The Five Levels in Hierarchy of Needs by Maslow - Essay Example

?UNIT ASSIGNMENT List the five levels in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and discuss how you might use this information in working with at-risk youth. The five levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are based upon a pyramid in which the bottom level is concerned with the needs for survival. The pyramid then graduates up with a need for safety, a need for love, the need for self esteem, and finally the need for self – actualization. Maslow’s position was that each level of need must be satisfied before the next level could be approached. In other words, the need for food and shelter must be attained before the importance of safety is addressed. Once an individual feels safe, the need for love would be sought out. This can be used with at risk youth through examining how these levels are positioned within the experience of a child. Looking at whether or not the child has food security, shelter security, and safety and finding ways in which to secure their basic needs will open up the possibility for gaining ground for the next levels as they relate to supporting a successful adult. 2.List the 5 C's of competency described in Chapter 12. Discuss why they are important and how they interact. The five C’s are confidence, connection, character, caring and compassion. In order to create competency, these five aspects of an individual’s reaction and position in life These five parts of the development of the individual lead towards being able to well handle the functions that are required to get along with the world as a social place. Being able to inhabit the world, rather than just let it move around an individual, is essential to success. The individual needs to be able to connect to the world in order to engage it in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, the experiences of many at risk youths strip them of the fundamental trust that is required to engage the world in a meaningful way, and they are left disconnected from society. 3.Describe the role of locus of control on the development of self esteem and explain how it contributes to the building of resiliency factors in youth. Some of the reasons that this becomes relevant are because the locus of control seems to be external to those in high risk situations. The feeling that the external world is in control of the outcomes of effort creates the feeling of helplessness. Trying to find a way to provide a locus of control through internal means would provide a youth with the sense that they can set goals and meet expected outcomes. The feeling the world has control of the fate of the individual can be a debilitating feeling of helplessness that prevents someone from finding hope in the idea of wanting to find success through effort. If effort is subject to the will of an external world that is usually not on the side of the individual, goal setting can seem hopeless. 4.Discuss Piaget's cognitive stages of development and explain how understanding them can help in designing appropriate activities and services for children and adolescents. Piaget theorized that there were four stages of cognitive development. The first stage is the sensorimotor intelligence stage in which the first 18 months of life are spent experiencing the world and finding some control over the environment. The second stage, the preoperational thought stage, begins with the creation of language as the child begins to learn how to interact with the world around them through verbalization. This stage ends sometime between the ages of 5 and 6. Knowledge and perception become entwined so that the child can learn to communicate through both symbolic drawing and through verbal skills, but only through the level of understanding that has thus far been gained. The third stage is found through concrete operational thought. This stage lasts from the end of the preoperational thought stage and ends in early adolescence. During this stage learning begins to become more organized with classifications and an understanding of causal relationships. The final stage begins in puberty with the formal operational stage in which abstract ideas and thoughts can begin to be understood and applied to life. These stages can be used to create play and learning programs that are defined within the parameters as they are described. As an example, a child who is in the second stage can be asked to draw a picture of their dog, while a child in the second stage can be asked to draw a picture of their favorite dog. In the third stage, a child can be asked to show why they love their dog. While the third question can be asked in the second stage, an understanding of why they love may be beyond the scope of most children to grasp, even though they would provide an answer. 5.Summarize Kohlberg's Model of Moral Development and discuss the formation of empathy. Understanding development and psychosocial theories help to understand how to approach children within the proper developmental context. Kohlberg’s model of moral development is based upon Piaget’s theory, but is divided into six stages. In order to develop these six stages, Kohlberg looked at how people came to their moral conclusions, rather than the type of conclusions that they drew in relationship to scenarios. Empathy is created as the external rules and expectations are internalized so that they have meaning. Understanding how rules have context and why they are important begins the attribution of meaning to values and laws. 6.Identify and define the six basic concepts of psychosocial theory. Psychosocial theory, which is defined by its associations to development, is divided by six stages. The six stages are stages of development, developmental tasks, psychosocial crises, a central process or resolving the crisis at each stage, a radiating network of significant relationships, and coping skills. 7.Explain the similarities and the differences between Freud's psychosexual theory and Erickson's Psychosocial Theory. Freud and Erikson developed similar types of psychosocial theory, but while Freud emphasized the Ego, the Id and the Superego, Erikson emphasized the Ego and saw this as an autonomous sector of the personality. For Erikson, the Ego was in control and not subject to the Id and the Superego as it was with Freud. While both believed that the personality was defined by forces that were outside of the direct control of the individual, Erikson recognized a greater cultural level of influence where Freud saw only the influence of the parents as crucial in development. 