Syste System Theory

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Child abuse and neglect is a contemporary social issue that is important to me because of my work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer.
The systems theory “focuses upon aspects of relationships between people and their environments.” (Maguire, 2002, p. 43). When children are in an abusive or neglectful environment, it affects them mentally and physically. System theory interventions focus on encouraging understanding, adaptation, coping with the environment, and alleviating stress as well as recognizing the psychological harms of the immediate environment. System theory also puts an emphasis on restructuring support systems and “develop[ing] positive relationships with supportive individuals” (Maguire, 2002, p. 44). Since people are continually interactive with their environment, each different environment will affect the whole system. …show more content…

Interventions create awareness of social forces or factors such as “poverty, racism, sexism or homelessness” that are inhibiting a positive change. Treatment involves adaptation and coping skills along with attempting to “alleviate the effects of stress or enhance[ing] constructive responses.” (Maguire, 2002, p. 44). Creating an ecomap or genogram can help to explain the root cause of the abuse or neglect for the perpetrator or the victim, as well as creating a visual of the system dynamics. If the perpetrator grew up in an abusive or neglectful environment, the use of Cognitive Theory could be used to have a better understanding of why the individual is causing harm to the child/children. This theory focuses on how individuals develop and how they learn through their

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