MFT614 Case Assg

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The Case of Kevin Miller Katherine Petrie MFT14 Development within The Family Lifecycle January, 2024

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 1 Introduction & Thesis This paper focuses on the case study of Kevin Miller, a bi-racial fifth grade student whose disruptive behavior is causing problems for him at school. In the following sections, I will identify the key issues in Kevin’s case, and assess his development with the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. I will also explore how to promote prosocial behaviors for Kevin, looking at his attachment style and the parenting style of his caregivers. Finally, I will discuss some cultural considerations and examine my own biases as they pertain to this case. Key Issues Kevin is described as an intelligent and attractive child whose behavior in school has been progressively more disruptive throughout the year. The need for intervention came about when the accumulation of his behaviors caused the school principal to revoke his privilege to attend a class trip. Years prior, Kevin was considered for the gifted program at his school, but his grades have dropped to a C+ average because he doesn't spend time studying and generally does not engage in his schoolwork. Kevin has a reputation for being disruptive, disrespectful, and distracting.. His engaging confidence has made him somewhat popular with his peers, and he seems to enjoy being in a position of power among the group. There were concerns over his attention span in earlier years and he has been caught cheating on tests. When confronted about his inappropriate commentary toward teachers, he does not accept responsibility and believes he has done nothing wrong. Kevin’s parents are supportive of him, despite being upset with some of his behavioral problems. They enlisted the help of a counselor in fourth grade, whom Kevin has seen sporadically. The Millers claim to understand the principal’s stance, but ultimately succeed in overriding the decision to exclude Kevin from the class trip. Based on the vignette, Kevin’s parents seem to enable and justify his negative behaviors, and provide very little structure for

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 2 him. Kevin does not seem to have true academic challenges, and for the purpose of this paper, I will make the assumption that a learning disorder has been ruled out. Piaget’s Theory Piaget’s theory of cognitive development relies on the idea that children advance through four distinct stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational (McLeod, 2023). Kevin is likely in the Concrete Operational stage which is generally thought to encompass ages 7 to 11. In this stage children begin to understand logical thought as it applies to concrete ideas. Egocentrism begins to decrease, allowing children to better understand the thoughts and feelings of those around them, but they still struggle to understand abstract concepts. In Kevin’s case, he likely has an understanding of the way his behaviors impact others, but he still has little self control and his understanding of logical consequences may be inhibited by his parents’ lack of discipline. Piaget’s theory asserts that children are active participants in their own development processes; they engage and interact with their environment in order to build their understanding of the world. As Kevin has explored his environment, he has not had to face many consequences for his negative behaviors, which reinforces the idea that he can safely continue these behaviors. His parents do not appear to be enforcing consequences or teaching Kevin about the implications of his actions, which may explain why he is still exhibiting a lot of egocentrism at this age. In the 1967 Plowden Report, Piaget’s ideas were applied to education and one of the key takeaways was that “Children should be given individual attention and it should be realized that they need to be treated differently” (McLeod, 2023), which may indicate a need for a more tailored approach to Kevin’s education to keep him engaged. It is hard to predict whether this approach in the classroom would further enable his refusal to follow rules, or if it would positively impact his education by regaining his interest in schoolwork. Unfortunately most

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THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 3 school systems do not have the resources available to tailor education to children with different capabilities and learning styles, so Kevin’s teachers may simply not be able to provide this. Vygotsky’s Theory Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development differs from Piaget’s theory in that it stresses the importance of external social and cultural factors in a child’s development. Vygotsky’s theory posits that children’s cognitive development is primarily influenced by information provided by “more knowledgeable others” (MKOs) such as parents, teachers, or even peers, and it emphasizes “the role of social interaction in the development of mental abilities e.g., speech and reasoning in children” (McLeod, 2024). Another important principle of Vygotsky’s theory is the Zone of Proximal Development, which describes the gap between what a child can learn on their own, and what a child can learn with the support of MKOs. In Kevin’s case, using Vygotsky’s concept of collaborative learning could be very useful in achieving more desirable behaviors and academic success. Kevin’s parents put some of the blame for his behaviors on the school, rather than looking at how they might also be influencing him. If a counselor were able to work with them to take more responsibility, they might become more effective MKOs for Kevin, and would be able to aid him in learning in the Zone of Proximal Development with tasks that are beyond his reach independently. As far as we know, Kevin is not having any true academic challenges, but is struggling to stay engaged with his learning and to have positive interactions with others. These are the tasks that would require input and education from MKOs to help him develop things like problem-solving skills, and prosocial behaviors. “Vygotsky also views peer interaction as an effective way of developing skills and strategies” (McLeod, 2024), one way to encourage this would be to employ collaborative learning strategies like group work with peers who may also act as MKOs for Kevin. His teacher would need to be very strategic with this approach, ensuring that this collaborative learning would not interfere with the learning of the peers paired up with Kevin.

