Observing Precious

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Recommended: The effects of child abuse and neglect

Traumatic experience using ecological model “The core concept of an ecological model is that behavior has multiple levels of influences, often including intrapersonal (biological, psychological), interpersonal (social, cultural), organizational, community, physical environmental, and policy. Ecological models are believed to provide comprehensive frameworks for understanding the multiple and interacting determinants of health behaviors” ("Health Behavior and Health Education | Part Five, Chapter Twenty," n.d.). According to Briere and Jordan “abuse and neglect effects are multidetermined in etiology and multivariate in their ultimate presentation” ("Childhood Maltreatment, Intervening Variables, and Adult Psychological Difficulties in Women," …show more content…

On an environmental level Precious comes from a low socioeconomic status. Precious and her mother reside in Harlem, NYC which at the time of the movie (1987) it was a predominantly African American/Black community. Precious reside in the project in low income housing. Her neighborhoods is gang invested with heavy drug and crime activities. During a scene Precious was physically assaulted in her neighborhood on her way home from school. Observing the trauma on social level we see how the welfare system dehumanize her because of her social economic status. Culturally, Precious came from an African American family where the family appeared to be closed family system. Within the family system Precious was parentified as she was obligated to care for her mother. She is responsible for cooking, cleaning, buying her mother's cigarettes and even sexually gratifying her parents. Indirectly, Precious provides her mother with financial assistance given that her mother receives public assistance/welfare for her and for Precious’ special needs daughter who suffers with down syndrome. With this family system the culture is “what happens in this home, stays in the

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