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Running head: The Family of Origin Ecomap Assignment

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The Family of Origin Ecomap Assignment

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COVER PAGE

The Family of Origin Ecomap Assignment

The family unit is one of the most valuable social systems, as it is the foundation of relationships that connects people throughout their lifetime. The following provides a snapshot of the Maddox family unit as well as pertinent background information. The matriarch of the family unit is Sophia. She was born in Greeley, Colorado and is currently 49 years old. Sophia and her younger brother (Brother 1) were raised by a single mother, as the father was mostly absent due to alcohol and drug addictions. The mother remarried and had Sister 1 and Brother 2 and the family moved to Houston, Texas in 1989. Meanwhile, Sophia’s biological father remarried and had Brother 3 and Brother 4 in Colorado. Being the oldest and growing up in a tumultuous home environment, Sophia took on the caretaker roll of her younger siblings and mother. At 15 years of age Sophia met Craig on the varsity track team in High School. When Sophia turned 16, she and Craig were allowed to date and they continued dating until they married in 1994. Craig was born in Houston Texas and is currently 53 years old. Both of his parents passed away when he was 3 years old, and he was adopted and raised in the abusive household of his maternal aunt. At the age of 15 Craig ran away from home and moved in with his half brother to finish high school. Four months after Craig and Sophia married in 1994, the couple welcomed their first son (Son 1). Soon thereafter in 1996, they welcomed their second son (Son 2) and exactly three years later in 1999 their daughter (Daughter 1) joined the tribe. Craig and Sophia took on traditional Hispanic roles of authoritative patriarch and mother/homemaker. Craig worked during the day and completed his college education in the evening while Sophia temporarily quit college to stay home and raise the children. Craig was and still is responsible to financially provide for the family through work, while Sophia’s role and responsibilities have changed over the years. When the children lived at home, Sophia was responsible for shopping, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, and rearing the children. With the children currently out of the house, Sophia is pursuing her education while still maintaining a caregiver role from a distance. Sophia has a strong and positive connection with all the children, but is having difficulty adjusting to an empty nest. Son 1 is currently 24 years old and assumes the role of the moral compass of the family. Son 2 is presently 23years old and takes on the role of the joker and instigator of the family. Today, Daughter 1 is 20 years old and accepts the role of the baby of the family. During the children’s upbringing, Craig was stricter on Son 1 and Son 2 than Daughter 1. This dynamic created a strong bond and alliance between Son 1 and Son 2 and resulted in a contentious relationship with Daughter 1. At present, all the children have a positive, strong bond as they help each other navigate through young adulthood. Craig is currently trying to repair his weak connection with Son 1 and Son 2 and create a stronger bond while maintaining his strong relationship with Daughter 1. Sophia and Craig’s connection has fluctuated over the years. From 1994 to 2001, the couple had a strong relationship, however, as the stress of raising a family mounted so did the marital conflict. The marriage conflicted from 2002-2013 and ultimately the couple separated with the intent of divorce from 2013-2015. Before the divorce was finalized, and after seeking counseling, the couple began dating in 2016 and reunited in 2017. Currently, Sophia and Craig are mending their relationship and are fully committed to the marriage’s success.

Interactions

Extended Family

The extended family plays a large role in the Maddox family dynamics. Because both Craig and Sophia have extremely large extended families, there is always conflict in some form or fashion. Furthermore, addiction in a myriad of forms is present on both sides of the extended family. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and gambling addiction are the main expressions and have negatively impacted the family. The Maddox family does not exhibit addictive behaviors and is often giving resources such as money, cars, time, and energy in an attempt to help different individuals affected by addiction. Although there is a line made up of crosses indicating a stressful connection to the extended family, there is also much love and support present.

Culture

Although the couples both come from Latin backgrounds, the differences in family dynamics in a Mexican family and an Italian family are immense. These differences in Craig’s culture and Sophia’s culture have been a source of conflict between the couple therefore, exhibiting a line made up of crosses. Craig’s patriarchal machismo, Mexican culture clashes with Sophia’s matriarchal Italian culture. The differences are highlighted mainly at family gatherings. The men and women separate to interact at social gatherings in Craig’s family and there is an emphasis on privacy. Sophia dislikes the segregation of the sexes and secrecy and feels confined at Craig’s family gatherings. On the other hand, Sophia’s family interacts freely and openly with one another, which often leads to a lack of privacy and boundaries. Craig often feels uncomfortable with the commingling and retreats to isolates himself at her family functions. Both cultures share one commonality; the women do most of the work before, during, and after family events.

