Psychological Case Study Example

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Henry Faavae
PSY 646 Practicum
12/6/12

Psychological Case Report

Client Name: Eric B. Sex: M Age: 12 Medical Condition(s): Attention deficit disorder Reason for Referral: - He did poorly in school, being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. He is constantly involved in fights and has no companions. When he’s at home, he mostly involved himself in action movies and cartoons. Eric befriends a boy who lived next door to him. One day he steals the boy’s bicycle and when the family comes to claim it, Eric threatens the boy by saying that he was going to kill his baby brother. A few weeks later, Eric broke into the apartment and assaulted the baby, beating him and leaving bruises and marks on him.

Tests Administered/Test Scores & Interpretation/Behavioral Observations: - NA (I didn’t have permission from parent/guardian to conduct tests on the client)

Client/Family Background: - Eric is a 12-year old Korean-American male who was raised in an impoverished inner city neighborhood in Chicago. Drugs and violence surrounded his daily life. With a single-mother who involved herself in a series of relationships with abusive boyfriends, Eric found himself beat with a belt, and may have been sexually assaulted. His mother was not home that often, and he was forced to sit outside on the stoop so that his grandmother that also lived with them could sell drugs. His mother was uneducated and supported the family with her public assistance grant. He has never met his father, and his uncles are in jail. His father was convicted of robbery and drug charges but Eric was told that he was shot to death in an attempted robbery. He dreams of one day avenging his father's death and acts it out when he plays alone. He has a history of terrorizing animals and killed the family cat.

Detailed Case History: - Before the actual beating of the baby, there were several warning signs that he might snap and commit acts of violence. He often fantasized about avenging his father's death through violent means. He also killed his own pet, and terrorized stray dogs and birds. Another warning sign was his constant acts of violence in school, fighting with peers and even hitting a teacher on one occasion. The fourth sign was that Eric mostly enjoyed watching action movies, and cartoons, where violence was displayed regularly. There are also many risk factors that made it more likely that Eric would grow up showing violent behavior. He grew up as an African-American male living in poverty in a single-parent home. He was surrounded by drugs and abuse and grew up without a father figure. There was evidence of sexual assault, and if that happened that would attribute to violent behavior. Attention deficit disorder, although not directly related to violence, may have attributed to frustration, which in turn could lead to anger and aggressive behavior. Also a lack of socialization leads to deviant behavior and juvenile delinquency.

Diagnosis (attach report sheet summarizing Axes):

Reason for Diagnosis: - According to Eric Erikson, a student of Freud, his psychosocial theory states that you have to move through stages of development to have your needs met. One needs to be psychologically ready to move on to the next stage. This depends on the social environment they are in Eric, I want to go back to when he was six years old. At six years old, he is in the initiative vs. guilt stage of Erikson's Stage Theories. In this stage, he is supposed to be ready to take initiative in his own activities and make plans and goals for the future. If his mother does not allow him to take initiative then he will feel guilt for his attempts at independence. He may also be in the industry vs. inferiority stage. This means he should be aware of his responsibilities such as homework and chores. He should be able create a sense of industry, if praised and rewarded by his