Steve Smith Family Case Study

Steve Smith has been behaving differently lately, for example, his grades are dropping, he is getting in trouble for minor incidences at school, and there is a possibility he may become active in using drugs if not addressed. Steve’s parents John and Jill Smith have been divorced for four months, and Steve may not be adapting to the change very well. Using the Bio-Psycho-Social approach will tell me what is going on with the family a little bit more. Biologically the family seems to be okay. There are no health issues and no signs of mental illness. The family appears to be coping with the changes of divorce negatively. As for the psychological aspect, Steve is having an identity crisis of who he is, and how he fits into his group. The father …show more content…
There is no hierarchy in the family since the parents are too busy trying to find out what to do with Steve, and what the other parent is doing. Since there is no hierarchy, Steve has been doing whatever he wants. It also shows that his parents do not take an interest in how he is doing in school since his grades are dropping. The Smith family are displaying signs of pathological structures such as Enmeshment. The family has limited involvement with each other, and boundaries are becoming non-existed. Jill and John Smith both are not able to talk to each other without it becoming a massive conflict. Instead of Jill and John keeping the divorce between each other they often bring Steve into it. By asking him to tell what the other parent is doing. The family structure has changed drastically since the divorce. Up to a year ago Steve lived at home with both of his parents. Now he has two homes with single parents that have a conflict every time they talk. Jill is even putting their old house for sale, and planning to higher her education. Jill is going to obtain a new role of becoming a student once again. Another family system is post divorce and how the family is coping with it. It is seen as normal, and that it does change the family system, but does not get rid of it. Although the family system has changed, the family is still there. John is still …show more content…
Jill and John can at least communicate, and come up with a plan to have joint custody of their son. It maybe filled with conflict, but some communication is there. Jill is moving on by selling the house, and applying for graduate school. Steve still attends school and has not started using substances. Jill, John, and Steve are willing to talk about how they feel about the divorce. When talking about the divorce, everyone seemed to care about what was going on. Meaning everyone cares for one another still. As for the Ecological Approach goes by three basic principles as referred in our handout The Bio-Psycho-Social Perspective. First we take a look into the evolutionary view of human beings. Jill, and John both seemed to live an ordinary life. They obtained some degree, got married, had a child, but got divorces. Now Jill believes that the most important thing is to move on with her life. John believes that the most important thing is to get back with Jill. As for Steve, I believe that he was also a typical teenager. Until the divorce happened causing him to act out, and his education to recline. Secondly, the interaction with the environment and how the people are adapting to the environment also plays a role. The environment for the Smith family is changing fast. The house that they once lived in is on the market, and the John has moved out. Jill and John are not