Examines causes, historical & legal frameworks, social work aspects, impact on children, family issues, stressors and therapeutic & supportive approaches.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 11 sources, 1989, $ 55.95
From the Paper "Child abuse is a pervasive problem in our society. However, child abuse is difficult to identify due to the intricate components of definitions of child abuse and neglect. These vary among different sectors of the general public and among different professions concerned with the problem.
For example, physical abuse is defined as "non-accidental physical harm to the child inflicted by persons responsible for the child's care." For some purposes "serious" harm is utilized; for others, the "intentional, willful" nature is emphasized. For still others, "danger to the child," and not intent, is stressed.
The American Bar Association Juvenile Justice Standards Project defines child abuse as that which .. causes or creates a..."
From the Paper "Suicide and suicidal attempts are, contrary to popular wisdom, quite frequent in childhood and adolescence. Even in the 1970s, suicidal death was shown to be one of the fastest growing adolescent problems, ranking fourth as the leading cause of death in the fifteen.to nineteen.year age group. This view is echoed in the more current literature in the field, which also emphasizes that 59 to 71 percent of surveyed adolescents believe suicide to be a potential for most within that age group. Similarly, attitudes toward death within the fabric of American society have significantly changed in post World.War II society, primarily because of the pervasive influence of television and the rapid rise in the importance of the media. Prior to the advent of the media age, most Americans lived in smaller, more tightly knit ... "
From the Paper "Crime committed in America by people under eighteen years of age is increasing at an alarming rate. Further, the level of violent crimes, where assault and/or murder is involved also is increasing. The reasons for this are many, ranging from such contemporary problems as drugs, one-parent homes, television's influence, poverty and racial prejudices. The purpose of this paper will to be examine the rising rate of juvenile crime, including a look at the causes, the effect on the public and society's reaction.
The FBI crime count for 1986-which showed an unexpected 12 percent rise in violent crime reports nationwide--said that nearly one in ten accused murderers are under the age of eighteen. Between 1983 and 1987, arrests of those over eighteen for murder jumped 22.2 percent while ... "
From the Paper "Because of recent social and political trends, the practice of adoption has become a significant issue in contemporary American society. Adoption was always somewhat controversial in nature simply because the problem of unwanted motherhood has traditionally upset social mores. In the past, women with undesired pregnancies had fewer options open to them than they do at present, and adoption was often perceived as the obvious best solution to a pregnancy when the mother was either unable or unwilling to raise the child herself. However, in today's world of legalized abortion, fewer women with unwanted pregnancies feel compelled to carry the child to full term. In addition, social attitudes toward single motherhood have become far less rigid in recent years, and this lessening of social pressure has encouraged more women with problem pregnancies to bear and raise ... "
This paper discusses the methodology for counseling adolescents: Non-threatening atmosphere, confidentiality, trust, hope for positive results and expressing emotions.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, 1991, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The therapist counseling the adolescent confronts several issues that potentially influence not only the relationship between him or her and the adolescent client, but also the outcome of the therapeutic process. Of foremost concern is that the therapist must consult with the parents and/or significant others of the adolescent, which could put his or her and the client's relationship at risk. There is also concern to be given to the fact that adolescents as a whole possess negligible lifetime experience with which to successfully mediate emotional problems. Contingent upon the age, state of the family (i.e., functional versus dysfunctional), the resulting home environment, and life-time experiences, the adolescent may have limited cognitive abilities, limited education, and an immature emotional... "
From the Paper "Child Abuse Patterns in Black and Hispanic Families
A society's attitude toward children is part of a whole texture of values that may vary greatly from one culture to another, even among neighboring peoples. American cultural attitudes toward children are very complex. They derive from a mix of cultures; American black, Hispanic, Latin, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, European; from dominant American attitudes toward youth and vitality; from a European tradition that has over the last several hundred years gradually increased the dependency of youth.
Although politicians, social workers, the media, even congressional committees are railing at parental abuse of children, in fact it is our institutions-our schools, our legal ..."
