Adopted Orphan Alex: A Case Study of Social Isolation in Romania

Introduction

The case study chosen for this assignment involves Alex, a seven-year-old orphan adopted from Romania, who is also a first-grader at Constance Elementary in the rural town of Ohio. While at the orphanage in his home country, Alex did not interact with other children as he spent most of his time in his crib. The staff at the orphanage could not help Alex because they were overwhelmed with work. The only interaction the young boy had with the staff was when they were washing or feeding him. At the current school, Alex attends a class with fewer children but he is unable to interact with them as well as his teacher. In some instances, he may become violent if he feels his personal space being invaded. The behavior displayed by Alex can be explained using various psychological theories. For example, applying behavioral perspective theory to this case, the violence illustrated by Alex is due to the environment at the orphanage. Because he was always alone in his crib, his brain adapted to being alone. This paper is a guideline to how Alex can be assisted to adjust to his new environment. The guide is informed by various psychological theories, principles, and research.

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Case Issues

It is hard to understate the effect of the environment on a child's development. In this case, the environment refers to both the physical surroundings a child is raised in as well as family and community around the child. The issue is more so for orphans, who like Alex, do not share or know the love and care provided by their parents. Due to a lack of love and affection, such children may have difficulties sharing their personal belongs and time. The result of lack of affection is loneliness as seen in the case where Alex prefers to play alone, and violence because he does not know how to share his personal space causing him to feel invaded. His behavior contrasts that of the other children in his class. Because they have been brought up by their parents, they know about caring for one another through sharing. They are also able to approach Alex to play with them. This difference in the environment which Alex and other children are being raised explains the behavior. Another issue that can be identified from the case study is the adoption of Alex. At the age of seven, Alex does not know much about culture. However, he should have had a smooth transition from the orphanage life in his home country to living in a home with his adoptive parents in Ohio.

Theoretical Framework

The issue of how the environment affects a child's development, as illustrated by Alex in the case, can be explained using the psychodynamic perspective of psychology. Based mainly on revolutionary concepts by Sigmund Freud, the theory upholds that human behavior, including violence, results from "unconscious" impulses functioning within a person's mind. Freud went further to suggest that experiences of an individual in his childhood years have a profound influence on their behavior as adolescents and adults. Sigmund Freud's theory can be applied to understand what Alex is going through. According to Nabavi (2012), the theory identifies the id, ego, and super-ego to be the three constituents that make up a personality. The id, which is characterized to be primitive and instinctive, can be likened to the qualities inherited by Alex from his parents. The superego incorporates the values and morals of society he learned at the orphanage. The two parts make up the unconscious portion of personality. The ego acts as a mediator between the unrealistic id and superego making it to be the decision making element of personality. The unconscious mind is usually in constant conflict with the ego, which creates anxiety causing the ego to use defense mechanisms. The aggression towards other children indicated by Alex is as a defense mechanism.

Albert Bandura's Social Learning theory can also be used to explain the issues in the case study. According to Bandura, a child can learn behaviors through observation and modeling. New skills are formed and information is acquired by children when they observe the actions of other children as well as adults (McCullough Chavis, 2011). Perhaps Bandura's theory is the best approach to understanding Alex, especially his life at the orphanage where all his learning was through observation. Much of the information Alex knows is learnt through observation. For instance, he only interacted with the staff when they were either washing or feeding him. This observation may have resulted in the child thinking that human interaction should be minimal and only when necessary. With such information, Alex has a hard time interacting with other children at his school. However, it is important to disclose that Bandura also supported the idea that children also learn through direct interactions.

Related Research

In the article titled, "Growing up Without Parents: Socialization and Gender Relations in Orphaned Children," the author investigates how children such as Alex cope in life without parental guidance. Francis-Chizororo's research focuses on the socialization and gender relations aspect of child development. The researcher used a sample of five families with adopted kids to investigate how such children interact with others and how they respond to changes in their physical environment. The findings of the research are in line with Bandura's theory of social learning. Specifically, Francis found that orphaned children, irrespective of age and gender, depended heavily on their physical environment to learn. While the methods used in the research such as interviews, questionnaires, and use of secondary research backs the researcher's finding, a sample population of five is limiting to the scope of the research. Conspicuously, the researcher did not include internationally adopted children.