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 4 Promoting Prosocial Behaviors Prosocial behaviors are voluntary behaviors which improve or positively impact the lives of others. Some examples of these behaviors are “helping, sharing, consoling, comforting, cooperating, and protecting someone from any potential harm” (Knafo-Noam, 2016). The development of these behaviors in childhood is essential to forming relationships, and has been linked to “academic performance”, “problem-solving and moral reasoning”, “peer acceptance, empathy, self-confidence, and emotion-regulation skills” (Knafo-Noam, 2016). The development of these behaviors may begin with the decline of egocentrism at an early age, when the child begins to develop an awareness of the feelings and thoughts of others. Prosocial education must be continued by caregivers, educators, or other prominent figures in a child’s life. In examining this case, it is clear that Kevin is lacking in this area of development, as he exhibits a general disregard for the wellbeing and feelings of others. It would be a crucial aspect of intervention to find ways to effectively promote prosocial behaviors for him. Kevin’s parents would need to be involved in this part of his treatment, and they could be coached to model and discuss these behaviors with him at home. “Empathy training may be a promising direction to increase social understanding and prosocial skills, as well as to reduce children’s aggression and bullying” (Spinrad, 2015). Another way to increase prosocial behaviors is to implement positive reinforcement, by encouraging or rewarding these behaviors in Kevin. It seems likely that he would respond well to positive reinforcement by his teachers or parents. Another idea to promote these behaviors is to encourage Kevin to join a team activity or extracurricular in an area of interest for him, such as a sports team or a computer club. Being a part of a team or club with his peers would encourage positive relationships for Kevin, and it might introduce a mentor or coach who could continue working with him to be a kind and empathetic member of the group. Attachment Theory

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 5 Attachment Theory was first put forth by British psychologist John Bowlby. “Attachment theory focuses on relationships and bonds (particularly long-term) between people, including those between a parent and child” (Cherry, 2023). Attachment is characterized by distinct behaviors in children and adults, and there are four primary patterns of attachment: 1. Ambivalent attachment: This pattern is the result of poor parental availability, which results in a child having insecure attachment. This pattern is characterized by the child experiencing extreme distress when their caregiver leaves. 2. Avoidant attachment: This pattern is generally the result of neglectful or punitive parenting, where the child develops an insecure attachment and avoid seeking care or help from their caregivers. 3. Disorganized attachment: This pattern is usually the result of disorganized caregiving, where a parent may be both the source of comfort and fear for the child, leading the child to exhibit a conflicting mix of behaviors toward caregivers. 4. Secure attachment: This pattern is the result of consistently attentive and supportive caregiving, which creates a secure attachment for the child and a secure base from which the child can safely explore and interact with their environment. “Caregivers who provide a secure base allow infants to become autonomous, inquisitive, and experimental” (McLeod, 2023). Kevin’s parents currently appear to be involved, attentive, and supportive, which would usually indicate a secure attachment style. Despite this, Kevin displays problematic and antisocial behaviors, which could indicate an insecure or disorganized attachment style. Without knowing his early history, it is difficult to determine Kevin’s pattern of attachment. It would be useful to meet with his parents to learn more about his upbringing, and whether these problematic behaviors were present in any form prior to his challenges in school. As his counselor, it would be important to inform his parents about attachment styles and their

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THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 6 long-lasting implications, to gain a fuller understanding of Kevin’s attachment to his parents, and to work with them to repair any insecurities that are identified. Parenting Styles The concept of parenting styles refers to the overall approach parents take with their children, including but not limited to their specific practices, rules, and attitudes. There are some common patterns in parenting that have led to the layout of four basic parenting styles (Dewar, 2018): 1. “Authoritative parenting, who encourage kids to be responsible, to think for themselves, and to consider the reasons for rules 2. Authoritarian parenting, who expect their orders to be obeyed without question and who rely on punishment–or the threat of punishment–to control their kids 3. Permissive parenting, who are responsive and warm (a good thing) but also reluctant to enforce rules (a bad thing) 4. Uninvolved parenting, who offer their children little emotional support and fail to enforce standards of conduct” In the case of the Miller family, Kevin’s parents seem to have a permissive parenting style. They are supportive and involved with Kevin, but they do not seem to provide structure or boundaries, and they do not enforce consequences with him. While they do seem to be attentive, they are not very effectively responsive to his needs, meaning that they are not working to address and resolve the issues that have come up. As Kevin’s counselor, I would want to gently work with his parents to understand their parenting approach more fully and to get clarity on what parenting approaches or interventions they may have tried already (successfully or not). Once there is a clear picture of this, I would give them more information on parenting approaches and encourage them to explore more authoritative parenting. This could take some time to implement, but the steps would involve