8.Discuss the implications of the quality of attachment that is formed in infancy for relationships beyond infancy. In infancy, the type of attachments that are formed will have long reaching consequences to the social and intellectual development of a child. In connecting the five C’s, the way in which a child attaches in infancy will determine how a child is able to conduct his or her relationships at an older age 9.Compare what happens in social skill development for children who are accepted by age-mates with social skill development for children who are rejected by age-mates. . As age is gained, the child will find peer acceptance as an important part of the developmental process. In bringing in Erikson once again, the influences of the exterior world will affect development as much as the family sphere. Those who are accepted find self esteem and can aim towards self-actualization, to use Maslow, but those who do not gain acceptance may get stuck with a lack of self esteem, thus unable to advance further. 10.Discuss the relationship of gang membership to the psychosocial needs of early adolescence. How is gang membership similar to and different from other group identification? Gang membership can negate many of the problems that come from at risk youth experiences. Gang membership creates acceptance which will contribute to self esteem. As the child is entering a period in which self awareness of complex ideas and abstract thoughts are becoming increasingly defined and evaluated, finding acceptance in a gang atmosphere provides the self with a sense of security that might not have been possible in within the community previous to the strength of the attachment to the gang. Finding survival through monetary security, safety through the protection of the gang, love through the feelings of family within the gang atmosphere, as well as a sense of esteem for the approval of fellow gang members for performing of tasks, but the fulfillment of lower level needs leads to the ability to have hope to come to events that fulfill self-actualization needs. This is similar to other group identification because there is a hierarchy of power in which acceptance and approval provide for the social integration and acceptance that all people crave. It is similar to both a family and a civilization. It is dissimilar in that the laws of a gang are in conflict with social laws of the greater community in which the gang is situated. As well, there is little forgiveness for breaking laws within a gang. The strength of the law creates an elite nature to the gang dynamic, however, and makes it a point of pride to belong to the stronger gangs. Unit 2 Lesson Assignment: .1.Discuss the impact of parental inconsistency. 2.Discuss two family factors that contribute to at-riskness in children. Two family factors that will contribute to at-riskness in children are socio-economic status and the marital status of the parents. Low socio-economic status will create a number of issues, including food insecurity which will mean that the basic drive for survival will have no sense of security. Parental marital status will affect children as they will half the available resources for guidance when parents are no longer together. Children with only one parent are subject to less help for problems as they occur, a lack of a role model for one gender, and usually a lower socio-economic status. 3.Describe the six dysfunctional family roles in addictive families. Six dysfunctional roles are defined by themes that include a distrust in survival, comfortable in chaos, secrecy and shame, verbal threats of violence, rigidity in roles, and a lack of hope. 4.List and discuss three key factors which influence a student's success or failure in school. Three factors that will influence a student’s success in school is scholastic preparation, socio-economic status as it relates to survival security, and adequate at home help with homework and attention to their education. 5.Describe three individual student characteristics which can be used to identify drop out risk. Describe the long term impact of school dropout on the adolescent and society. Drop out risk can be seen through issues of survival security, lack of scholastic success, and a lack of peer acceptance. The long term impact of school dropout can be through a lowered socio-economic status, a lack of understanding about how to function within the world, and it can perpetuate through children who are not adequately prepared for school or encouraged to attend. 6.List and discuss the five axes of the DSM-IV and tell what the DSM-IV is used for. The five axes of DSM-IV are used for formal diagnosis of psychological disorders and issues. The five axes are Axis 1: Clinical disorders, Axis 2: Personality disorders, Axis 3: General Medical Conditions, Axis 4: Environmental and Psychosocial Issues and Axis 5: Global Functionality. 7.List and discuss the four motivations for attempting suicide according to the text. The four motivations for attempting suicide are social problems, medical problems, financial problems, and persistent depression. 8.Choose three of the seven misconseptions of suicide described in the book and discuss them. The first misconception of suicide is that it is always a result of unreasoned thinking. There are times when life has become so unlivable that reasoning provides for the solution of suicide. This can be associated with times when a medical condition is terminal and the resulting pain and financial obligations that are associated with the disease outweigh the benefit of staying alive. Although this decision is controversial, the idea that it is always made through the influence of a mental disorder is negated by the logical reasoning with which the decision is made. The second misconception about suicide is that it primarily among the young. People of all ages commit suicide. The third misconception is that the consequences are either life or death. A third consequence, permanent injury to the body can result in lifelong debilitation, which can include but is not limited to mental deficiencies from a lack of oxygen or pharmaceutical damage, or nerve damage from physical injury. 