Alleyah Case Study

Alleyah is someone who learned inappropriate behaviors from her family and surroundings at an extremely young and vulnerable age. For instance, she learned through observation of those around her that utilizing drugs early in life is normal. This manner of learning is explained by Bandura’s social learning theory. When she was court ordered to attend Carroll Academy, she began to observe and imitate positive behaviors rather than negative ones, which set her life back on the right path. The academy taught her appropriate behaviors, yet I feel that they will not continue when she returns to her home school. When she returns back to school, Alleyah will not have access to the individuals who held her to a higher standard and taught her how to …show more content…
This theory believes that all people have the same basic needs that must be met regardless of culture or background. Maslow described these needs in a hierarchy. Alleyah’s physiological needs are being met at home, meaning that she has food and shelter, but her safety and security and love and belonging needs are not. Her family at home and her friends at school are not protecting her from harm, instead they are presenting her with it by allowing her to partake in drug use. Using drugs will harm her body as well as her future. While attending Carroll Academy, she was getting her basic needs met, which allowed her to get her higher needs met as well. The coaches were a great support system for her, but when she returns back to her home school, her needs will not be met in the same manner. Although Alleyah was safe and secure at the academy with those around her caring about her (fulfilling her love and belonging needs) and making sure she only participated in appropriate activities, she will not have the same support at her home school. Lacking the support, safety, and security, Alleyah will most likely regress back to the way she behaved before the academy helped her straighten out her