Essay on Scarlet: Struggling with Alcoholism and Aggression, Ready for Help?

Introduction

Scarlet, 30-year-old female was working as a school lab technician before she lost her job. She has been struggling with alcoholism for the last five years. She is a mother of two, and her husband, Ben moved out of the house with the children because she tends to be aggressive when drunk. Her husband and relatives have been urging her to seek medical help before she loses her life completely. It has taken her six months to decide whether therapy would help her or not because she experienced a relapse three years ago. At therapy, she described her life using terrible words and has no hope that things can return to normal. She blames the people she trusts have because they turned away from her as she keeps blaming her husband for separating her from the children. She has no income to sustain her and depend upon her parents for food and house rent, but recently, they have declined from giving her money because she refused to seek help. Scarlet does not understand why her husband and family members would treat her so badly. She feels lonely, stressed, and hopeless about her condition. When asked why Scarlett thinks they stopped supporting her, she responded that they were tired of her drinking behaviour because she uses almost all her money on alcohol. Scarlett also stated that she could not control her aggression and violent behaviour when drunk and this could be the major reason why Ben rented another house to protect the children.

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Scarlett has little hope that she can stop drinking because she feels it has become part of her life. She visited therapy because she wants to prove to them that she is seeking medical help. Although she wants to live with her family, she does not believe she can achieve it because although she is not positive about it because she believes the condition is beyond any help.

Assessment of Client Self-Esteem and Motivation

According to Miller and Rolllnick (2012), the interviewer must develop clear strategies, sense of purpose, and timing skills to intervene in particular moments. The MI requires the clinician to follow the following principles, expressing empathy, developing discrepancy, avoiding an argument, adjusting to resistance, and supporting self-efficacy. The adoption of reflective listening is important because makes the patient feel respected and appreciated. Miller and Rollnick (2012) stated that interviewers should maintain a collaborative relationship without judging the client. They should also compliment sincerely and avoid denigration. Expressing empathy during interviewing sessions offers an open and safe environment to analyze the problem and intervention methods. The issue affecting Scarlet is alcoholism that has led to separation in her marriage. The condition worsened when she was left alone. It is clear that she feels lonely and helpless, and has no hope of recovering. The MI promotes a successful relationship between the therapist and the client, resulting in the revelation of all information because of the confidence.

Nature of Self-Esteem

According to Topcu and Leana-Tascilar (2018), family and social economic-status play a significant role in individual self-esteem. Scarlet has low self-esteem because she has no self-love or value. Her family members especially her husband left her on the realization that she could not control her drinking. She cannot take care of the bills because she lost her job as a lab technician. Scarlet feel frustrated and depressed because she lost in alcoholism behaviour to the extent that she have hope of recovering. She has no motive to start therapy after she experienced a relapse three years ago. To improve her perception she needs to change her mental attitude to a positive one because and start rediscovering her identity.

Using Theory to Substantiate My Profile

Miller and Rollnick (2012) used cognitive counseling theories to explain that individuals experience psychological difficulties because their way of reasoning is different from reality. Following the principles of MI, it is evident that Scarlet is ambivalent, making her reject any help to improve her condition. She has numerous reasons why she wants to stop his alcoholism behaviour, for instance, she wants to live with her family and secure another job. However, she feels that drinking is part of her life and sees no problem with it. The assessment indicates that Scarlet is not ready to change because she is visiting the therapist to show her loved ones that she is seeking help (Miller & Rollnick, 2012). Scarlet may not follow any strategy given through coercion because she wants to enjoy her freedom. Psychoanalysis theory is the way of repressing fears and conflicts so that the inner person is brought in the open rather than to remain in the unconscious. This activity is based on specific theories of the mind, the instincts, and sexuality of work. It dwells much on how we think about ourselves. According to a psychoanalytic critic by Freud, it is the "distinction between the conscious and unconscious mind" (Freud, 1885. This means that it pays more attention to unconscious intentions and feelings. The Psychoanalytic try to demonstrate the existence of classic psychoanalytic symptoms, and phases in the victim's words and expressions. The cognitive theory holds that individuals are trapped in psychological disorders because they believe in false concepts.