An analysis of self-image, independence, theories on impact of puberty, gender differences, peer group acceptance, separation from parents, parenting styles and delinquency.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 5 sources, 1994, $ 95.95
From the Paper "According to behavioral scientists, an individual development task is one which arises at or about a certain period in the life of an individual, successful achievement of which leads to his happiness and to success with later tasks. Failure leads to unhappiness in the individual, disapproval by the society, and difficulty with later tasks. Adolescents, in particular, have many developmental tasks to achieve--and failure to achieve them can lead to much distress and even anti-social behavior.
One developmental task an adolescent needs to achieve is to establish a self-image. A primary task of early and middle adolescence is to achieve a new and positive sense of self in response to the many changes that occur at that age.. The most dramatic are the biological changes and the alternations in..."
An argument against spanking as means of discipline. Includes theories, research, negative effects, parental modeling and values, permissiveness and behaviorism.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 3 sources, 1994, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The contention that a good spanking never did anyone any harm is wrong, as the preponderance of psychological literature shows. Despite James Dobson's (1970) Dare to Discipline, a work which dared parents to discipline their children into more respectful and self-disciplined behavior, hitting children has not been recommended by most psychologists as a strategy for disciplining children. The dangers of accidental injury to children, the links with child abuse, the possibility of future psychosexual ramifications, and the fact that corporal punishment just doesn't work, are among the reasons cited for not spanking children.
On the other hand, Dobson (1970) argues against "extreme permissiveness," and proceeds to make a connection between it and the absence of physical coercion. Dobson's (1970) views will be examined as an alternative to more generally accepted views from the scientific literature. Finally, techniques from the field of behavioral psychology will be offered as..."
This paper discusses the insulin-dependent disorder diabetes mellitus in juveniles: Treatment options, etiology, diagnosis, types, incidence, complications, testing and role of family.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 8 sources, 1994, $ 95.95
From the Paper "A complex disorder, diabetes mellitus afflicts people of every race, sex, age, and cultural background. The form most prevalent in juveniles is insulin.dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Although the etiology of IDDM is not yet completely understood, the disease is probably caused by some type of autoimmune response. The diagnosis of this disease has important implications, particularly for the very young. Juvenile IDDM patients may be at risk for neuropsychological problems. In addition, over the long.term, IDDM patients may also suffer from numerous other complications. Fortunately though, advances in technology continue to provide these patients with effective tools for managing their condition. With the introduction of new therapeutic modalities, as well as the improvement of existing ... "
This paper discusses the self esteem of teenagers: Causes and problems of low self-esteem in home, school and society, role of teachers and parents in building esteem, drugs, dating, belonging, risk-taking and morality.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 10 sources, 1995, $ 79.95
From the Paper "Improving the self-esteem of high school students is a rewarding challenge for both educator and parents. Self-esteem affects the way a student learns, works, and builds relationships. Positive self-esteem enhances the student's ability to take personal and social responsibility. Since adolescence is a period of insecurity and experimentation when teenagers struggle with their self-awareness and self-confidence, it is critical that the important adults in the teenager's life possess the strategies needed to develop and maintain positive self-esteem.
Self-esteem encompasses all that an individual perceives himself or herself to be, and takes on two characteristics: global and temporary. Global self-esteem is the overall evaluation of a person. Temporary self-esteem relates to a ... "
This paper discusses school violence in American schools: Social and educational effects, incidence, weapons, public views, security, discipline, gangs and the role of parents.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 20 sources, 1995, $ 63.95
From the Paper "This paper will discuss the adverse effects of school violence and will also examine some of the causes of the recent rise of violent incidents in American schools. The discussion will include an analysis of the problems created by the use of handguns at school, the role the family can play in fostering or preventing school violence, and the correlation between school violence and other social problems. The paper will also outline some of the new programs which officials, teachers and parents suggest schools should implement to prevent and counter the horrible problems created by school violence. Finally, this paper will show that school violence should be addressed by parents as well as schools and communities.
