A Home For Maisie
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School
American River College**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
PSYC 310
Subject
Psychology
Date
Dec 18, 2024
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8
Uploaded by EarlAnteaterPerson965
1Theory Paper Case Study:A Home for MaisieCherie BuskirkCalifornia State University, SacramentoSWRK 125A:Human Behavior and the Social Environment: TheoryDr. CalerDecember 5, 2024
2I.THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACHLooking at A Home for Maisie through the multidimensional approach makes it easier tounderstand the challenges Maisie faces as an adopted child with a history of trauma. I alsoconnected this to ideas from the article “Understanding Adoption: A Developmental Approach,”which explains some of the issues adopted children often deal with, especially when they’vebeen through tough experiences like neglect or abuse. By using the dimensions of person,environment, and time, we can see how these different parts of Maisie’s life interact and affecther.The person dimension focuses on Maisie’s psychological struggles, which are tied to her earlylife experiences. According to the article, kids who go through disrupted caregiving, like Maisiedid, often have trouble trusting others and can struggle with their sense of self. Maisie showsthese issues in how she pushes people away and struggles to control her emotions. This makessense because her early experiences taught her that relationships aren’t safe or dependable.Because of this, she hasn’t been able to develop the kind of emotional and social skills that kidsin more stable situations usually learn. This part of the multidimensional approach helps explainwhy Maisie’s behaviors are what they are and how much extra support she needs to heal.The environment dimension looks at how Maisie’s social surroundings affect her. The articlepoints out that children need stable and loving homes to start healing from their pasts. ForMaisie, moving through so many homes and dealing with disrupted adoptions created a patternwhere she expected people to leave or reject her. When she moves in with the Cliffords, it’s awhole new situation. They give her a stable and supportive home, but at first, she struggles toadjust because her past taught her that relationships aren’t trustworthy. Over time, though, their
3patience and consistency help her start to feel safe enough to open up a little. This shows howmuch a good environment matters for a child like Maisie.The time dimension is also really important, especially when looking at the big events inMaisie’s life. The article talks about how major events, like being adopted, can be a turning pointfor kids who have had rough starts in life. Maisie’s early experiences of neglect and abuse werehuge events that shaped how she sees the world, and they left her with a lot of emotional scars.But her adoption by the Cliffords could be another major event, one that helps her start to heal.The therapy and care she gets during the time covered in the film show how important it is toaddress the damage from her past while also helping her create new, positive experiences thatcould change her future.Looking at Maisie’s story this way shows how the multidimensional approach connects differentparts of her life—her personal challenges, her environment, and the timing of big events—toexplain what’s happening with her. The article backs this up by showing that adopted kids withtrauma histories need a lot of extra care to help them move forward. Maisie’s journey shows howhard it can be to overcome early trauma, but it also gives hope that with the right support, kidslike her can start to heal. This perspective helps me understand how social workers and familiescan work together to create a safe and supportive path forward for children who’ve been throughso much.II. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVESTwo perspectives that stood out to me in A Home for Maisie are attachment theory and thehumanistic perspective. These two ideas help explain why Maisie struggles so much in her newhome and also how her adoptive parents work to help her feel safe and heal from her past. I readabout similar ideas in the article “Attachment-Based Parenting Interventions and Evidence of
4Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment.” The article talks about how important it is forcaregivers to respond to a child’s emotional needs, especially when the child has been throughtrauma. This connects directly to what Maisie experiences in the film.Attachment theory looks at how relationships with caregivers early in life shape how childrengrow emotionally, socially, and even behaviorally. When kids experience consistent care—wherethey feel loved and protected—they develop secure attachments and learn to trust others. Butwhen they don’t get this, they might develop insecure attachments. This can lead to things likefear of trusting people or having trouble controlling emotions. In Maisie’s case, she went throughneglect and lived in a lot of different homes, so she didn’t get to experience secure attachment.You can see this in the way she pushes people away or reacts defensively when her adoptiveparents, Jim and Sue Clifford, try to show her love. The article explains that caregivers can helprebuild attachment by being consistent and nurturing. This is exactly what the Cliffords do, likewhen they use playful activities or even spoon-feed her to create moments where Maisie feelscared for.The humanistic perspective is another way to look at Maisie’s story. This perspective focuses onseeing the best in people and believing they can grow and overcome challenges, especially whenthey’re in a supportive environment. The Cliffords really seem to approach Maisie with thismindset. Instead of focusing on how “difficult” she can be, they see her behaviors as a result ofher past and respond with patience and love. For example, when Maisie acts out, they don’t giveup on her. They keep showing her that they care about her no matter what. This idea connects tothe article’s point that being sensitive to a child’s needs and showing empathy can help thembuild trust over time. The Cliffords’ belief in Maisie’s potential to heal, along with their