Work

A strong, bold line is drawn to the Work social system on the eco-map, as the Maddox family has greatly benefited over the years from Craig’s profession. The arrows placed along side the line, pointing to the Maddox family unit, indicate the flow of resources in the form of income. Craig has climbed the corporate ladder over the years and has been able to continually financially provide for the family. In order for Craig to advance in his career, it involved many moves. The family has lived in Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, and Arizona. Moving so often has taught the family how to adapt and excel in new environments. However, the frequent moving made it difficult for Sophia to complete her college education. Sophia’s place of employment recently closed its doors and she is currently unemployed. Son 1 and Son 2 currently work part-time at retail institutions and Daughter 1 works part-time as a Nanny.

School

At present, there is a focus on School as a major external social system for the Maddox family. The family values education, which reflects the bold line drawn to the school system. Craig’s college education from the University of Houston has benefited the family financially. Sophia possesses an Associates of Science and is actively pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work. Last December, Son 1 graduated Cum Laude from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He is currently studying for the LSAT in order to proceed to law school. Son 2 will graduate from Texas State this December with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and a Minor in Economics. He plans to work while pursuing his MBA. Daughter 1 is currently attending UTSA and is scheduled to graduate December of 2020 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. Sophia and Daughter 1 plan to continue their education and both earn a Master of Social Work. There is a line of arrows pointing towards the School social system because it is consuming much of the family’s resources, which include money, time, and energy.

Local Social Service Agencies

Volunteering provides the Maddox family a strong and positive connection to local social service agencies. Sophia volunteers at Salvation Army and feels a sense of connection and compassion while working with or serving some of Houston’s homeless. Craig volunteers at the Houston Food Bank with other coworkers through his place of employment. Both Craig and Sophia have experienced poverty in their lifetime and feel a sense of responsibility to give back to the community. In the past, Daughter 1 has volunteered at Animal Shelter in San Antonio and both sons have volunteered at Habitat for Humanity.

Government

Craig and Sophia have a weak connection with Government social systems. The couple interacts with the government annually when they pay their taxes. In addition, when Sophia’s place of employment closed she was eligible for unemployment through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). It was during this time Sophia realized she needed to complete her education. While completing her mandatory job searches, she noticed many jobs that caught her interested required a minimum of a college degree. TWC helped Sophia financially for a few months as well as give her the insight she needed to pursue her education.

Theoretical Perspectives

Ecological Theory

In the book Human Behavior and The Social Environment, James A. Forte (2007) expresses that the applied ecological theory incorporates a multitude of academic disciplines to explore how organisms and their environments interact and affect one another on a myriad of levels. In social work this theory is often referred to as the ecological perspective and focuses on three main goals which are, “improving transactions between people and environments, nurturing human development within particular environments, and improving environments so that they support the expression of client systems’ positive dispositions and potentials” (Forte, 2007, p. 118). Some influential contributors to the ecological theory include Carol Germain who brought ecological theory to social work, Robert Park, Rachel Carson, and Kurt Lewin. In addition, Urie Bronfenbrenner contributed greatly by developing the ecological model of human development (Forte, 2007, p. 133).

Two metaphors that Forte (2007) expounds upon in regards to the applied ecological theory are, “The Person As a Living Organism and The Social Environment As A Natural Area” (p. 124-125). As pertaining to the Maddox family unit, collectively and individually they represent living organisms that must obtain resources from the environment for survival. The Maddox family works together to provide optimal environments for growth and success. Craig has found his niche with an ideal occupation that provides adequate resources in the form of income for the family unit. Sophia’s niche exists within the residence where she provides a structured and stable home environment for the children and the family unit to thrive. Son 1, Son 2, Daughter 1, and Sophia are all acquiring the resource of knowledge from Institutions of Higher Education to sustain, if not improve, their future environments. Currently, the Maddox family is thriving in Texas, which is the primary reason Craig recently turned down an employment opportunity in North Carolina. Displacing the parental unit to North Carolina would be detrimental for the children as well as Sophia. Being so far away from one another would create a feeling of insecurity for the family as well as interrupt Sophia’s education. When viewing the social environment as a natural area, the family demonstrates the ecological process of competition through Craig’s ability to maintain successful employment. Also, Sophia and the children are pursuing their educations in order to have an advantage over other competitors in the workforce. These examples highlight the strengths the Maddox family unit possesses and reflects the reciprocal causality experienced with their environment.