Intending to address social injustices to orphans and other vulnerable children, Jace Pillay's research concentrated on the education side of the issue. Pillay found that orphans usually experience intense feelings of anger and sadness arising from their disadvantaged environmental conditions. Because they do not have parental guidance, orphans can easily feel helpless or hopeless. These feelings are usually displayed as violent behaviors (Pillay, 2018). Pillay's findings are in agreement with Freud's theory which proposes that a person's behavior results from unconscious impulses as shown by Alex in the case study. A major weakness with Pillay's research is that it is purely based on secondary methods of data collection. As such, it does not offer any information regarding the issue that is not already in existence.

Perhaps the most relevant research is the article "Gross Motor Development in Children Adopted from Orphanage Settings." The authors of the study were interested in investigating gross motor development in children adopted from orphanage settings. Specifically, the study aimed at examining the effect of environmental enrichment of the developmental process of orphaned children. The researchers used a sample population of 66 children with half the amount internationally adopted. The methodology of the study involved administering the balance subtest of the Test of Motor Proficiency in a laboratory setting. The parents were also separately interviewed to cover developmental history, orphanage care, and family involvement. The findings of the research suggest that children in institutionalized care usually lack early life experiences necessary for the development in later childhood stages (Roeber et al., 2012). The results are shown in the case study because of the lack of skills by Alex when at the orphanage denied him experiences that would be useful in his school.

Action Plan

The issues causing Alex's violent behavior require psychoanalysis to understand the causes to prevent further incidences and improve the life of the child. Fortunately, the use of psychological theories and principles has helped us understand the reasons behind the young boy's behavior to be changed in the environment. With a clear understanding of where Alex is coming from, Janna can help resolve the issue and save him from being expelled from the school. Fixing these issues should take a step by step approach. Janna should take the following steps:

Assessment

The best way of addressing a problem should involve identifying the root cause. In this case, the environment in which Alex was brought up while at the orphanage seems to be the reason why he keeps to himself. However, Janna should dig deeper to understand the situation at Alex's new home including how he relates with his adoptive parents and siblings, and how he feels both at school and home. Assessment part of the process should be thorough because possible solutions to the issue are likely to be informed by the causes. Therefore, this stage should take a minimum of two weeks as it will involve observation of the child's behavior both in class and at home and possibly interviews with his parents and teacher.

Therapy

After assessing the causes of the behavior by interacting with the child, his teacher, and parents, the next step should be therapy. Counsellors are required to obtain informed consent from their clients. In this case, Alex's adoptive parents should give consent. The counsellor should first have different sessions with Alex so that he can feel free expressing himself. However, the parents should also be involved in the process at some later stages. This move will ensure that the parents understand and provide what Alex needs to adjust to his new life. With the help of the counsellor, his parents, and teachers, Alex should be able to successfully undergo therapy to adapt to his new environment and possibly correct his behavior. This solution will not only help him become a better student at school but also improve the quality of his life.

Conclusion

Alex presents a compelling case to solve because he is an orphan and from a different culture with his adoptive parents preventing a unique challenge. Fortunately, through the application of psychological theories and principles, it is possible to identify the underlying factors leading to the problem. Various psychologists have contributed to this issue, including Sigmund Freud and Albert Bandura mentioned above. Through the application of psychological theory, principles, and research, therapy is suggested as the best solution for Alex. For therapy to be effective, it is suggested for both Alex and his parents.

References

Francis-Chizororo, M. (2010). Growing up without parents: Socialisation and gender relations in orphaned-child-headed households. Journal of Southern Asia Studies, 36(3), 711-727. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057070.2010.507578

McCullough Chavis, A. (2011). Social learning theory and behavioral therapy: Considering human behaviors within the social and cultural context of individuals and families. Social work in public health, 26(5), 471-481. https://www.calltutors.com/data/assignments/requirements/24054/Behavior%20Learning%20Theory.pdf

Nabavi, R. T. (2012). Bandura's social learning theory & social cognitive learning theory. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Razieh_Tadayon_Nabavi/publication/267750204_Bandura's_Social_Learning_Theory_Social_Cognitive_Learning_Theory/links/545914d90cf26d5090ad007b.pdf

Pillay, J. (2018). Early Education of orphans and vulnerable children: A crucial aspect of social justice. Koers, 83(1), 1-12. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S2304-85572018000100001&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es

Roeber, B. J., Tober, C. L., Bolt, D. M., & Pollak, S. D. (2012). Gross Motor Development in Children Adopted from Orphanage Settings. Developmental Medicine &...