Childhood Observation Essay

The situation that requires considerable influencing is a continuing matter within our family. My aunt adopted a child Brian, when he was only four years old. She already had five children of her own, but they loved him from the moment they met. She has done a fine job of raising her own children. The children range from doctors and pilots to engineers, she has done quite well as a mother. Although she is hard on her children, she has a good track record of success. She and her husband are two of the people I look up to most as a parent. Her adopted son turned eighteen last year and decided he has had enough of my aunt and moved out. He is currently living in a home for homeless men in Meadville Pennsylvania. There has been no contact between …show more content…
This may be a daunting task for almost anyone. Brian dropped out of school at eighteen, far from the expectations of his family. Does he have the ability to do what his other siblings have accomplished? Possibly, but even if he does not achieve the same level of success he can still feel some sense of accomplishment. Finding a job that provides him with money can help him to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. There are work study programs that exist that can help him finish school on his own time. We know he has the ability to finish school, he dropped out during his final year of high school. We know he can work too, he grew up on a farm where labor is a …show more content…
Brian does not want to speak with his mother. She is unable to motivate him currently and it falls on those family members who still have contact with him to help. The family members who do still speak with Brian need to act in a stronger manner. If he respects you enough to talk with you then take that away from him. If he contacts you, do not reply. Offer to speak with him only if he enrolls in school or finds a job. There is no room for deviation here. This calls upon structural motivation too. We are trying to use the people he respects against him, if he thinks highly of you, use it to an advantage. You are the only person who can influence him at this point. Encourage him first and if this fails use your place of respect as a bartering chip. Why would he care if the few family members he talks to stopped communication with him? The world can be a lonely place when you have no one in your corner.
Providing assistance to Brian can backfire. If he takes the generosity and uses it for the wrong things he could end up worse off. For this reason only a limited amount of monetary assistance should be provided if any. If he is safe and is eating nothing else should be provided for. This is a motivational factor that I would leave until the end of our influencing process as a finale push for our desired results. Only when we see that his behavior has changed