The Maddox family does face the symbolic boundary of racism in their environment, which can be portrayed as a weakness. For example, Craig oftentimes gets mistaken for an Uber driver or valet attendant when valeting at high-end hotels for meetings. When walking in our own neighborhood, the sons have been racially profiled as “suspicious looking men” and stopped by police. Once a child shouted at Son 1, “make America great again” which portrays the Maddox family as outsiders in their own country of America. The symbolic feature of territoriality in America’s macrosystem, contributes to the racism experienced by the Maddox Family. However, they do not let racism hold them back but use it as a motivation to achieve their goals and raise awareness. Another symbolic feature expressed in the family environment is the use of fashion, piercings, and tattoos to adorn their body territories. It provides a creative outlet for the family to showcase their culture and individuality.

The Maddox family understands they are dependent on the environment and its finite resources. They take a holistic approach to environmental conservation by trying to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible to prevent further climate change. According to Mawle (2010) climate change will bring, “increasingly severe heat waves, floods, storms, and forest fires and will cause as many as 500,000 deaths a year by 2030” (p. 273). To preserve our planet for future generations, the family recycles, uses reusable bags, does not buy plastic water bottles, utensils or plates, buys organically grown foods, and Daughter 1 is a vegetarian.

Psychodynamic Theory

Psychodynamic Theory is a tradition that stems from the work of Freud and other classical psychoanalytic theorists such as Erik Erikson and John Bowlby (Forte, 2007, p. 287). This theory helps individuals comprehend the human psyche and use it to understand how our inner emotions interact with outside influences, which in turn impact our emotional development. Sigmund Freud developed the concept of, “the human psyche (personality)” and its three parts consisting of, “the id, ego and superego” which all develop at different stages in our lives (McLeod, 2017). The concept of id refers to the instinctual component of a personality, such as sexual and aggressive drives, that motivates impulses. The id is present in the personality of a baby, as it is dominated by the existence or nonexistence of pleasure. As the infant grows, it will develop the ego and the superego. The ego develops as a mediator between the instinctual impulses of the id and reality (McLeod, 2017). McLeod further illustrates that the superego develops around ages 3-5 and integrates society’s morals that are often learned by their parents. An individual’s level of consciousness (unconscious, preconscious, and conscious) impacts their behavior and development. In order to handle internal and external conflicts, attention may be given to the individual’s ego defense mechanisms. Forte (2007) provides a table of Swanson’s Analysis of Selected Self-Defenses that include, “displacement, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, repression, and undoing” (p. 313).

Furthermore, Erikson’s Model of Human Development and Bowlby’s Attachment Theory contribute greatly to Psychodynamic Theory. Erikson’s eight stages of human development highlight the challenges an individual must meet to achieve “basic strengths” in order to progress to the next stage. If the stage is not mastered it, “leads to basic ego weaknesses” (Forte, 2007. p. 299). Bowlby and other Attachment Theorists, emphasizes that the basic human problem is, “security versus insecurity” and identified different attachment styles in children (Forte, 2007, p. 306). As you can see, many different theorists and their ideas contribute to the Applied Psychodynamic Theory.

Consequently, there are many concepts in the Psychodynamic Theory that can be applied to the Maddox family. Firstly, all the members of the family have developed their psyches and are established in their superegos. They all try to remain in a conscious state of mind but sometimes fluctuate in their levels of consciousness, depending on individualized circumstances, which can lead to weaknesses in the family unit. For example, Son 2 may utilize the ego defense of displacement if he is angry with his professor and takes out his frustrations on Son 1. Sophia occasionally uses rationalization to justify her shopping habits by explaining to Craig how much money she saved him because what she purchased was on sale.

In regards to Erikson’s model of human development, the family occupies two different stages. Sophia and Craig are in the “Stagnation Versus Generativity” stage, because they have contributed to the next generation through their children and work (Forte, 2007). Sophia is avoiding stagnation by furthering her education in the field of social work, and she and Craig volunteer to give back to society. The Maddox children are in the “Intimacy Versus Isolation” stage as they are all young adults exploring more profound relationships on a variety of levels with others. Successfully engaging in their perspective stages demonstrates the strengths of the Maddox family unit. In addition, the children have healthy secure attachments to Sophia and Craig, which provide them with an emotional safety net as well as confidence in others. Finally, the family identifies with the psychodynamic theory metaphors of, “a person is like a mountain climber and the social environment is like a mountain”, because they are on their own life paths and overcoming the obstacles of different stages to advance in their personal development (Forte, 2007, p. 292-293). For example, Sophia and the children are on educational paths with their environments being their perspective institutions of higher education. Meanwhile, Craig is currently climbing the corporate mountain through work.

