Psychology: Protective and Risk Factors
...tion, since Connie grew up in America, it was difficult to communicate to her parents and for them to understand what was going on in school and outside of school. Her parents did not really participate in her school activities, which they do not know the importance of. They did not know that hanging out with friends after school or during weekends was important to Connie. Because her parents still have their old cultural ways of thinking and raising children, while Connie has became more Americanized, a gap always existed between her and her parents. On the other hand, Connie’s parents were authoritative. They have structure in the household and high expectations from their daughter. They make sure her school attendance and her grades were good. They also taught her to keep away from drugs, alcohol, and unsafe sex. Even though they are a low income family, she lived in a safe environment and her parents always made sure that Connie has adequate food and clothing. Connie also has a close relationship with her siblings and support from outside family members. Individually, Connie has always been outgoing and sociable, so it was easy for her to meet new people and get along with others well. Her positive/carefree attitude and caring nature made it appealing to other people. Her grades were always above average and she also possesses a talent for writing which she loves to do. Connie has a group of close friends in high school which she known since elementary and middle school. She has always been an independent individual; possibly due to the fact the she is the oldest child from her family. She possesses resilience and believes in herself in overcoming situations. Although Connie has an outgoing personality and many other great characteristics about her, she has low self esteem. In middle school, she was somewhat overweight. When she entered high school, her weight was normal. But she was always self-conscious about how she looked and watched out for what she eats. Even though Connie was not overweight and many people complimented her about her looks, her self image of herself was not good. There were adults in the community that supported Connie. Growing up, she lived in a community where everyone basically knew each other and helped each other out when anything arises. Many people from Connie’s neighborhood were relatives, school friends or friends of her parents. The neighbors were willing to help when her family was in financial trouble and took care of the kids when they needed help. Connie also joined clubs in middle and high school, which she could also participate in field trips and volunteer work. She did a lot of community work and activities that helped her meet new people, gain new experiences, and kept her away from drugs and alcohol. Connie lived in a supportive community. The only drawback was that the schools she attended are public schools that do not have adequate funding from the government. Therefore, her middle and high school classes were usually oversized and the school environment was not that good for learning. Graffiti were written along the outside school walls, bathrooms were filthy, school fights were common, and students could be seen smoking and gambling outside the school grounds. Family, individual, and school/community are really important factors that affected the psychological well being of Connie...