5consistent care, creates the kind of environment that allows her to begin trusting and connectingwith others.Looking at Maisie’s story through these two perspectives helped me understand her situationbetter. Attachment theory explains how her early experiences shaped the way she interacts withothers, while the humanistic perspective shows why the Cliffords’ approach works so well. Thearticle backs up the idea that kids with traumatic pasts can heal when they’re in a supportive,nurturing environment. Maisie’s journey shows how powerful this kind of care can be, evenwhen the challenges seem overwhelming. It’s a reminder of how important patience andcompassion are when working with children who’ve been through tough experiences.III. THE LIFE COURSE PERSPECTIVEThe life course perspective is a way to look at how people’s lives are shaped by their experiencesover time, the relationships they have, and major events they go through. This perspective ishelpful when thinking about Maisie’s journey in A Home for Maisie because it explains howdifferent parts of her life connect and impact her development. From what I read in the article“Adoption and Trauma: Risks, Recovery, and the Lived Experience of Adoption” by Brodzinsky,Gunnar, and Palacios, I see two important ideas that relate to the film: life events and linkedlives.One big life event in Maisie’s story is her adoption by the Cliffords. The article talks about howmajor events, like moving into a stable home after experiencing trauma, can be turning points ina child’s life. Before her adoption, Maisie went through neglect, abuse, and several placements,which left her with a lot of emotional and behavioral challenges. Being adopted by the Cliffordsis a major transition for her. It’s a chance to finally have stability and care, but it’s also reallyhard for her to trust and adjust to this new environment. In the film, we see Maisie struggle to
6open up at first because of how much fear and mistrust she’s carried from her past. Over time,though, the consistent care she receives from the Cliffords helps her start to feel safer. This lifeevent is a critical point in her development, showing how a single event, combined with the rightsupport, can change the direction of a child’s life.The idea of linked lives, which means that people’s lives are connected and influence each other,is also really clear in Maisie’s story. The article explains how the relationships between adoptedchildren and their caregivers are really important for helping kids recover from trauma. InMaisie’s case, her adoptive parents, Jim and Sue Clifford, play a big role in her journey byproviding her with the care and consistency she needs. At the same time, Maisie also impactstheir lives. The film shows how they adapt their parenting to meet Maisie’s unique needs, likeengaging in nurturing activities that help her feel cared for. Their commitment to her healingshows how much their lives are intertwined, and it’s clear that their relationship with Maisiechanges them as well. This back-and-forth influence shows how important relationships are inshaping someone’s development.Using the life course perspective to look at Maisie’s story helped me understand how big eventsand relationships shape her life. Her adoption is a turning point that gives her the chance to heal,while her relationship with her adoptive parents provides the support she needs to take that firststep. The article makes it clear that with stability and care, kids like Maisie can start to recoverfrom trauma and build a better future. This perspective reminds me how important it is for socialworkers and families to focus on the connections and transitions that matter most in a child’s life.IV. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
7Watching A Home for Maisie taught me a lot about how childhood trauma affects kids,especially when they’ve been through neglect and instability. I knew trauma could havelong-term effects, but I didn’t fully understand how it impacts a child’s ability to trust others orfeel safe in relationships. Seeing Maisie’s behaviors, like how she pushed people away or reactedto affection, made me realize how much early experiences shape a child’s development. I alsolearned more about how healing takes time and requires consistent, loving care. The way theCliffords approached parenting Maisie showed me how important it is to create a safeenvironment for kids who’ve been hurt and to meet them where they are emotionally.The film really got to me emotionally. I felt sad for Maisie because she carried so much fear andmistrust with her, even when she was in a safe place. It made me think about how unfair it is thatso many kids have to grow up without the stability and care they deserve. At the same time, I felthopeful watching the Cliffords work so hard to help Maisie heal. It was inspiring to see theirpatience and how they didn’t give up, even when things were difficult. It made me think abouthow hard it must be to help someone recover from trauma and how important it is to staycommitted.This film also made me think about myself and how early experiences affect us. I started toreflect on some of my own challenges and the ways I’ve had to learn to trust others. It made merealize how important supportive relationships are for healing and growth. I also thought aboutthe kind of social worker I want to be. I want to be someone who stays patient and sees thepotential in people, even when they’re struggling. The film reminded me how powerful it can beto just show up for someone and keep trying, no matter how hard it seems.
8ReferencesBrodzinsky, D., Gunnar, M., & Palacios, J. (2020). Adoption and trauma: Risks, recovery, andthe lived experience of adoption.Post Adoption Center Resource Library. Retrieved fromhttps://postadoptioncenter.org/resource-library/adoption-and-trauma-risks-recovery-and-the-lived-experience-of-adoption/Fonagy, P., Campbell, C., & Luyten, P. (2022). Attachment, mentalizing and trauma: Then(1992) and now (2022).Brain Sciences, 13(3), 459.https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030459Hutchison, E. D. (2017).Essentials of human behavior: Integrating person, environment, and thelife course(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Paediatrics & Child Health. (2001). Understanding adoption: A developmental approach.Paediatrics & Child Health, 6(5), 281–283.https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/6.5.281Wright, G. E., Westrupp, E. W., & Nicholson, J. M. (2022). Attachment-based parentinginterventions and evidence of intergenerational transmission of attachment.ClinicalChild and Family Psychology Review,25(1), 1-16.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00405-4