Cupcake Brown Biography

Despite having lived through multiple instances of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse; more than a decade of heavy substance use; gang violence; and long-term physical, mental, financial, and social instabilities, Brown has managed to turn her life toward success. In the following paragraphs, success will be defined as current, personal biopsychosocial-spiritual health and satisfaction occurring more often than distress. Brown’s successful adaptation and coping apart from her past pain and dangerous behavior can be hypothesized as due to her positive early childhood experiences, consistent familial supports, and internal locus of control.
Hypothesis One Before finding her mother deceased in bed, Cupcake Brown alluded to having an …show more content…
This internal locus of control could be yet another reason why she believed she could take her life in a positive direction if she worked hard enough and why she eventually succeeded in doing just that. Perhaps the earliest evidence of her internal locus of control, in the forms of self-preservation and determination, occurred when she ran away from Diane numerous times for her own safety; this running away stymied the abuse she experienced for the days-at-a-time during which she was gone (Figure 1). Additionally, her strength of determination and self-preservation helped her remain employed for the majority of her adult life, even when she was abusing drugs (Brown, 2006,). On the other hand, her commitment to recovery, college, law school, and passing the bar exam also manifested from this positive and powerful trait (Figure 1). Ultimately, gaining each of these achievements due to her strong internal locus of control led to an increase in her own self-worth (Figure 1). Strong spirituality, which she acquired as an asset during her recovery, also reinforces Brown’s belief in her own ability to make change; faith in a higher power, or God as Brown calls it, adds to her belief in her worth and helps her feel as if she has an extra advocate in her corner when she feels she cannot make change completely on her own (Brown, 2006, p. 368). Because she feels she is not alone having God with her, Brown felt and feels more comfortable taking necessary risks for her coping, adaptation, and success. Studies have given evidence that maintaining a strong internal locus of control is a major protective factor to adverse situations, providing a sense of control and autonomy (Ahlin & Antunes, 2015). Furthermore, an internal locus of control has been shown to develop in part due to parental influence, namely a supervisory parental role