The problem of teen pregnancy

 

Table of Contents

Introduction. 3

Assessment on the Issues. 4

Action Plan. 10

Legal and Ethical Issues. 12

Behavioural, Cognitive, and Affective Responses. 12

Wider Systems of Support. 13

Conclusion. 13

References. 14

Introduction

The problem of teen pregnancy constitutes an amalgamation of many other issues that require therapeutic interventions coming from both family systems and psychodynamic systems. The treatment requires the implementation of both individual and systemic therapies. Individual therapies seek to acquire an accurate diagnosis of the issue. It also offers to establish mode of therapy immediately seeking to find the causes, the purposes and the processes required to treat the patient. Its main concern is primarily with the individual experience and perspective of the person. In doing so, the process tends to intervene and sought to assist the individual to gain knowledge and to manage the situation. On the other hand, the use of systemic therapies tends to survey the system involving the dynamics of the family in relation to the problem. This is done by looking into the processes and rules involved in the dynamics of the family. With regards to the therapy, the family members are invited to take part of the therapy. The assumption in systemic therapies is that family relationships are the reason why a particular problem materialised on the part of the individual. The rules involving the Transgeneratioanl relationships as well as the rules within the family form part of the change context in the family system. This is needed on the case of , a 19 year-old pregnant female who sees the pregnancy as a mistake wholly acquired by her. This is compounded by the fact that she feels that her family is antagonistic towards her because of her condition. This paper will be taking into consideration the treatment available for  as she goes through her pregnancy. The individual and systemic therapies shall be used jointly to determine the proper course of action on the part of the pregnant female and how it can strike a balance on her life.

 

Assessment on the Issues

The following part of the paper shall provide a discussion on the issues on which  possess. In order to address the said issues, an analysis shall be provided with reference to the theoretical foundations on which such issues arise. In this regard, the specific issues shall be analysed using the principles of individual and systemic therapies.

Too young to be tied down with a baby

In this issue,  apparently has some problem with regards to her mental state, particularly with her role as an individual. Based on the psychodynamic therapeutic theories, specifically as provided by ,  is currently in the genital stage. In this stage, ego identity and role confusion is determined. This means that  concept of reality, based on past experiences, is just forming in this stage. The problem in this regard is that with the perception of  on her environment determine whether or not she will eventually possess a perspective that is not skewed. To some extent, it appears that having a baby as seen in the declaration of Jasmine is considered a detriment to her actual existence. She treats her pregnancy as a burden. These perspectives may be well founded as they are based on reality and neurotic anxiety. Having a child in the age of 19 is considered a burden as a young person may not be able to provide for the needs of the unborn child. This is the neurotic anxiety which attacks  as her ego and id impulses battle it out to establish reason on the part of . In this contest, Jasmine’s ego apparently is victorious.

On the other hand, it appears that the family of  may have been attributable to the issue at hand. The issue will be best understood with the examination of the interactions involving the family members of . With the teenage pregnancy at hand, it appears that the family of  has some dysfunction that has yet to be established. The resultant problematic behaviour also manifests a problem with reference to the family. Though it poses a problem for the actual family, it does show some purpose. For instance, it appears that the rules established in the family as well as the norms that they follow are symptomatic of the patterns which were handed down from their relatives by affinity. It shows that the family of Jasmine has failed to operate in a productive manner with reference to the formation of  as a well rounded individual.  

To this end, the existing conditions of the family will provide the information whether or not there are symptoms present in the dynamics of the family. It should be emphasised that a change in the systems will, to some extent, change the individuals as well. Looking at the facts of the case, it appears that the family of Jasmine is dysfunctional to say the very least. It shows that the family members are not given the chance to be an individual. Individual freedom is curtailed by the norms, principles and event he religion of the family. These rigid patterns provide for the symptoms that the family possess. This shows that the communications of the family is considerably closed which prompted to act rebelliously. Such expressed acts indicated in the case are the promiscuity of  which eventually led to the pregnancy of the same.

 

Feeling that she is the 'black sheep' of the family: Made every attempt to break the rules wherever possible

Regardless of the fact that  has acquired the age of majority, the facts of the case implies that she is still under the parental authority of the family. In the same regard, the facts of the case indicate that the circumstances surrounding  points to the sequence of rule breaking with reference to the norms of the family. To some extent, this mirrors as  way of coping with her own issues. This is a means of her ego to keep her conflicts to a minimum such that the discomfort that arises from such conflicts is similarly kept at a minimum. This is her defence mechanism. The suppression of the inherent issues that she possesses manifests the main defence mechanism that she employs.

