Individual Change - Paper Example

The case involves an African American female who has faced jailed time as a result of a troubled childhood. She is a drug addict and this has affected her life at home. She has been separated from her children. She grew up in foster care and her children are at the risk of living in such situation because she is unable to take care of them because of her lack of functionality. A troubled upbringing is a major contributor to negative aspects when a person becomes an adult. Factors such as neglect and child abuse are very promi9nent in foster systems. They are factors that introduce children to violence substance abuse and other activities that lead to criminal activity when they grow to become adults. Studies in neuroscience show that a difficult childhood is a precursor to criminal activity during adulthood. It is a major factor that influences the brain development of a child. Brian development is a process that mostly occurs when a person is young. However, it is greatly influenced by factors of the environment where an individual grows and develops. Positive or negative influences lead to positive and negative upbringing respectively. A difficult childhood is associated with the taking of impulsive risks by the child which are very influential of their behavior. The case presents an example of a person who was affected by a negative upbringing. Some of the primary issues affecting the woman is her drug problems. She is an addict and this is the reason that she spent time in prison. Another issues is her ability to take care of her children. Having children means that she needs to be responsible (Poladian, 2012).

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Individual change is a very important aspect of behavior transformation. Social workers play a very important role in the transformation of behaviors of individuals. They are professionals mandated with the task of guiding and people through transformation into positive members of the society. They are expected to establish a planned change in individuals to ensure that there is a positive change. Individual change is highly influenced by the aspect of motivation. With the planned change, social workers are responsible for the development of specific and deliberate movements towards specific goals and in this case, it is the goal of leading a more positive and responsible life (Poladian, 2012).

Lower crime can only occur when recidivism is reduced. Recidivism is the return to criminal activity by people who have spent their time in prison and have been released. The effectiveness of the incarceration system depends on the ability of the system to create positive members of the society. Social workers play a critical role in offering people out of prison support by guiding them back into society. The case is, however, characterized by an individual suffering from drug addiction. Planned change process needs to ensure that the individual is guided through the process of rehabilitation. She has to be functional to be able to take care of her children who are a great risk of going through the same life as she did. There face the risk of going through the cycle of a difficult upbringing. Planned change is, therefore, a fundamental feature of social work practice that is expected to initiate individual change through motivation (Minh, 2013).

References

Minh, A. (2013). Linking Childhood and Adult Criminality: Using a Life Course Framework to Examine Childhood Abuse and Neglect, Substance Use and Adult Partner Violence. Int J Environ Res Public Health.

Poladian, C. (2012). A Troubled Childhood, A Troubled Brain, How New Research May Affect Criminal Law. Retrieved from Medical Daily: http://www.medicaldaily.com/troubled-childhood-troubled-brain-how-new-research-may-affect-criminal-law-240867