Working With Individuals The Case of Sam Page 1 of 5 © 20.docx

Working With Individuals: The Case of Sam / Page 1 of 5
© 2016 Laureate Education, Inc.
Working With Individuals: The Case of Sam
Sam is a 62-year-old, widowed, African American male. He is
unemployed, receives
Social Security benefits, and lives on his own in an apartment.
Sam has minimal peer
relationships, choosing not to socialize with anyone except his
daughter, with whom he is very
close. Sam raised his daughter as a single father after his wife
passed away. Melissa is 28 years
old and works as an emergency medical technician (EMT).
When Sam was 7 years old, he was
placed in foster care and has had very limited contact with his
extended family. Prior to
September 11, 2001, Sam had a steady employment history in
food services and retail.
Sam became depressed and psychotic after 9/11 and was deemed
unable to return to work
after multiple psychiatric hospitalizations. He has no history of
alcohol or substance abuse issues

and has no criminal background or current legal issues. Sam
reports his religious background is
Catholic, but he is not affiliated with a congregation or church.
He has a diagnosis of major
depression with mood-congruent psychotic features, and he has
a history of high blood pressure
and migraines. Sam has been seeing a psychiatrist once a month
for medication management for
over a decade and is currently prescribed Depakote®, Abilify®,
and Wellbutrin®. Sam has a
positive history of medication and treatment compliance. He
had been treated by a social worker
at an outpatient program for about 2 years after his
hospitalizations for his psychosis and
depression. He stopped attending sessions with the social
worker after his symptoms stabilized,
and termination was deemed appropriate; he continued to see
the psychiatrist monthly for
medication management.
After about 10 years of seeing only the psychiatrist, Sam
scheduled a meeting with this
social worker for increased feelings of depression. These
feelings were brought on after his

daughter moved out of the apartment they had shared for many
years to live with her boyfriend.
He reported difficulty adjusting to living alone and often feels
lonely and anxious. He reported
during our sessions that he speaks to his daughter frequently,
and although she only lives 10
blocks away, he misses her terribly.
Our sessions for the last 3 months have focused on his mixed
feelings around his
daughter’s new life with her boyfriend. He is happy that she is
happy but misses her very much. I
emphasized his strengths and helped him reframe his situation
by focusing on the positive
changes in her life as well as his own life. Our goals were to
help him reduce his symptoms of
anxiety and begin searching for new opportunities for
socialization outside of his daughter.
During our last two sessions, I became concerned because Sam,
who is normally
articulate, had been appearing confused and slightly
disorganized. I asked him if he had a recent

medication change and if he had been compliant with his current
medications, but he denied
noncompliance or any recent medication adjustment. I asked
Sam if he was experiencing any
physical health problems. He denied any ongoing problems but
mentioned that he had collapsed
on the street recently. He reported that he had been hospitalized
and had undergone a number of
tests, which he thinks were all negative. He said he still feels
“foggy” at times, and sometimes
time seems to be “missing.” I reviewed his medications with
him and, as he went down the list,
he reported taking Cogentin® and Ativan®, which according to
his chart history had been
discontinued months ago. When I asked Sam where he obtained
these medications, he stated, “I
got them out of the bag.” Sam reported he has a bag at home in
which he puts all leftover and
discontinued medications. He could not explain why he was
taking discontinued medication or
for how long. Sam stated, “I thought I was supposed to take it.”
I called his daughter, and she
verified he had recently been hospitalized, and the MRI, CT
scan, and EEG tests were negative. I

requested that Melissa go to her father’s apartment to look for
the bag of medications he
mentioned, because it seemed likely that her father was taking
discontinued medications. I then
scheduled a meeting with Sam and his daughter for later that
week. During that session, Melissa
reported that she found multiple vials of old medication on the
kitchen counter mixed in with her
father’s current medications. Melissa reported that she collected
and disposed of all the old
medications. I recommended obtaining a daily medication
planner. Although the hospital tests
were negative, I recommended scheduling an appointment with
a neurologist, and both agreed.
Sam saw a neurologist who reported that his test results were
negative but did not rule out the
possibility of a seizure disorder. The neurologist recommended
a follow-up appointment in 3
months. He also contacted Sam’s psychiatrist and recommended
that the Wellbutrin be

