Case Analysis of Jack and Ally through the Ecological Framework

A child who utilizes his/her affect as a coping mechanism is relying upon the ability to express or ventilate through emotion. He/she will require opportunities to share anxieties, fears, anger, sorrow, and grief, and have those emotions validated by the adults in his/her life.”

Children are very complex, unique and varied individuals whose genetics, connections and backgrounds all perform significant roles in their emotional development (Wilson, 2003). The genetic blueprint a child inherits from its parents may plot a course for development but the environment and the influences within can affect how the child is shaped, how they connect with and are perceived by others and how their emotions are or are not expressed. Wilson (2003) points out emotions as an experience that is linked to cognitive interpretation, context, subjective feeling, physical reaction and behavioural expression. Campos, Campos, and Barrett (1989) suggest emotions are processes of establishing, maintaining, or disrupting the relations between the person and the internal or external environment, when such relations are significant to the individual.

It is difficult for researchers to isolate specific causes of child behaviour because each child’s environmental settings and values are different from one to another.

Emotion regulation involves intrinsic and extrinsic processing of monitoring and modifying emotional reactions in both positive or negative situations (Martins, 2012). In order for individuals to have the ability to regulate emotions, they must beware of their emotions. Although infants are unaware and lack the ability to regulate their emotions, it then becomes the role of a primary carer to nurture the infant, thus acting as a model for regulating emotions. Evidently, infants grow to reflect the ways in which their carers control and modify their emotions as well as social boundaries. Furthermore, emotion regulation is considered an important aspect of an individuals life as it 'can moderate emotions and keep them in a manageable range

As a preschool director, a newly licensed teacher, and community volunteer, with many years of experience working with children, I am very much involved with their social, emotional and behavior development. Currently, I am enrolled in a human development course at Capella University and have learned a great deal about my students’ developmental differences. Studying the various developmental theories with Bronfenbrenner Ecological System of Development being my favorite, has allowed me to observe and apply the various theories to the developmental stages of my students.

Firstly, the meaning of emotional regulation and Erik Erikson's theory of eight stages of development are depicted, with special emphasis on early childhood. This is done for the purpose of underlining the importance of regular emotional development as opposed to one impaired by abuse.

Descriptions: I am taking the class ECE 226 Observation and Guidance of the Young Child. In this class I am learning to explore various observation techniques and guidance strategies in the early childhood setting. As an Early Childhood Educator, I need to identify child behavior and consider behavior in the context of development. Also, I have to explore environmental influences on behavior such as family, culture and community. In the class ECE 226, I developed a case study “Jack and Jill --and Sam? This case study is about Sam in the Jack and Jill Child Care Center. Sam exhibits some behavioral problems in the child care center. This case study involves dilemma, conflict, or problem that one or more of the characters in the case must negotiate.

Our parents raise us hoping for us to develop certain character traits, but there comes to a point when we start to become our own person based on the experiences we go through, any situation, good or bad, can influence our personality mentally and emotionally. Emotion is what makes us human, it's how we cope and how we manage our crazy lives’. When our feelings get damaged or even nourished, it will change how we react

Evidence indicates that genetic factors may play a role in development of disruptive behavior disorders (Hansell & Damour, 2005). A biological structure of an infant’s brain has preposition genes and chemical responses to develop into an adult (Perry, 2002). Disorders in lifespan development are not biologically set to occur (Dombeck, 2010). Issues’ dealing with environment, education, and way of life has made changes in developments, childhood behavior keeps a child on a continuum between normal and abnormal behavior (Hansell & Damour, 2005). Several disorders currently exist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR) because studies on children, adolescent, and young adult disorders evolved from DSM-II (Hansell & Damour, 2005).

In their day to day world, the impacts can be devastating as they are unable to regulate their emotions and cannot face everyday situations. There are opportunities to fail in deals with all interactions from a child not coping in the classroom when told to explain his work to not being able to cope with waiting in line at the supermarket, to an angry outburst over a work-related issue not going your way. The impact of emotional functioning on those who have experienced trauma is a day to day struggle to function within society (Doyle, 2012).

Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) focuses on uncovering the root of emotional suffering. Followers of this therapeutic approach argue against individuals having free will. Our early life experiences and biological drives determine the motivations of the unconscious, which control our actions, thoughts, and behaviors. During our first few years of life, emotions are the predominant form of communication. Having a secure attachment to his or her caretaker is essential to an infant’s survival. If a young child’s expression of emotion provokes a negative reaction from the caretaker, then survival is perceived to be in peril. In order to protect the attachment, young children create defenses to hide those emotions. Because they were formed in the early years, these defenses evolve into habitual adaptive mechanisms that come out when certain feelings are triggered in order to preserve the present relationship. Certain emotions, negative attachment issues, and other early life experiences might cause the adaptive mechanisms to become maladaptive. Even though these defenses may have solved a past problem, they may create greater problems in present relationships. Examining a client’s belief’s, emotions, early life experiences, and thoughts can give insight into recurring patterns (i.e., transference). Awareness of emotional trigger to these defensive unconscious reactions can help begin the process of changing the recurring

438). Estelle emphasized how her parents rejected her and her father verbally abused her. The constant abuse of her father led Estelle to develop her own internal representation of herself and others causing her to have low self-esteem and an inability to cope with separation (Leichsenring, F., Et al, 2011). This internal self-image reflects the early mental imagine that contributes to Estelle’s interpersonal relationships with her parents and her multiple romantic partners. Lastly, biosocial theory explains BPD results from a combination of internal forces and external forces in which a child’s emotions were punished or ignored by parents (Comer, 2016, p. 438). Estelle’s parents misinterpreted her intense emotions as an attempt to manipulate them. When she was admitted into the hospital the first time, her parents unintentionally taught her to ignore her feelings. This led to her inability to properly handle emotional distress and control her emotional arousal (Comer, 2016, p.

Over time and in recent years genetic and environmental influences have been a huge debate. In the past it was assumed that gene-environment interactions were of little importance and had very little research done on the topic. However, it is now found that there are in fact real effects of genetic and environmental interplay. It’s important to further our knowledge on this interplay to better understand child behavior problems as well as in the context of typical development. Michael Rutter’s article, Gene-environment Interdependence gives a solid overview of the new and evolving research on gene and environment interdependence. With Rutters article, our Disorders of Childhood textbook & class notes, and my own personal research I have found

Jack has challenging behavior throughout the day even though his friend Sandi and his teacher tried to help him because the parts of the brain development is still immature and needs practice how to control his emotion and behavior. According to Marion (2015), challenging behaviors of young children are strongly connected to the brain development of the amygdala and the prefrontal associative cortex. The amygdala linked to emotional behaviors and warns a danger which lead young children to be impulsive. The prefrontal associative cortex linked to self-regulation which "has a start in early childhood and is not fully develop until late adolescent or even early adulthood" (Marion, 2015, p. 295). Thus, young children lack in self-regulation and

Problem behavior problems in early childhood are generally distinguished into internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Internalizing behavior problems can be explained the ways of adapting to the environment which cause internal distress which could be shown as withdrawn and depressed behaviors. In contrast, externalizing behavior problems are characterized by acting out which resulting in conflict with others, for instances aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1978; Agnes et al., 2007). Sometimes, these internalizing and externalizing behavior problems throughout in early childhood may exhibit significant maladaptive developmental problems (Agnes et al., 2007), and often show more severe and chronic symptoms