Sample Case Study Of Amanda's Family

Family Relationships Parrish (2014) describes separation-individuation as “the desired result of children gaining a sense of identity distinct from that of their mothers” (p. 90). During infancy and childhood, Amanda’s family describes her as an easy-going, trusting child. She was happy to spend time with others and was not easily destressed when left in the care of an individual other than her mother. Part of this easy-going nature Amanda has with others could be a result of spending time in the care of her maternal grandmother during infancy and childhood. Amanda’s mother returned to work 6 weeks after Amanda’s birth, however her grandmother ran a licensed daycare facility and cared for Amanda. The nature of the daycare facility exposed Amanda to the comings and goings of many people at a very young age. It is possible that this experience helped her develop a sense of self separate from that of her mother while still maintaining the trust that her mother would always return for her. As Amanda was discussing the death of

She began drinking, sneaking out of her parent’s house, her grades began to fall, and she started getting in trouble at school. Amanda described her parents as hurt and worried during this time because they did not know what was wrong or how to help Amanda. According to Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2013), this time in adolescence is marked by a “need for social acceptance” that leads youths to have a kind of group mentality where they tend to act as a whole rather than as individuals (p. 341). Adolescence is a time of learning to move from this kind of social dependence to social independence. People who have reached social independence are described as “self-directed people [who] think things out for themselves and make decisions based on their personal interests” (Zastrow & Krist-Ashman, 2013, p.