discontinued because it is known to have the potential to cause
seizures and that Sam start on
another antidepressant. Sam began to focus and become more
cognitively alert after the
discontinued medications were disposed of and the Wellbutrin
discontinued.
I scheduled another family session for Sam to discuss his
feelings regarding Melissa
moving out. Sam was tearful when he told Melissa he missed
her and her dog Sonny. He also
told her he was concerned he would not be financially able to
remain in the apartment. Melissa
reported working long and odd hours but did call her father
often and invited him over to her
apartment. She further reported that he often declined her
invitations. Sam reported he declined
because he did not want to intrude on her life or her boyfriend.
Melissa assured her father that
both she and her boyfriend wanted him to visit and be part of
their lives. I asked Sam if Melissa’s
dog had been company for him, and he replied, “Yes, and I miss
him.” I asked Melissa if it
would be possible for Sonny to spend some time with her father.
Melissa reported her long work

hours were making it difficult to take care of Sonny and asked
her father if he would like Sonny
to live with him. Sam replied, “I would like that.”
I discussed with Sam how he spends his time, which normally
consists of reading a
newspaper, watching television, or listening to talk radio. I
suggested Sam increase his
socialization and recommended a social club for older adults
that is near his home. Sam said he
would consider this idea. I asked Sam to discuss his financial
concern that he may not be able to
remain in his apartment. Sam stated that Melissa had been
contributing to the household
expenses but stopped when she moved out. He stated he had
been too embarrassed and ashamed
to discuss this with Melissa and had been keeping this to
himself. Although Sam is on a fixed
income, he is currently able to meet his expenses. However, he
is concerned about his rent,
which is his largest expense.

I explored state and federal rent assistance programs for seniors
and the disabled. I found
a program in which tenants that qualify can have their rent
frozen at their current level and be
exempt from future rent increases. Sam met the program
requirement of being at least 62 years
of age, currently living in a rent-controlled apartment, and
having a household income that was
within the specified guidelines. I obtained the required forms
and personal documentation from
Sam and completed the application, sending it to the appropriate
agency.
Reflection Questions
The social worker in this case answered these additional
questions as follows.
1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.)
did you use to address this
client situation?
I remained concerned about my client’s health and
recommended further testing with a
neurologist. My client and his daughter agreed and were able to
follow through with this
recommendation. I was able to engage my client’s daughter to
participate in family sessions

to address my client’s recent health issue, the loss he felt since
his daughter moved out, and
his financial concerns.
2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
Family therapy/engagement was recommended and successful.
3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?
Sam has a number of strengths that include a long work history
before becoming disabled,
raising his daughter by himself, and a positive history of
compliance with medication and
treatment.
4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?
Sam was having a very difficult time adjusting to living alone
and was concerned that he may
not be able to continue to live in his current apartment because
of limited finances. Sam was
unable to convey these concerns to his daughter. Sam was also
experiencing a new health
concern.
5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?
Sam was engaged in therapy and kept all his appointments. Sam
agreed to family therapy to

address his concerns.
6. What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect this
case?
I explored local, state, and federal programs that might offer
rent assistance programs. I also
explored social programs for older adults.
7. Describe any additional personal reflections about this case.
Although Sam does not have a history of alcohol or substance
abuse, there remains a
question as to whether Sam may have been self-medicating with
discontinued medications to
relieve feelings of loneliness and anxiety. There is also the
question of whether Sam had a
seizure or not; and if Sam had a seizure, whether it was due to
the Wellbutrin or the
combination of medications Sam was taking.
Adapted from:
Working with individuals: The case of Sam. (2014). In
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen
S. M. (Eds.). Social work case studies: Concentration year (pp.
47–50, 119–120). Baltimore,
MD: Laureate Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader]
Research Project

