Ecological Model Paper - Essay Example

Ecomap/ Ecological Model Paper Grade 5th April, Ecomap/ Ecological Model Paper Introduction The family is composed of five social actors: the parents and their three children. The family name is Franklin. The father’s name is Louis Franklin, aged 56, and the mother is Jenny Franklin, aged 54. Louis and Jenny got married in September, 1987, and they have three children: Bob Franklin aged 23, Victor Franklin aged 17, and Sharon Franklin aged 12. Bob is out of home, and he has a conflicting relationship with his father. Louis’ father is James, his mother Mercy, and he has a step brother Kim, who is dead, and a dead step mother. Jenny’s father is David, her mother Penninah, and she has two sisters: Carol who is dead, and Felicity. Jenny and Mercy, her mother- in-law, has a conflicting relationship, while Louis is not in good terms with his parents-in law because of his conflict with Bob. Bob is being rehabilitated from drug abuse, stays with his maternal grandparents, and he dropped out of school. Jenny keeps fighting with Louis because of Bob and their parents-in-law, and this has left Jenny frail with hypertension and bouts of depression. This has caused problems at her workplace because she is lagging behind in her work, and the employer has already given her a last warning. Louis enjoys working in his business, and he is looking forward to recruit Victor after he finishes college. Louis pays the school fees, for Victor and Sharon, pays all the bills, and Jenny provides food for the family. Victor is in the National under 17 swimming team while Sharon is in the ballet and singing clubs in her school. Jenny and Bob are in excellent terms with the social workers who monitor their progress and health. Relationship of the family with the social system The family and the extended family Jenny has always been having problems with her mother-in-law, who accuses her of not being a model mother to her children and not being the best wife for Louis. Bob’s drug abuse problem is the major cause of conflicts between the family and the extended family. Jenny’s parents David and Penninah blame Louis for Bob’s behavior, claiming that he does not set some time aside for his family and his son, and that he retards the rehabilitation process of Bob, by disowning him. These conflicts with the extended family cause strife in the relationship between Jenny and Louis. Victor and Sharon, however, do not have any problems with their grandparents. According to the family systems perspective, when one family member is affected by a phenomenon, other family members are also affected (Wood, 1996). Religion All the family members attend church regularly, but Louis is not incredibly keen on religion, yet he does it for the sake of the family. Victor is a member of the junior youth, and Sharon sings in the children’s choir. Jenny is a member of the church choir, and has a role in the church leadership. The family used to engage in prayers every evening before Bob got into drugs, but they no longer pray together, since Louis disowned Bob. Bob, like his father, do not whole heartedly believe in religion, but attends church due to pressure from his grandparents, whom he live with. Being members of the church, the Franklins get an identity of Christians. This relationship with religion portrays the multi level family perspective, showing the interrelationship of the family with other social institutions like religion (Hartman, 1995). Work Louis operates his own business which he started with his savings, and Jenny is employed in manufacturing industry. Jenny does her housework in the evening after work, with the help of Victor and Sharon. Louis is proud of his business, which is doing well, and he spends a lot of time working, going back home extremely late. Because of health problems, Jenny’s work has been suffering, and this has been raising problems with the boss about the quality of her work. She gets home extremely tired, and she is not satisfied with her job. Sharon helps her mother with house work whenever she is not studying, and Victor helps Louis with the business during the weekends. Work in Franklin’s household indirectly depicts the social exchange theory in that the children have to assist their parents with house work or in the business, because the parents provide their basic needs through work (Hartman & Laird, 1985). Health and social care Jenny has hypertension which is normally controlled by the drugs she gets from the local hospital, as well as anti-depressants, which she takes regularly to reduce depression. The family members visit the family doctor whenever a problem occurs, apart from Jenny who has to get immediate attention from the local doctors in the nearby hospital. Bob gets detoxifiers from the social worker who delivers them, and he is assisted by a psychiatrist to desist from his addiction. Constant check-ups are done by the family doctor, which ensures the health of the family members. The GP constantly checks on the conditions of the children including Bob, and she even suggested that Bob should stay with the maternal grandparents. A social worker assigned to Bob and Jenny monitors their progress in recovery and controlling their conditions, and they get regular visits from the family doctor who checks on their condition. Recreation The family has different views on recreation with Louis advocating for work, and the rest of the family are taking part in recreation activities. Victor loves swimming as a hobby, and he sees it as a talent, and the same case applies to Jenny and Sharon when it comes to singing. They also love swimming, and they are members of swimming club in their locality, where they meet for leisure or competition with family friends. Engaging in recreational activities gives the family unit a chance to create social relationships with other social actors in the larger society. Interventions The Franklins are faced with problems common in the social system, but these problems appear to threaten the social interrelations in the family, and between the social system and the family. Intervention and resources need to be applied in this family unit in order to curb the social conflict already threatening the social order of this family (Hartman, 1995). The strain between the family members and the extended family cannot be ended without the Franklins first looking at the basic problem in their nuclear family. Addressing Bob’s condition can be the beginning of the healing process for the family’s relationships and their relationships with the social system. By solving Bob’s problem, Louis and Jenny’s relationship can improve, and the family’s relationship with the extended family will be solved. Louis can stop overworking, and espouse on recreation, while Jenny’s health problems and work problems can improve with improved basic relationships. According to Julia Wood (2006), communication is a vital aspect in the relationship of the family members and the social system. Differentiation between thinking and feeling helps the family members to think rationally other than basing their thinking on emotions. This helps in making the right decisions which favor all members of the family. Differential between self and other family members is a key tool in enhancing a personal relationship with other social institutions like religion, other than following other people’s decisions or approval (Hartman, 1995). In conclusion, a family is the basic unit of a society, and the relationship between the family members reflects the interrelationship of the family and other social institutions. Whenever there is instability in the family, the instability is carried on to the social institutions, and finally, this leads to social conflict and social disorder in a larger social system. The relationship effects from the nuclear family are carried on to the social institutions and determine how an individual relates with other social actors. References Hartman, A., & Laird, J. (1983). Family-centered social work practice. New York: Free Press. Hartman, A. (1995). Diagrammatic assessment of family relationships. Families in Society 76(2), 111–122. Wood, J. (2006). Communication in Our Lives. 6thed. Boston: Wadworth Cengage Learning. Franklin Family Ecomap Read More