Thought Papers Series Samples

The Black Extended Family: An Analytical Consideration Thought Paper

I have seen notable disparities between blacks and whites across several readings, especially in their way of life. Out of the many journals and articles I have read over the days about the black family arrangement, the work of Wilson (1986) explains several ideas explicitly. In the article The black extended family: An analytical consideration, Wilson touches on several issues about family arrangement across the country. The argument on positive and negative implications of extended families is well-described by the reading. In this paper, I will be reflecting on these implications, relating them to modern society, and giving out my opinion in the last section.

Wilson argues that the blacks’ communities favor extended family structure. Examples of factors that cause the popularity of extended family among this group include historical understanding, the support needed by family members, and availability of kin contact. However, Wilson describes the positive outcomes of such an arrangement, which are also bare in today’s society. Extended families allow members to pool economic and social resources and distribute household and caregiving responsibilities. Generally, this is what we see even today. Blacks living together in a family support each other in primary needs, especially if only a few of them are financially stable.

I also support the arguments describing the negative outcomes of extended family structures to the blacks. The reading looks at both sides of this issue, allowing the reader to gauge the ideas and relate them to contemporary society. The dependence of family members on each other can become stifling. Take, for instance, a family whereby only two members are working in a family of eight. Family needs could cause an unnecessary burden on the two. This dependency could provoke violence among the members, leading to support withdrawal and negative feelings. Today, we all want to live as we please. Do the things we want, and become who we want to be. But with an extended family, that pressure comes from everyone’s idea of what you should do or become. The reading has captured this argument excellently. Despite the extended family producing several benefits, it brings many negative experiences to black adolescents and other family members. Together with other materials, they offer significant insight into nuclear and extended family structures that we can relate to today.

References

Wilson, M. N. (1986). The black extended family: An analytical consideration. Developmental Psychology, 22(2), 246–258. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.22.2.246

Childhood Love Lessons: Thought Paper

There is significant literature arguing against parents’ punishing their children. Physical abuse on children was a norm in the traditional societal setting. From childhood, we knew what behavior was acceptable or punishable. The consequences of a child’s behavior dictate whether to repeat the behavior next time or not. At least, this is what we know to be parenting. However, today, a lot has changed. We now know that physical abuse is consequential to children. Many parents and adults can now see a clear line between love and ‘punishment’ as our parents used to call it. In the book All about love: New visions, chapter two, “Justice: Childhood Love Lessons,” Hooks (2018) discusses the concept of showing love to children. I disagree with the author’s argument that we cannot love if we are hurtful and abusive. Sometimes, parents go overboard in punishing their children. At first, it may seem like abuse (and indeed it is), but possibly it is out of a pure intention to direct a child. But, I accept the need for parents to be careful how they treat their children to avoid causing lifelong impact.

Parents should nurture, protect and guide children in the way to behave. It is not necessary to physically punish them. A child can follow what they are told to do through care and guidance without unnecessary beating and pinching. Beating and abusing children could force them to become abusive to other people. Additionally, parents must be consistent in their kindness. Mixing care and unkindness could be psychologically harmful to children as they are unsure what to expect in various situations. They can end up living in fear of adventure, afraid of frustrating their parents, or getting punishment. It is essential to understand that no one is perfect. It is necessary to adopt humane ways of educating others. As Hooks says, parental care is paramount to bringing up responsible children less likely to normalize abuse. Despite parents’ perspectives of physical punishment as beneficial, it should be a thing of the past. Parents should understand their children and cultivate good morals without physical abuse. This way, we can get justice to children because they cannot stand for themselves.

References

Hooks, B. (2018). All about love: New visions. HarperCollins.

The Influence of the Trayvon Martin Shooting on Racial Socialization Practices of African American Parents: Thought Paper

The study on the influence of the Trayvon Martin shooting on racial socialization practices among African American parents brings forth critical points to note in society today. Thomas and Blackmon (2014) qualitatively investigated African American parents’ perceptions about the shooting and how it affected the provision of racial socialization. The responses from the study participants show the desire to see children avoid any confrontation that may be prone to racial profiling, whether with the police or any other member of the community. Such issues are recurrent within our society. As a result, we must remain vigilant to combat them through essential training to potential victims.

Every parent will be concerned if they suspect that the neighbors consider color as a factor in the treatment they deserve. The right to live is universal, and no one should get labeled as a thief or burglar without any evidence. African American boys and men must know how to react in such a confrontation to avoid any escalation. Parents can channel this knowledge to children as better understand such societal issues. Racial socialization is a topic that should be key in our families today.