Organizational Behavior
Reviewed by
Eric Swanson
© PENN FOSTER, INC. 2017 PAGE iiORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
About the Author
Eric Swanson has spent more than 20 years working in various
corporations, including
Unilever, Marketing Drive Worldwide, and CBS News. A
graduate of Yale University
and the Juilliard School, he is the author of ten books of fiction
and nonfiction, including
The New York Times bestseller, The Joy of Living. A former
stage and film actor, he is
currently Associate Director of Great Circle Productions, Inc., a
501 (c ) (3) nonprofit
organization dedicated to supporting and developing projects in
the performing arts, liter-
ary and visual arts, and film/video arts.
All terms mentioned in this text that are known to be trademarks
or service marks have been appropriately
capitalized. Use of a term in this text shouldn’t be regarded as
affecting the validity of any trademark or
service mark.
Copyright © 2017 by Penn Foster, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this

copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the copyright owner.
Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work
should be mailed to Copyright Permissions,
Penn Foster, 925 Oak Street, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18515.
Printed in the United States of America
© PENN FOSTER, INC. 2017 PAGE 1ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
CONTENTS
PROJECT OBJECTIVES 2
INSTRUCTIONS 2
PAPER SPECIFICATIONS 4
GRADING CRITERIA 5
SUBMITTING YOUR PROJECT 6
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
To complete this project, you must
1. Conduct research to
a. Define the concept of emotional labor
b. Describe, explain, and discuss perspectives on emotional
labor in general as
well as in different workplace settings
2. Conduct limited field research aimed at assessing varying
understandings and
experiences of emotional labor in at least three work settings
3. Analyze and summarize findings from your field research
4. Prepare a term paper on the topic of emotional labor in
workplace settings, using
both your field research and your background research as you
do so
INSTRUCTIONS
Before you begin, read through this entire procedure. Then,
follow these steps to com-
plete your project:
1. Create your own working definition of emotional labor. Your
definition should
include likely effects of emotional labor, such as fatigue,
workplace stress, anxiety,
and alienation. Use your definition to guide your field research
and clarify your
thinking prior to beginning work on your term paper.

2. Use the following sources to conduct background research.
Note: You must use all
of these sources for your project.
a. Your textbook, Organizational Behavior, page 82
b. Online sources
■ Context Magazine, “Feeling around the World,” Arlie
Hocschild, page 80
http://contexts.org/articles/spring-2008/feeling-around-the-
world/
■ Wikipedia: Defining Emotional Labor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_labor
■ “What Is ‘Emotional Labor’?” (feminist view)
http://tinyurl.com/kn2zn5y
http://contexts.org/articles/spring-2008/feeling-around-the-
world/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_labor
http://tinyurl.com/kn2zn5y
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
c. At least one source of your own from the Internet, a library
source, or else-
where. Here’s a place to start for information on resources,
citations, and

references for this assignment. Visit the Organizational
Behavior Page in the
Penn Foster Virtual Library:
http://pflibrary.pennfoster.edu/c.php?g=706110&p=5014022&pr
e-
view=7888d3084d95ad78c3a5d21b5b7850a9
3. Prepare a survey for interviewing people in various work
settings. On the survey,
leave room for notes you take during or immediately following
your interview with
any subject. Although you may add questions of your own,
include the following
questions on your survey:
a. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your satisfaction
with your job?
b. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your satisfaction
with your present
workplace environment?
c. Are you expected to present yourself in certain ways to
customers (patients,
passengers, clients, and so on)?
d. If so, how are you expected to present yourself? To help the
interviewee
answer this question, you may ask one or more of the following
questions:
n Are you expected to follow a sales script?
n Are you expected to “up-sell” special offers?

n Are you instructed to always be polite?
■ Are you expected to encourage and support patients?
n Are you supposed to smile when you would prefer to
scream or frown?
e. Do you feel stress when you feel one way and have to pretend
you feel
another way? Can you give me examples?
f. When you feel some kind of work stress, can you tell me how
you feel about
it? (If interviewees need help answering this question, you may
ask, “Does
stress make you feel tired? Frustrated? Amused? Irritable?
Sad?”)
4. Follow these guidelines for conducting your research:
a. Interview people in at least three different work settings.
Your subjects might
include fast-food workers, bus or taxi drivers, firefighters, law
enforcement
officers, sanitation workers, bank tellers, airline flight
attendants, public school
teachers, paramedics, and social workers—to offer some
examples.
b. Interview at least two people from each work setting.
c. To find individuals to interview, begin making contacts
through people you
know.