9.ADD/ADHD is a common disorder found in children. Discuss what the disorder is, how ADD and ADHD are different, and four ways to work effectively with children who have this disorder. ADD is Attention Deficit Disorder and with the H, ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Four ways to work effectively with children who have the disorders are to medicate them, help them learn coping strategies, B complex vitamins, and through nutrition. 10.Understanding behavior management is critical in working with children. Define the terms listed giving examples of each term: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, escape behavior, avoidance behavior, positive punishment, negative punishment. positive reinforcement: to give a reward of some type for a desired outcome negative reinforcement: to punish for an undesirable outcome escape behavior: finding ways to leave anxiety associated moments or events avoidance behavior: finding ways to avoid anxiety associated moments or events (escape would be running from a snake, avoidance would be not stepping on grass to avoid seeing a snake) positive punishment: punishing in a way to associate a negative outcome with the behavior – a child says a bad word, they get a spanking negative punishment: punishing in a way to take away something for bad behavior – a child says a bad word they lose a privilege. UNIT 3 Assignment: . 1.Discuss the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention giving an example of each. Primary prevention is intended to avoid the disease and can be accomplished through health education or immunization. Educating on proper nutrition to prevent obesity is an example. Secondary prevention intends to find diseases before their diagnosis to lessen their impact on a patient. This can include screening tests for early diagnosis. Screening for diabetes when someone is obese. Tertiary prevention when all other forms have failed, tertiary prevention is used to help prevent further problems, treat the disease, and averts problems that may come from having the disease. 2.Describe how risk and protective factors affect at-risk children. Treating for diabetes and using a proper diet to try to treat the potential future issues. 3.Why do you want to help others? Finding ways to help others is a way to have an impact on the world. In providing care for those who are in need, the world becomes a better place in small, but vital steps. 4.What personal strengths do you bring to the helping field.? As a potential helper to mankind, I think that I bring a focused reasoning into the helping profession, with empathy that understands those who do not see the paths out of their circumstances. 5.What personal limitations do you feel you should work on before becoming a professional helper? In wanting to be a good helper to others, it is possible that my desire to help will overcome the need for people to have some control over their own destiny. One of the pitfalls to being in a helping profession is in wanting to control the outcomes for others who may or may not want those outcomes. 6.How will you handle burnout and boundary issues? Boundaries are best found by communicating with others on what they find comfortable and what is uncomfortable. Through personal communications and adhering to basic professional boundaries, satisfactory outcomes can be achieved. Burnout is a hard problem for which to find a solution. By making sure that my job is only a part of my life and not my whole life, burnout can be managed. However, it is still likely it will happen at different times. Preparing and knowing the potential is essential so that a plan on ways to handle those moments is essential. 7.What personal values do you have that may interfere with helping certain clients and what should you do about them? My personal values are concerned with finding ways to help others stabilize their socio-economic status in order to find security for survival needs. In finding a way to know that food and shelter are secure, the rest of a person’s life can be evaluated and established for its potential. I believe in the rudimentary basics of Maslow’s theory, thus climbing the needs pyramid will help an individual to achieve their goals. I have respect for the desperation that comes from those insecurities and understand without knowing that food and shelter is secure, finding the rest of what is important will not come. 8.List and describe the major counseling theories discussed in this lesson, and then choose the one that fits your value system. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, which defines the individuals acquisition of needs through a pyramid which is built upon achieving each level, Piaget's cognitive stages of development describes the ways in which a child moves from each stage to the next in how thoughts and concepts are process, and Kohlberg’s theory discusses how morals are developed through the advancements of learning about empathy. In working with at risk youths, the use of Maslow’s theory provides a clear course on which to support the problems that are likely to occur. Although most of the theories provide help in understanding the stages of an understanding of life has been achieved and at what level an individual stands, in using Maslow’s pyramid, a counselor can assess what exists for a person and what is next in attaining maturity. Pushing for a college education when someone is not eating or having shelter on a regular basis is unreasonable. Achieving each level provides a path for which to enter into the next level. 9.List the procedure to report child abuse ((you will have to do this )) 10.Discuss the impact of child abuse and neglect and give some different interventions, and treatment. Child abuse and neglect will leave a scar upon a child from which building a successful life is difficult. Because the levels of development are usually interrupted by abuse or neglect, it is essential to find a way to pick up the pieces and assemble new understandings of how to view life. Treatment involves finding methods in which to create a sense of security where security has been violated. Different interventions include talk therapy, social services to ensure that they are no longer abused and neglected, and through counseling in order to find ways to show how to best understand that the view of the world they gathered through abuse and neglect is not the view that needs to be permanently adopted. Unfortunately, there is no one treatment that will accomplish these goals. Read More