Another crucial point from the study is that the role of training African American boys and men to respond in particular ways when in similar situations is not entirely on the parents only. Counselors can involve such critical aspects in the sessions when dealing with families and children that may be victims of such events. It can help African American parents and youth think strategically about how to respond if confronted in an ambiguous racist situation. Physicians should allow families to express emotional reactions to racist events and encourage parents to support children and youth positively. As the authors suggest, parents must train their children to distinguish between what they should do if approached by the police versus being approached by a community member.

References

Thomas, A. J., & Blackmon, S. M. (2014). The influence of the Trayvon Martin shooting on racial socialization practices of African American parents. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(1), 75-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798414563610

Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies are in a Life-Or-Death Crisis: Thought Paper

Pregnancy is associated with anxiety and joy to the soon-to-be mother. She waits eagerly to see their bundle of joy and celebrate the completion of the nine-month wait of struggling and anxiety. However, Villarosa (2018) shows that the experiences may differ between African Americans and whites, especially the mortality rate. The article discusses mortality among black women as something of significant concern, giving the experiences of women who either lost their unborn or those that had to endure challenging experiences while seeking prenatal help. As I read this article, I vividly see images of women struggling in the labor wards, waiting for the nurses and doctors to attend to them, in one way or another, getting disappointed by the kind of care they receive. Eventually, these women that had long waited for the arrival of their joy at the end of the nine months go home devastated and depressed because someone somewhere disregarded their concerns and ignored any emergencies.

Most black women get poor medical care than whites across the country. At the same time, most people do not recognize that racism and discrimination towards black women affect their physiology, including the health of the unborn. Our bodies react to the surroundings by producing chemicals that ensure a stable state. When a black woman faces continued racial abuse and discrimination, her body releases these hormones to damaging levels, affecting the immune and cardiovascular systems. Some women may be victims of abuse, such as the case of Simone Landrum, and others are victims of systemic racism and insults that put their bodies at more risk.

We must accept that dealing with healthcare disparities is vital in reducing perinatal mortality among minority groups. Women of color must be accorded proper care before, during, and after birth, as would a white woman. Recognizing the need to establish a system of trained healthcare companions for pregnant women of color and ensuring their availability is not constrained by finances could reduce the hike in deaths of black mothers and babies. The pain that results from a pregnancy loss is unimaginable. It changes a person completely, causing unending grief. African American women deserve the government’s commitment to minimizing healthcare unpreparedness to handle emergency cases. The article is an eye-opener to the status-quo in the country on the risk surrounding African American women.

References

Villarosa, L. (2018, April 15). Why America’s Black mothers and babies are in a life-or-Death crisis. The New York Times – Breaking News, US News, World News, and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html

Thought Paper: Residual Effects of Slavery: What Clinicians Need to Know

Slavery is a historical period associated with experiences everyone wants to forget. Yet, its effects remain evident today. Wilkins et al. (2012) discuss the residual effects of slavery, focusing on implications for marriage and family therapy. Historical traumas leave a significant mental health impact on the victims and their descendants. During the slavery period, the government failed to enact policies to protect Africans. As a result, many Caucasians believed that Africans were inferior. Hence, they assumed it was legal and socially permissible to subject Africans to any form of physical force. Even when the slave trade ended, the Africans had no access to land or resources that could enable them to live a better life and remain independent. Until today, most Caucasians project the same mentality, seeing Africans as inferior. Over the last several years, numerous cases appeared in the media about the mistreatment and abuse of Africans by white Americans.

The Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome that Wilkins et al. (2012) describe as the trauma from slavery experiences is evident to date. Black children display behaviors consistent with this syndrome, including lowered self-esteem, anger, and feelings of inferiority. Despite numerous laws made by the government against racial discrimination and oppression, there remains a psychological risk among black people that is unknown to white Americans. This state has fueled crime, delinquency, and protest in some regions. Additionally, the mistrust between African Americans and white Americans is high today than ever, as described by the article. However, we must accept that African Americans have shown remarkable resilience despite these residual effects. They have sought ways to remain close as families, supportive of each other. Others have managed to attain significant social distinction.

What we lack as a country is therapeutic interventions that can address these residual effects of slavery on multiple levels appropriately. Marriage and family therapists understand the racial issues in the country, but this is not enough to offer the necessary support to their clients. Therefore, their curriculum should have diversity as a crucial component. Caucasian clinicians must seek to understand the causes of African Americans’ problems. The enslaved ancestors went through hard times and fought against oppression to better the lives of future generations. As the article indicate, it is high time for African Americans to recognize the unrecognized existence of their ancestors. They must correct the cognitive distortions about African culture, celebrate it, develop a greater sense of pride and self-love, seek unity and believe it is possible to live free of psychological slavery.

References

Wilkins, E. J., Whiting, J. B., Watson, M. F., Russon, J. M., & Moncrief, A. M. (2012). Residual effects of slavery: What clinicians need to know. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35(1), 14-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-012-9219-1