d. During the interview, complete the surveys yourself. Don’t
ask the subjects to
fill out the forms.
eview=7888d3084d95ad78c3a5d21b5b7850a9
eview=7888d3084d95ad78c3a5d21b5b7850a9
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
e. Before beginning an interview, tell each subject that his or
her responses will
be anonymous. Indeed, it’s advisable to create fictitious names
for particular
work venues, for the subjects themselves, and for any persons
mentioned by
the subjects. Also, inform each subject that your written report
is for a course,
and that it won’t be published anywhere.
f. Allow your respondents to speak freely. Don’t allow your
survey form to keep
you from taking notes on unexpected comments, observations,
and informa-
tion provided by the subjects. In other words, keep an open
mind.
g. Don’t record an interview on any electronic device, such as a
tape recorder,
cell phone, or camcorder, without the express permission of the
subject. If
you do record any interview, destroy or delete any such

information upon
completion of your research project.
5. Prepare a five- to eight-page term paper based on your
research. Draft your paper
on the basis of your back-ground reading and your field
research. Edit and revise
your draft prior to submitting it to your instructor.
PAPER SPECIFICATIONS
1. Prepare your paper for electronic submission in a word-
processing program.
2. Prepare a title page with the following information:
a. Title: Emotional Labor in the Workplace
b. Your name
c. Your student number
d. Course title: Organizational Behavior
e. Project number: 50048200
f. Current date
3. Double-space your paper, with left and right margins of 1 to
1.25 inches, flush left
and ragged right.
4. Provide adequate source citations.
5. Include a header on each page except the title page. In the
header, include your
name, student number, and the page number.

6. Do not plagiarize. The direct usage of materials from any
source without proper
and accurate credit is plagiarism. Be sure to properly attribute
direct quotes and
paraphrases. If you plagiarize in any way or to any degree, your
term paper will
receive a failing grade.
7. Use the following outline as a suggested guide for the
structure of your paper:
a. Introduction. Summarize your paper. Briefly describe what
the paper is about
and how you went about writing it.
BEHAVIOR
Research Project
b. Emotional Labor: Psychological Stress in the Workplace.
Describe emo-
tional labor, including various perspectives on its nature and its
psychological
costs. The material for this section should come mainly from
your background
research.
c. Interviews. Explain what you learned from your interviews.
Include anecdotal
material to engage the reader and, to a limited extent, offer your
interpreta-
tions and impressions.

d. Summary and conclusion. Discuss your overall impressions,
your view on
the causes of emotional labor, and perhaps, how it might be
managed or
reduced.
8. Submit the final draft of your paper to your instructor.
GRADING CRITERIA
Your project will be graded on the following criteria:
n Presentation style (20 percent). The student uses a consistent
point of view
throughout, employs accurate and appropriate word and concept
usage, and has
few, if any, digressions. The paper is easy to read.
n Development of concepts and themes (40 percent). The paper
is developed
accurately and coherently from background sources. The
Interviews section is
coherently related to the background sources.
n Organization of writing (20 percent). The material proceeds
logically, topic sen-
tences are well placed, and paragraph breaks are appropriate.
n Grammar and usage (20 percent). The student uses complete
and grammatically
correct sentences with no spelling errors. Descriptions,
explanations, and asser-
tions are clearly worded.

BEHAVIOR
Research Project
SUBMITTING YOUR PROJECT
Use this procedure to submit your research project for grading:
1. On your computer, save a revised and corrected version of
your title page and
paper.
2. Go to http://www.pennfoster.edu and log in.
3. Go to student portal.
4. Click on Take Exam next to the lesson you’re working on.
5. Enter your email address in the box provided.
(Note: This information is required for online submission.)
6. Attach your file as follows:
a. Click on the Browse box.
b. Locate the file you wish to attach.
c. Double-click on the file.
d. Click on Upload File.
7. Click on Submit Files.
http://www.pennfoster.edu

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