The psychosocial theory is one created by theorist Erik Erikson. It focuses on eight stages of development, focusing on the relationship between one’s psychic needs and the social network of their family and community (Berger, 2020). Each of the aforementioned stages is confronted by a developmental crisis. During each crisis, two polarities are possible and there are multiple various outcomes between them. Usually, development results in something in the middle between the two opposing situations.
The child is in desperate need of the mother’s attention and a father figure. There is a chance that she may be projecting her struggles onto her doll, as she is sometimes gentle with it and sometimes exposes her anger on it. The little girl also has struggles with socialization, as she disrupts other children’s play, takes others’ toys. Generally, the child does not feel seen or heard, as her mother’s main focus is on her short-term suitors.
Some of the factors that may be affecting the situation are the mother’s alcoholism and drug addiction. The woman coming from a broken home (domestic violence, emotional abuse and an alcoholic father) is yet another issue that affects the situation. The attention that the child gets from her is rarely positive, which could be another contributor to her behaviour. Moreover, the girl feels jealous of the attention her mother receives from her men.
Regarding development, the child may have poor social skills in the future. Her emotional aspect is under a severe threat as well, as she exhibits bad anger management skills. It is early to make conclusions regarding her academia, as she does not go to school yet. However, considering the girl’s mother was using drugs and alcohol during pregnancy, this may have a negative influence on her physical development in the future.
The child is at risk of following a destructive path similar to her mother’s. Sometimes, the environment that people experience in their childhood may repeat itself in their adulthood. If the girl becomes a mother later in life, she may exhibit the same parental patterns as her mother demonstrated towards her. Teen pregnancy is another likely outcome in this situation, as she may not receive the guidance necessary to prevent such a case. Thus, upon reviewing the circumstances, the psychosocial theory is the most relevant, as the child is severely affected by her psyche’s needs and the social environment of her family.
References
Berger, K. S. (2020). The Developing Person: Through Childhood and Adolescence (12th ed.). Worth Publishers.