Intervention and Resources

As mentioned in the previous section on the extended family, there is addiction present in various forms impacting the Maddox family. Currently, Sophia and Brother 1 are on non-speaking terms due to a recent fall out because of drug use. However, this is not the first time they have had issues. Brother 1 has been struggling with addiction for about 28 years beginning with alcohol abuse as a teenager, leading to drug abuse in the form of crack cocaine as a young adult. Brother 1 lived with the Maddox family for a short time in an attempt to get on his feet. Craig and Sophia gave him a car, a job, and a home, but Brother 1 relapsed and lost the car and the job and began stealing from them. The chaos that was brought into the home was overwhelming and Sophia had to ask him to leave. Soon thereafter Brother 1 was incarcerated and was clean for a short time. Recently, Brother 1 relapsed again and began using methamphetamines. Brother 1 has cut off all communication with Sophia and her mother, which causes them great anxiety.

In an attempt to stage an intervention for Brother 1, the family and Brother 1 need to gain an understanding of methamphetamine addiction and how to deal with it in a healthy way. According to Iritani, Hallfors, & Bauer (2007), crystal meth is a drug that when taken creates a euphoric and stimulant effect, but has many adverse effects which include, “mood disturbances, psychotic symptoms, cardiovascular problems, hyperthermia and convulsions” (p. 1102). Not to mention the negative impact it has on communities and families. Dodes & Dodes, (2016) imply that addiction is best understood through the use of psychodynamic psychology because it thoroughly examines the mind (p. 215). They conclude that, “human addictive behavior is

virtually always precipitated by psychologically meaningful issues such as loss, anxiety, and depression” (Dodes & Dodes, 2016, p. 222). To further expound, Mustain & Helminiak, (2015) affirm that when an individual is an addict their psyche is distressed leading to harmful behaviors (p. 365). The authors advocate for reintegration of the psyche by, “establishing a sense of self”, “develop a sense of connectedness to others”, and “learning to regulate emotions” (Dodes & Dodes, 2016, p. 366-369).

To apply a psychodynamic approach to Brother 1’s intervention, entering a rehabilitation center and receiving psychotherapy to understand the root of his addiction and to develop coping skills is critical. The Cheyenne Center in Houston provides drug treatment programs as well as an intensive residential treatment program for men (Home, n.d.). It offers a 28-day program that allows individuals to recover physically, emotionally, and spiritually as well as provides individual, group and family therapy. In order to maintain sobriety, attending meetings through Alcoholics Anonymous Houston and obtaining a sponsor would be beneficial to Brother 1’s continued recovery (AA Intergroup, n.d.). In addition, Brother 1 can receive further psychiatric treatment and counseling on a sliding scale payment plan through The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (New Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, n.d.). The Harris Center has Psychiatrist available to evaluate and treat underlying mood disorders as well. Attending Al-Anon family groups with other individuals that are experiencing the same struggles would be a great resource to assist the family (“Help and Hope for Families and Friends of Alcoholics,” n.d.). The meetings would also help the family in setting healthy boundaries and addressing the dysfunctional relationships within the family.

References

AA Intergroup. (n.d.). Retrieved July 02, 2019, from https://aahouston.org/

Dodes, L. M., & Dodes, J. (2016). The Case Study Method in Psychodynamic Psychology: Focus on Addiction. Clinical Social Work Journal, 45(3), 215-226. doi:10.1007/s10615-016-0610-5

Forte, J. A. (2007). Applied Systems Theory. In Human behavior and the social environment: Models, metaphors, and maps for applying theoretical perspectives to practice (p. 183). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Help and Hope for Families and Friends of Alcoholics. (n.d.). Retrieved July 02, 2019, from https://al-anon.org/

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved July 02, 2019, from https://cheyennecenter.com/

Iritani, B. J., Hallfors, D. D., & Bauer, D. J. (2007). Crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the USA. Addiction, 102(7), 1102-1113. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01847.x

Mawle, A. (2010). Climate change, human health, and unsustainable development. Journal of Public Health Policy, 31(2), 272-277. doi:10.1057/jphp.2010.12

Mcleod, S. (2017, February 05). Id, Ego and Superego. Retrieved July 01, 2019, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html

Mustain, J. R., & Helminiak, D. A. (2015). Understanding spirituality in recovery from addiction: Reintegrating the psyche to release the human spirit. Addiction Research & Theory, 23(5), 364-371. doi:10.3109/16066359.2015.1011623

New Behavioral Health Advisory Committee. (n.d.). Retrieved July 02, 2019, from https://www.theharriscenter.org/