Significant Factors That Have Shaped the Self Esteem

According to Walsh et al. (2017), family and childhood are the main influencing factors to self-esteem. During childhood, personalities are easily affected by individuals around the areas the children are raised. The support the children receive from teachers and parents help improve their self-esteem. Society is also a significant factor in shaping individuals' self-esteem because people offer both persuasive and authoritative advice about how children should conduct themselves. Some people dictate how their children should dress, the type of employment and marriage partner, making them independent of others' opinions (Walsh et al., 2017). Brain and language development allow the youth to expresses their personality, opinions, and thoughts hence they build strong self-esteem (Jernigan et al., 2018). The internet and social media have also become a major part of everyday activity. The praise people receive when they upload pictures over the internet shape their self-esteem as proven by a study conducted by Pounders et al. (2018). The study showed that social media helps women to regularly express their personalities in a variety of ways. Selfie-postings are the new tool for self-presentation, predominantly among youths (Pounders et al. (2018).

Individual values

Individual values determine their view about life and determination to achieve their objective. People have freedom of choice and independent decisions. These life changes can either be positive or negative depending on the values and principles of a person. Individuals feel that their lives are worthy when they achieve their objectives. For instance, college and high school students achieve their value in life when they choose a career that suits their interests. Ultimately, the individual value of life depends on their willingness and ability to make it worthy. Individual values include humility, creativity and enthusiasm. Creativity is the capability to contemplate and develop new inventions, innovations, solutions to emerging problems, and artwork. When a person has no values they make a poor decision, for instance, Scarlet engaged in drinking behaviour for pleasure.

Internal dialogue around current self-esteem and motivation

Internal dialogue is the inner voice or the thoughts that tell people who they are and how they should approach different situations. Internal dialogue may be positive or negative depending on individuals. Internal dialogue helps individuals to improve their self-esteem by focusing on positive thoughts and ideas. Moreover, it also helps to perform self-motivation that encourages people that they can overcome a certain barrier.

Profile of a Client's Current Based on the Theory

The need for achievement

Maslow's theory of needs can be used to explain the client's behaviours because individuals are driven by an inner motivation to fulfil their needs. Scarlet has five types of needs and they include psychological, safety, belonging esteem, and self-actualization.

According to Maslow's theory, human beings are self-motivated toward achievement. Basic needs must be met before higher needs, currently; Scarlet had no income to buy food, shelter, and clothing. She will be motivated to seek psychological help so that she can secure a job or move in with her family. When these needs are met, she will also need protection and safety (safety needs), social needs (love, friendship). One of the factors that making Scarlet seeks help is to reunite with her family. She will be motivated to stop drinking and control her anger so that she can take care of her children. She will also want d a sense of belonging in the family and society motivating her to excel in her chemical career and contribute to the community. The other type of need is self-esteem (respect by others and confidence). Scarlet was once respected by her family and society and she wants to earn their honor by demonstrating that she could recover from alcoholism. The needs allow the client to be productive and will be motivated to work, innovate, and deliver (self-actualization) (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015).

Locus of control

This is the magnitude to which people perceive they are in control of events as opposed to external powers. People have either internal or external locus control. For instance, scarlet has strong external control because she blames the people she trusts. After all, they turned away from her as she keeps, particularly her husband for separating her from the children. She feels that her condition has become worse because both her husband and relatives do not understand her pain.

Attribution style

Attribution style is the manner an individual justifies a negative effect. Scarlet has a bad attribution style because she believes that her drinking behaviour will ever change. After the relapse, she believed that it is now part of her life and she is willing to cope with it despite the pleasures she receives from her relatives. She only attended therapy to show them that she is seeking help, but she is fixed about the condition.

Intrinsic /extrinsic motivation

Scarlet's drinking is caused by intrinsic motivation because she drinks for pleasure. However, the deterioration of the condition may be attributed to extrinsic motivation because she drinks to forget her loneliness and unemployment (Reeve, 2018).

The pattern of emotional arousal

Scarlet's emotions are aroused when she is angry or frustrated. Scarlett also stated that she could not control her aggression and violent behaviour when drunk and this could be the major reason why Ben rented another house to protect the children.

Personal agency belief

The personal agency can be defined as the ability to direct action to a certain purpose, influenced by a belief. Scarlet has a belief she cannot stop drinking, making the condition worse because she spends almost her money on alcohol. The major hindrance to the Scarlet recovery process is her belief of a relapse (Novak, 2017).

Intervention

Hypothetical intervention

Invite Scarlet to a meeting where other alcoholics are also invited. Specify the date and time of the meeting. On the specific invite her abou...