| Area |
History
|
Current
Issues
|
|
Anthropology
|
Karen
was a 20 year old Caucasian-American female, from a middle class
home when she and her 3 year old daughter moved from her parent's
home and set out on her own.
|
Karen
is now a 35 year old mother of two, living on food stamps, government
aid and part time jobs. They survive day by day, trying to avoid
eviction and becoming homeless.
|
|
Biology
|
Karen
remained single, she dated infrequently, yet continued to remain
sexually active.
|
The
now 17 year old Lauren is angry and rebellious. Karen had been
living with Neil for the last five years. Karen gives overwhelming
parental attention to Ernie, her 3 year old son.
|
|
Child
Development
|
When
Lauren was young Karen's world revolved around her daughter
who was her sole focus of love. Family and friends poured gifts
and toys upon Lauren. Yet Karen had to work full time and go
to school full time in order to improve their future standard
of living. Therefore Lauren spent 80% of her time in day care
at her Aunt Nancy's house.
|
Lauren
feels that she primarily raised herself and no longer feels
the need of parental authority. Ernie has either Karen or Lauren
at home with him all day long. Karen seems to be giving her
son the childhood she could not give her daughter out of her
feelings of guilt.
|
|
Counseling
|
Karen's
High School provided her with support and counseling after she
became pregnant.
|
School
counselors recommend professional counseling for Lauren. But
she will not participate.
|
|
Demography
|
Karen
was from a rural community where there were extended family
and lots of best friends that had existed since childhood.
|
4
years ago Karen and Lauren uprooted their lives and moved to
another state into an inner city to stay with Neil. Soon after
Ernie was born.
|
|
Economics
|
Although
Karen lived on her own she was still unable to make ends meet
without support of family and friends. However lack of financial
independence had also created hard feelings from some family
and undesired strings attached from others.
|
Neil
provides some financial support for Ernie. State welfare agencies
also give assistance. This family consistently lives beyond
their means, creating a high level of financial stress.
|
|
Education
|
Karen
had to work very hard to graduate from High School, but she
did it thanks to a special program that provided daycare for
teen parents. After graduation she attended community college
in the afternoons and on some evenings. Her goal was to become
a nurse.
|
Karen
struggled to finish college but could not make the grades the
nursing program required. Lauren is a very unmotivated student
with very low grades yet she has managed to slide through H.S.
and will graduate next year. After graduation she plans to leave
home and move in with her boyfriend.
|
|
English
|
School,
family and friends had a high impact on Karen's English language
formation skills.
|
Lauren's
English language skills are highly impacted by popular music,
media and teen culture.
|
|
Gerontology
|
Karen
had a strong connection to family history, values and tradition.
|
Since
moving both Karen and Lauren have had a significant erosion
of connection to their extended family.
|
|
History
|
Karen's
unplanned teen pregnancy resulted in the birth of Lauren. Lauren
knows who her father is but has had no significant relationship
with him.
|
Neil
is previously divorced. He sporadically pays alimony to his
ex-wife and children. Two children from his previous marriage
stay with him for a few weekends during summer months.
|
|
Home Economics
|
Karen
was highly dependent on her older sister, Nancy. Lauren became
very close to her aunt. Nancy loves her niece and is very supportive
to encourage her younger sister to make more of her life and
follow her dreams.
|
Materialistically
Karen's home and family have nothing that was not given to them
from others. But they are not just poor in lacking groceries
and new clothes. Their lives are empty socially and emotionally
as well as in other ways.
|
|
Law
|
Lauren's
paternal father has proven to be unreliable and too immature
to provide support for his daughter. Karen had never sought
child support because she had hoped not to make him angry so
that he might at least become close friends with his daughter
but he never seemed to have time for her.
|
Karen
is so financially insecure she cannot even afford to move back
to her family. Government agencies offer little support, and
soon her state aid will end. Her family back home had supported
her for so many years that eventually they began to help less
in order for her to become more independent. Additionally they
did not agree with her moving away to be with Neil. In a way
Karen feels like her family is punishing her for moving away.
|
|
Psychology
|
Because
Karen stayed unmarried after Lauren was born her family often
pressured her saying; "When are you going to find the right
guy?" Causing her to have significant feelings of emotional
inadequacy and insecurity.
|
Lauren
has never had a father that showed interest in her. So now she
is substituting the missing attention from her father by finding
physical attention from teenage boys from school.
|
|
Public
Health
|
Karen
came to realize that once she became sexually active she opened
a door that was more difficult than she ever imagined to close.
However she has learned from her past mistakes and became very
aware of birth control and disease prevention.
|
Karen
has pleaded with Lauren to avoid risky sexual behavior and illicit
drug use. Yet her daughter seems to delight in frightening her
mother and throwing her past back in her mother's face.
|
|
Religion
|
Karen
grew up in a very religious home. She had hoped that one day
she would find the time to start going to church again with
her daughter. Yet she was also uncomfortable in her parent's
church because of the churches disapproval concerning her and
her daughter.
|
Karen
now attends a local church where she takes Ernie regularly.
Yet Neil and Lauren are antagonistic toward her spiritual interest.
|
|
Sociology
|
Karen
found that being single was socially unacceptable. But most
decent men were not interested in dating her because of Lauren.
The men that would date her only did so because they expected
they could easily get sex from her. Karen no loner expected
to find Mr. Right, she would have been happy to have settled
for a decent Mr. So-so.
|
Lauren
lost her entire social support system when she moved out of
state at age 12. So for the past 5 critical teen years of her
life she has had no friends she could trust to open up with
and share her problems and inner most feeling with.
|