In this regard, she suppresses the moral anxiety that normally would result from the breaking of the rules of the conscience. In the case of , the ego has prevailed which in turn creates its own set of standards displacing the existing norms of which  has been subjected. For instance, the existing rules of the society referring to promiscuity are disregarded by the individual. As a result,  engages in sexual encounters and other actions that are contrary to the norms of society. She goes against the flow as this manifest the chance for her to be distinct from everybody else. This is her way of projecting someone who is “cool” regardless on how she blindly follows it. She rejects convention with the notion that this will make her exceptional, consequences be damned. To her rules of convention are mere guidelines. She treats it as a set of suggestions and not directives on which she is compelled to follow.

In the family systems perspective, this issue of  is a result of a series of symptoms that are attributable to the family. The attempt to break all rules shows recognition of the goals on the part of  and manifests the dysfunction that the family possess. In the part of , the attempts to break all rules and convention of her family may translate to attention getting. The family may have considerably neglected their daughter to some extent. Simple acts like recognition of good grades or any manifestation of affection may have triggered this kind of behaviour. In the same manner, this may well be a power struggle between the family and . The pre-existing Transgeneratioanl rules may have been too stringent which constricted the freedom of . This is expressed on the facts of the case. The rules may have represented the existing structure of power in the family. This is indicated in the desire of the child to terminate the pregnancy whereas the family’s values and religion strictly adheres to the opposite. Compounded with the attention seeking behaviour of Jasmine, the power struggle between her and the family culminated to the pregnancy of the former. The acts of  may also be driven by the element of revenge over the family. The imposition of strict rules which constricted the freedom of the individual may have been interpreted by  as a form of repression. Lastly, the actions of Jasmine may well be a cry for help for her family. Her inadequacy as an individual is reflected by her actions which is consistent with the actual rules of the family. The consistent patterns of the behaviour manifest the misbehaviours of both the child and the parents.  pregnancy is essentially a peak of all the reactions noted above with reference to the attempts of the family to impose their form of discipline to their child.

 

Felt unable to ask for safe sex protection from her partner

This issue, as indicated in the psychodynamic therapy theories, is driven by several factors. One prevailing factor is the libido of . The inability of the client to ask for sex protection is material to the sexual drive of the both  and her partner. In this regard, the id prevails. There have been accounts where the sexual partners point to the lack of pleasure with the use of rubber guards during intercourse. This may be the same on the part of . Another factor that contributes to this issue is the neurotic anxiety of the client. It appears that  may have been afraid of rejection which underlies the inability to ask for her partner to suit up during intercourse. The client’s sense of reality (ego) is overpowered by id given that she gives in to the pleasure principle. As a result, this anxiety of  prompts her to rationalise her act as a means of defence mechanism. She allows intercourse without eliminating the risk of unwanted pregnancy, which inevitably happened. In the same regard, the need for acceptance that she requires prompted her to engage with the behaviour. Hence, the non-use of any contraceptive may have been her way of compensating for her fear of losing her partner. All in all, the strength of Jasmine’s ego, or the lack of it, may have been the real determinative cause of the problem in her behaviour.

In the perspective of the family systems, the misbehaviour of  is a symptom of the inadequacies of the family as a whole. The parents may have not been around that much as per their individual jobs or extracurricular activities in the community. This has driven their child  to find acceptance and appreciation somewhere else. And she found it with engaging in promiscuous activities. As stated in the facts of the case,  has made attempts to break all the rules imposed by the family. As a means of revenge, engaging in premarital sex may have been the height of this intention on the part of . With this in mind, the partner that she has is considered as the one that fills of the void where her parents may have been inadequate. The fear of abandonment would trigger the client’s inability to ask her partner for protection.

This basically shows a symptom of the dysfunction of the family of . Apparently, the client has left unsatisfied with the affection given by the family. This may also be caused by the actual lack of manifested affection on the part of the parents. In any case, this void is filled elsewhere by the partner of . In this scenario, affection is shown in the free consent to sexual intimacies. With this in mind, the needs deeply held by Jasmine are eventually fulfilled with these acts. The problem in this case is the inability of  to take the initiative to ask her partner to use rubber guards as a fear of once more losing the sense of fulfilment. On the whole, this issue of  is a combination of her own misbehaviour and the dysfunctions of her family. Moreover, this issue is essentially a symptom of a far greater problem that requires treatment through therapy.