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 7 collaborating with them to establish some ground rules and boundaries for Kevin and then developing a plan to enforce consequences when he breaks these rules. This would create structure for Kevin that would hopefully start to help him better understand the impact of his actions, so that he can begin to take more responsibility. Eventually, Kevin might also be included in these conversations to get feedback and discuss what things seem to be working and what things may still need to be worked on. Cultural Considerations A relevant piece of information that has not yet been explored in this paper is that we currently do not have any information on his family’s socioeconomic position. We know that “Children belonging to less-advantaged class categories feel less potent, less virtuous, and possess a weaker sense of agency because of their identification. These traits are reflected during childhood—long before a depression or anxiety disorder develops—in lower school motivation, poorer grades, hostility to more advantaged peers, and less willingness to persist with difficult challenges'' (Kagan, n.d.). In working with him and his family, the counselor must keep in mind that some of his behaviors may stem from these factors, and that this must be explored. We also know that Kevin is bi-racial, but we do not have a full picture of his cultural background. There are many cultural differences in child-rearing that can have impacts on attachment and parenting styles and expectations, and it is vital to explore these cultural considerations prior to working with him or his parents. We must also consider whether the seemingly permissive parenting style of the Millers could also be attributed to some differences in cultural norms. While we may view Kevin’s behaviors and outbursts as disruptive and unacceptable, some cultures have different norms of social engagement that may not view these things as negatively. Finally, it is important to address my own personal biases and how they may be impacting my view of the case. As a white woman, I would want to have a full understanding of

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 8 Kevin and his parents’ culture prior to developing any interventions. I would also want to enlist a supervisor to help me identify and work through any biases that may be inhibiting my work with them, and to help me increase cultural competence throughout this case. As a parent, I need to set aside my own views of what is “right” in parenting so as to avoid taking a judgmental stance. Remaining objective will aid me in being able to provide honest and effective treatment for the whole family, while creating strong and trusting relationships with them. Conclusion Kevin’s case is complex and the vignette leaves many unanswered questions that must be answered prior to treatment. Kevin appears to need more structure and discipline at school and at home, which implies the need for individual and family counseling. One must consider where Kevin falls in the stages of cognitive development to determine which of his negative behaviors are out of the range of normal and acceptable, and how best to address these with him and his parents. Principally, working to decrease egocentrism and help him increase prosocial behaviors would be a good starting point. Alongside this, there is a need to work with his parents to address their attachment style and parenting approach, encouraging them to put rules and consequences in place in order to decrease Kevin’s unwanted behaviors and increase his academic achievement. The counselor can provide the necessary resources and support, while encouraging teachers to participate by introducing collaborative learning, and encouraging Kevin to get involved in a team or group activity that aligns with his interests. A full assessment is needed in order to be culturally competent enough to be effective in Kevin’s treatment, and ongoing consideration of personal biases is needed to remain objective.

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THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 9 Reference List Cherry, K. (2023, February 22). Bowlby & Ainsworth: What Is Attachment Theory? The Importance of Early Emotional Bonds. Very Well. Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337 Dewar, G. (2018, February 28). Parenting styles: An evidence-based guide. Parenting Science. https://www.parentingscience.com/parenting-styles.html Kagan, J. (n.d.). Bringing up Baby: Are We Too Attached. The Psychotherapy Networker. https://russwilson.coffeecup.com/Bringing-Up-Baby--are-we-too-attached----kagan.doc Knafo-Noam, A. (2016). Prosocial behavior. Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development. Retrieved from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/dossiers-complets/en/ prosocial-behaviour.pdf McLeod, S. (2023, June 11). Attachment Theory. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment.html McLeod, S. (2023, June 9). Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html Mcleod, S. (2024, January 24). Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

THE CASE OF KEVIN MILLER 10 Spinrad, T. L., & VanSchyndel, S. (2015, May). Socio-Cognitive Correlates of Prosocial Behaviour in Young Children. https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/pdf/complet/prosocial- behaviour

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