Violence in America now kills one million people each year, and young people have ... "
From the Paper "The family exerts a powerful emotional impact over the individual. So strong is this influence that dysfunction in the individual is often a reflection of dysfunction within the family. Sigmund Freud ecognized this phenomenon in treating his patients. Family structure therapy and Bowenian theory also acknowledge the importance of family in healing the individual.
Structural family therapy views the family in terms of three components: structure, subsystems, and boundaries. Structure describes the repeated patterns that define family relationships, and includes the rules that govern behavior and dictate the assumption of roles and functions. The hierarchical structure of the family describes the framework of authority, which in turn determines how intra-familial conflict will be mediated. Nichols and Schwartz (1995) explain that family structure is difficult ..."
Abstract This paper heralds the use of young adult (YA) literature as a partner with student-based discussion to teach Character Education ideals. It examines how learners targeted by this approach are struggling readers who need the hook of characters similar to themselves and high interest subjects to engage in the process of reading. Reading a book of substance takes the reader through thousands of decisions they may face in their life. It emphasizes the importance of factors in facilitating productive group discussion, such as preparation, monitoring and student responsibility and how student-centered discussions are based on situations in the Young Adult literature that emulate good character or strike controversy concerning moral action.
From the Paper "Character Education is here to stay. It is obvious that the teaching of value systems needs a fresh approach. Julian Thompson (1995) stated, "In any case, regardless of our feelings about young people's characters (or value systems) nowadays, there's no denying that they could be better" (p. 2). Realizing this to be true, I made an abrupt change in my attitude toward Character Education, and I made my classroom a permanent destination for the Character Education train. Thompson (1995) supports that English teachers are best equipped to teach Character Education. "They know (of course) that literature is concerned with human behavior, and that when kids begin discussing the various behaviors of people in stories, plays and novels they"re reading for English, they are at least noticing the values that these characters are embracing or rejecting? (p. 3). "
Abstract This paper uses three articles, "Parental Divorce and the Well Being of Children: A Meta Analysis" (Amato & Keith, 1991), ?Children's Adjustment to Divorce (Amato, 1993), and ?Effects of family Structure, Family SES, and Adulthood Experiences on Life Satisfaction (Louis & Zhao, 2002) to demonstrate the effect of divorce on children, from their adjustment to the divorce, to their well-being after the divorce, to the effects that divorce have on the children of divorce when they are grown.
From the Paper "The first article, ?Parental Divorce and the Well Being of Children: A Meta Analysis(Amato and Keith, 1991). s the name of the study indicates, the Meta analysis involved 92 studies. These studies, according to the article, ?compared children living in divorced single-parent families with children living in continuously intact families on measures of well being.? In this study, the Independent variable was whether or not the child's parents were divorced or not, and the child's well being was the dependent variable. The study wanted to look at whether or not the well-being of children suffers as a result of divorce. Therefore, the null hypothesis of this study was, "If children do not suffer, in terms of well being, from the divorce of their parents, then there will be no difference between the well being scores of children with married parents and the scores of children with divorced parents" (Amato & Keith, 1991)."
This paper deals with the crime of infanticide, or the killing of one's child as well as child abuse. Euripides? story of Medea, who kills her children, forms the backdrop.
Abstract This paper demonstrates that the natural order of life is for a parent to protect the child and that abuse of the child, including murder, is a reflection of an unstable mind and a person who is unable to function effectively within the community. Along with the example of Medea, the author brings some modern day examples of women that have killed there children, such as Susan Smith and Andrea Yates.
From the Paper "The killing of a child in real life has no symbolic meaning, no power other than that of an expression of evil and is, therefore, one of the worst acts a human, let alone a parent, can commit. In literature, however, the killing of children is symbolic of a diseased mind or of a diseased culture. Euripides? Medea kills her children, but she is a symbol of Mother Earth, of the Gods, and of nature all of which can exert, with no warning and no necessity of explanation, a death upon any or all of us. That which we are given can be taken away."