Action Plan

Admittedly, the problem is both on the self and on the family. However, this report suggests that the action taken should be inclined towards the family therapy. Hence, the systemic family therapy principles are to be used in the treatment of

Objective of the treatment

The treatment intends to carry out the following objectives

·        Engage the family to determine the mistaken goals as well as the patterns of interaction in the family.

·        Make sure that the parents learn something in the course of this treatment as well as acquire their collaboration in the assessment of their issues.

·        Provide emphasis on the patterns present in the family.

·        Reorient the family.

·        Introduce the concept of social equity in the family dynamics.

Treatment Course

Allow the members to speak freely in an open forum:

In this part of the treatment, there are four major goals to carry out. First, the therapist must interview the parents. In this regard, the therapist must instil in the minds of the parents that they are the leaders of that inviolable social institution. Any dysfunction that it manifests is attributable to them. The second goal is to describe the actual problem. In this part to the open forum, the reservation of the parents with regards to their roles as well as their major concerns in their family is established. Next, the identification of the actual goals of the activity is indicated. In this part of the open forum, the parents are asked what they did about the problem of their child. This presents the way they handled the situation. This leads to the subsequent station, learning of the usual day of the family. It is at this point where the patterns of interaction are established.

Interview

In this part of the therapy, the focus is the client. To effectively determine the problem, the goals of the client should be revealed. A reflection on the client on herself will be carried out. Question pertaining to her action is also established at this point. After all that, the therapists help  to establish some tentative goals that she could manage.

Conclusion

At this point, the therapist should make sure that the goals of the process are acquired. He must make sure that the family knows their respective dysfunctions and addressed it in an opportune manner. In the end, the primary goal is to strike harmony within the family of

Legal and Ethical Issues

The therapist should make sure that he operates within the boundaries of legal and ethical standards. For instance, he should bear in mind that the information that the clients gave him through the sessions should, in no way, be used to unjustly enrich himself. In the same regard, he must also realise that he has a fiduciary duty to the family which requires him to exercise his duty of care in the process. On the other hand, the ethical issues lies in relation to the legal responsibilities of the therapist. He should also refrain from using such information acquired during therapy against the clients. On the whole, the therapist must make sure that he exercises the privilege of the clients and their right to privacy. The findings of the therapy should be kept from public scrutiny and enquiry.

Behavioural, Cognitive, and Affective Responses

The findings of this therapy shows that the inherent problems of Jasmine is seeking to intensely differentiate herself from her family. The process of differentiation is essentially good as it builds the identity of the individual. However, the case of  is driven by several factors such as revenge, need of attention, and power struggle. This then prompted the process of differentiation of Jasmine into a more perverted outcome. In this case, the unwanted pregnancy is a result of that sequence of behaviours with the ends of differentiation. The client was successful in totally separating herself to the emotional patterns of the family. This is manifested by her intention to terminate the pregnancy despite the passionate disapproval of the parents. This may well be based on their inherent norms or the standards instilled by their religion.

It must also be pointed out that the issue is not entirely  fault. The symptoms are there for the family to recognise but they chose to neglect it. It is there in their faces and they chose not to deal with it. This dysfunction of the family is attributable to the inability of the parents to act as leaders of the social institution. In the same way as they are the part of the problem, it entails that they should also be a part of the solution. Taking part of the therapy of is a first step towards balance and harmony in the family.

 

Wider Systems of Support

As indicated in the early assessment of the issues, the problem is both within the client herself and with the family system. The facts provided explicitly show this set of circumstances. However, therapy chosen is within the principles of systemic family theories. To this end, the treatment of the client is ensured given the fact that the support system is included in the healing process.

Conclusion

In this case, the family is involved in the overall treatment of the client. It manifests the specific roles of the therapist and what requires of him. He must operate within the bounds of law and ethics. To do this he must be unbiased and focus on the reconstruction of the family. In this case, the role of the family is indispensable as much as the therapist. The collaboration of the two ensures congruence and systemic understanding within the client and the family.

 

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