also positively contribute to her aging process. Throughout these years, Francine’s interaction with people, both professionally and socially, have helped to promote a healthy inner being. While she may not be feeling sociable after Joan’s passing, referencing her forty year career will be a helpful tool for her clinician.
The case study mapped out the positive aspects in Francine’s life beautifully. Despite the depression she is currently experiencing, employing a Strength Based Perspective, focusing on her resiliency, would be an appropriate and effective method to help Francine achieve her most positive outcomes (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2016)Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Francine has shown a tremendous capacity throughout her life in identifying and removing the triggers causing harmful behaviors; this awareness resulted in many years of sobriety (Plummer, et. al., 2014). Furthermore, Francine, despite her current depressive state, has identified the need to combat these harmful behaviors yet again in her later adult life. Additional strengths possessed by Francine include her willingness to seek treatment, her desire to engage socially within her environment and her involvement in the entire process. Francine is a prime candidate to achieve the outcomes she is working toward. It remains the role of the clinician to highlight even the smallest achievements throughout the process, thus emphasizing Francine’s resiliency.
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Colleague 2: SK
Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2016) put forward later adulthood is the last segment of the life span; where, aging is an individual process that occurs at different rates in different people. The case of Francine looks at the life changing event of Francine a 70 years old who lost her partner, Joan, who she didn’t quite clarify their relationship to her family and friends because it would label her as being a lesbian. She was experiencing a number of challenges included depression due to her grief, lack of support because her family was not aware of impact that losing her friend caused and alcohol abuse which she had issues with in her early years and have now resurfaced (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen 2014).
Francine’s environment have definitely influenced her aging process as she has spent most of her time with Joan who has been taken from the equation so she is left by herself to adjust to the new norm of being alone, which, may not be healthy for her emotionally and by extension physically. Not having Joan to talk to on a day to day basis will have a psychological impact on her which may contribute to her state of depression and stress; the fact that her relationship was not recognized on a legal or social level for most of her life puts a burden on her as well (how to act). Her environment has changed drastically from having her partner where they were like one to being alone also puts pressure on her as she needs to find different ways to cope and identify as being an individual again. Environmental factors influence the aging process; having no one to talk to and being in a strange environment tend to accelerate this process (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman 2016)Understanding human behavior and the social environment.
In working with older clients in general I would need to employ strategies that will allow them to use their strengths to aid them in overcoming their problems. Due to the fact that these clients are older one would have to take in account that they have years of knowledge under their belt and that should be merited so as the social worker assess their clients situation they should employ the strength base perspective which would yield more. Active listening should also be applied as it is important that clients see your interest in their case and also restating and confirming important information provided by them. It is often said that with age comes wisdom so it is imperative that social workers use this to their advantage and not build a barrier between them and their client even if their clients seem to act as if they have all the answers but they are sitting in the seat that requires help. Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2016) states as people age, their reserve capacities decrease, as a result, older people cannot respond to stressful demands as rapidly as young people..
References
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment(10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader]Understanding human behavior and the social environment.
