David's Mother example essay topic

THE LOST BOYS OCW 3220: Human Behavior II ABSTRACT Imagine a boy who is nine years old and who is alone. He doesn't have a home, and the only possession he has is what he can carry in a brown paper bag. In the novel The Lost Boy, the author David Pelzer tells his experience of this first hand. David was removed from his abusive biological mother when he was nine years old and placed into a foster home.

Soon after his first placement, he began to come out of his shell. He was going through an adjustment period where he had to get use to being a boy instead of it. During this transition he became overly aggressive, and full of energy. This energy and aggression landed him in trouble on a few occasions. He was forced to move from one foster home to the next because of this trouble. During this period, David not only had to adjust to his new surroundings; he also had to adjust to the awkward years of adolescence.

This adjustment was especially hard for David because he was never really a boy. However, he was able to overcome it and grow up to live a normal life, as a pilot for the Air Force. In the novel The Lost Boy, the main character was David Pelzer. David became a foster child because he was severely abused by his alcoholic mother. This book looks at his life from ages 9 to 18, when he was a foster child. The theoretical concept of development that applies to David during this stage of his life is Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory.

Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory has eight stages of development. These stages are as follows: Stage Crisis Age Important Event 1 Basic trust versus basic mistrust Birth to 18 months Feeding 2 Autonomy versus Shame and doubt 18 months to 3 years Toileting 3 Initiative versus guilt 3 to 6 years Loco moting 4 Industry versus inferiority 6 to 12 years School 5 Identity versus role confusion Adolescence Peer Relationships 6 Intimacy versus Isolation Young adults Love Relationships 7 generative ly versus stagnation Maturity Parenting and creating 8 Ego integrity versus despair old age reflecting, and excepting life (Zastrow, 1997) Since the novel began when David was nine, the first stage that applies to his development is number four: Industry versus Inferiority. 'School age children six to twelve years old must address the crisis of Industry versus inferiority. ' (Zastrow, 1997) Children in this stage focus on being productive and succeeding in their activities.

Children's activities at this stage include play, school, and developing peer relations. 'Children who experience failure in school, or even in peer relations, may develop a sense of inferiority. ' (Zastrow, 1997) When David lived with his mother, children wouldn't talk to him because he was dirty and he smelled. His mother made him do unreasonable amount of chores after school and on weekends. This made it so that David was never able to play.

When he was removed from his mother's home, he was able to play. However, he still had problems with peer relationships because he was a foster child. A poor peer relation was one of the reasons David did poor in school. Since David was not doing well at school, or in peer relationships, he developed a sense of inferiority. This inferiority stayed with David when he progressed into the next stage of development, five. Identity versus role confusion is the stage when adolescence explore who they are, and establish an identity.

'It is the transition period from childhood to adulthood, when people examine the various roles they play. ' (Zastrow, 1997) Some people become confused about their identity because it is uncertain and unclear. This type of confusion is referred to as role confusion. Since identity development begins in the early years of life, David was unable to develop a good identity of which he was. 'During the early years, one's own sense of identity is largely determined by the reaction of others. ' (Zastrow, 1997) David's mother always told him that he was a bad boy, a nobody, and an it.

David played the role of the identity that his mother gave to him. This process is known as the 'looking-glass self'. This is when a person develops whom they are in the terms of how others refer to them. This resulted in David suffering from role confusion. David showed certain behaviors that showed he suffered from role confusion.

These behaviors were expressed in a variety of ways. First, David did not commit to well thought out courses of action. He often did things without thinking about the consequences. For example, David stole candy and toys from the grocery store. He knew that it was wrong, however, he still did it. Another example is when David knew that he was not allowed to have any contact with his biological mother.

However, he still rode his bike past her house. David was not taking into consideration the repercussions that would follow if he were caught. Another example of role confusion is to regress to childishness. When David was a teenager, he showed this type of confusion a couple different times. The first time was when his foster brothers were stealing money from him at his foster home.

Instead of addressing the situation like an adult, David insisted that the two foster boys leave or he will. David soon found himself packing his bags. Another example of this regressions into childishness is when David would do childish stunts on his minibike. Those stunts were a way of avoiding adult responsibilities.

David was still dealing with his role confusions when he entered into the next stage, Intimacy versus isolation. This is the last stage that David experienced in this novel. This so the stage when young adults search for intimacy. 'Intimacy includes the ability to share with and give to another person without being afraid of sacrificing one's own identity. ' (Zastrow, 1997) If intimacy is not obtained, people suffer from isolation. This was not by choice, but because of situational factors.

The factors that caused David to suffer from isolation are as follows. Since David would become emancipated at the age of 18, and would not have a place to stay, David stayed busy working. Because he worked so much, he did not have time for an intimate relationship. Another factor is that parents did not like the fact that David was a foster child. They would not allow their children to associate with him. This was evident when David tried to talk to a girl he liked in his neighborhood.

David went to her house to speak to her, but instead of speaking to her he spoke to her mother. She told David that she did not know why they allowed his kind in the neighborhood. She said that he was a filthy hooligan, and he reeked of street trash. He was told that he is not allowed to talk to her children or approach her house. This response is an example of issues of diversity.

Because David was different from these women's family, she did not approve of him. This type of prejudice is evident throughout the novel. Many people told David that the sooner he learns that he is only an F-child, the better off he will be. He was told to stick with his own kind.

This was just a different type of prejudice that David went through. I though that this novel was very well written. It kept my attention and made me want to read more. I would recommend that this novel be read by all social workers that want to work with abused or fostered children.