Analytic Thought

Psych 441_Thought Paper Case Scenarios 1

Psych 441_Spring 2022 Thought Paper Assignment Case Scenarios: Choose only ONE to review and analyze in your paper.

1. Case Scenario Two: Divorced parents with two children. Gail, the mother has primary care for the children as the father, Tom, has moved and is living in another state. Gail is now dating and is feeling ready to have her daughters, Dina and Cara, meet her new boyfriend.

Gail is a divorced, single mother in her late twenties who has two girls Dina, age 5 and Cara, age 7. Gail works full-time as a pharmacist. Her young girls are in school, and they are currently well-adjusted. Gail and her daughters have a structured schedule and routine. When not at work or school, Gail and her girls have typically been inseparable. Gail (mother) has a younger sister without children and an older brother with four children who live in the same town. After six years of marriage, Gail and the girls’ dad Tom divorced two years ago. The divorce was ultimately amicable though was based on difficulties making the needed compromises for balancing family and career priorities. Prior to the separation and divorce there were increasing tensions in the home, which made Gail and Tom feel less compatible. The efforts to work on staying together were unsuccessful, and Tom felt that the tension was unbearable and unhealthy. Gail eventually agreed, giving up the hope that they would try counseling before the final decision.

The girls Dina and Cara now see their father infrequently (every few months) as Tom moved to another state due to a work promotion soon after the divorce. Tom is very busy, but is missing the girls. Tom prefers to return to visit his daughters rather than having them travel to him by plane. Tom feels it will be easier to arrange visits as the girls get older. In the past year, Tom had to cancel a few of his visits due to his workload and schedule. While Tom is committed to the family financially and talks regularly on the phone with his daughters, he has some difficulty with consistent visitation. Dina observes that Tom now asks her fewer questions about how the girls are doing. Gail wonders if the missed visits are just work- related or whether he may be dating someone and/or becoming more emotionally distant. Gail worries about her girls missing their dad. Tom feels left out of some of the day-to-day decisions. At times he questions why he moved. He has a harder time expressing his feelings and worries about the girls as well.

Gail considers herself to be a strong person and a devoted parent. She has made some gradual changes in her life since the divorce. Two months ago, she started to date Peter, a hard-working single man in his thirties who has no children of his own. Peter manages a construction business and lives and works locally. While Gail was initially cautious to form new male friendships and begin dating, her relationship with Peter is developing and working well. She is impressed with his communication. Gail has started to rely on her siblings to care for her girls on weekends when she has time away to see Peter. Her girls do not know she is dating but miss their mom when she goes out and are asking more and more questions.

Gail has been somewhat overprotective of her daughters since the divorce and the dad’s move out of state and has been cautious about having them meet Peter. However, Gail now feels comfortable enough with her relationship with Peter and feels it is the time for him to meet her daughters. Respond to the scenario. What concepts apply? What are some factors to consider regarding this family scenario and the current situation? What is your reaction to the case and the decision mom is making? How should Gail proceed? What more would you like to know about the family in order to better analyze the case? You may consider stress and adaptability, including morphostasis and morphogenesis, interdependence and/or emotional climate as concepts for discussion.