This document is a case study about Dorothy, a 16-year-old single mother living in an unstable environment with her infant daughter Brenna and boyfriend Tom. Dorothy dropped out of high school to care for her daughter but may be involved in illegal activities like drug dealing and prostitution to support herself and Brenna. Brenna is not receiving proper medical care and is often left in unsafe situations at home. Students are asked to analyze issues regarding Brenna's development by applying concepts from Piaget, Erikson, and the three components of the developmental niche from the textbook. They must identify two problematic issues from each component and explain how these impact Brenna and her mother, supporting their analysis with evidence from Chapter 3.

1. A 6 paragraph paper Review the powerpoint in the module as well as the
handout
A 6 paragraph paperReview the powerpoint in the module as well as the handout
comparing Freud, Erickson, Piaget and Kohlberg. Keep this comparison handout “handy”
throughout the semester as you will want to draw upon it for future assignments.Read the
following case study of Dorothy and her daughter Brenna and then answer the questions at
the end of the case study.Dorothy is a 16-year-old young woman who has recently moved
with her daughter Brenna and boyfriend Tom into a small run-down two room apartment in
Chester, Pa. The apartment is dirty and has numerous roaches crawling around the floor.
There is very little in the way of furniture, although she said that she hoped to get some
things soon. She gave birth nine months ago to Brenna and was told by her mother that she
was no longer welcome in her house. Dorothy’s mother is also a single parent with three
children of her own, of whom Dorothy is the oldest. The mother felt that she was unable to
care for her and the new baby, and wanted Dorothy to get her boyfriend to help pay for her
care.Dorothy is a bright student. She is presently attending Chester High School. She is in
the 10th grade and has been maintaining a B+ average. However, she is feeling too much
pressure with raising Brenna, so she has decided to drop out of school. She feels it is more
important for her to be a good mother to her child, than to continue in school. She believes
she could come back at a later date and get a GED. She also attends a local church where she
sings in the choir. She told me that she saw church as very important to her.Dorothy
recently applied for public assistance, but it is uncertain if she is eligible for support. She has
been getting some money from Tom, who is a known drug dealer in Chester. From my
interview with her, it seemed clear that she is probably involved in drug dealing and
prostitution as a way of supporting herself and her daughter. She often has men in the home
during the day and evening and it appears she is involved in illegal practices. At times, she
leaves the home for periods of several hours and leaves her child in a crib in a locked room.
Sometimes she has her ten year old sister take care of her baby when she is gone for longer
than several hours. The baby is entertained by watching television shows of the babysitter’s
liking.Tom also conducts a lot of his business from the apartment and has little patience
with the baby, especially if Brenna is crying. He is constantly telling Dorothy to “shut the kid
up or else!” There is a lot of chaos in the house during these times, which is confusing to
Brenna. Dorothy tries to be as protective as she can for Brenna’s welfare, but is very anxious
in these situations and this scares Brenna.Dorothy informed me that she has not gone to a

2. Doctor for any post-natal care since Brenna was born. When I suggested she do so, she
seemed to be very ambivalent and hesitant, but could not give a good reason for not going.
This reluctance to go may be associated with drug use and STD’s, for which she wants to
avoid being detected. As a result, Brenna is not getting the medical care she
needs.AssignmentReview pages 77-78 and Exhibit 3.1 of the textbook which gives the
reader a listing of the components of the developmental niche. Use this information to do a
careful assessment of the case study. To do so, answer the questions that follow:Using the
case of Dorothy and Brenna, identify and discuss two specific issues that are problematic
(from a developmental perspective) from each of the three main components of the
developmental niche. Explain in your responses how each of the issues you selected will
effect Brenna’s development and/or impact her mother as she cares for her daughter. Tie
into your responses what you are learning about Piaget and Erikson. Apply what possible
concerns each theorist might have regarding Brenna’s development.Use specific
information in Chapter 3 to support your answer. Paraphrase the information from the
chapter to support your answer and provide the page number where you obtained the
information.One paragraph (7-9 sentences) per issue at minimum is required. Therefore,
this assignment is required to be at least six full paragraphs.Special Note: This assignment
asks that you do some beginning level assessment of the behavior of the characters in this
case study. Do your best to “describe” behavior using objective language. Review the
previous modules about the difference between facts and opinions. The ability to use non-
judgmental language when describing concerns is a writing skill that human service
workers need to develop and use. It can be easy to offer our “opinion” in writing (for
example “Dorothy is being a bad mother”) instead of describing her behavior and possible
risks to Brenna’s development. This will get easier, the more you practice using non-
judgmental language in your writing.