Person Paper I

Meghan Little
Salt Lake Community College

Chapter 1
Subject: Michael Smith
Biological Parents: Priscil Fisher and Kester Gregoire
Adoptive Parents: Barbara Smith and Murray Smith
Biological scenario: Priscil and Kester are teenage African-American parents in high school. Priscil is
16, Kester is 17. Priscil is a Junior and Kester is a senior. They met at a party over the summer. They
both drank alcohol prior to the pregnancy but Priscil stopped as soon as she found out she was
pregnant. Unfortunately, Priscil suffered from morning sickness and took Thalidomide, an anti-nausea
drug, during the critical period from 28-54 days after conception where limbs are formed (Berger 2013
Ch.1 Pg. 8). As a result, their baby was born without one leg below the knee. Priscil wanted to keep
the baby, but Kester refused saying that there was no way that they could properly care for him. They
decided to place baby for adoption while they were still in the hospital.
Adoptive parents: Barbara and Murray Smith are a Caucasian, upper-class couple who decided to have
children after they had established themselves career-wise. Murray is a CFO at a technology company,
and Barbara works at a local PR firm. Now Barbara is in her early 40s and has not been able to get
pregnant. They decide to adopt, and put on the adoption paperwork that they are willing to take any
baby under 1 year of age- regardless of race or medical status.
When Priscil and Kester decide to place Michael up for adoption, they want to choose the parents of
their baby, but their adoption agency says that they would be able to select more fit parents for their
child. Based on the macrosystem that Priscil and Kester live in, others judge them and they have never
been taught any different. Their microsystem (family and friends) and their macrosystem (the larger
societal systems and cultural and political norms), have taught them that they are inferior to more
educated individuals. They don't know that they might be able to have more say in the process, but
they are young and nave (Berger 2013 Ch.1 Pg. 9).
The adoption agency chooses Barbara and Murray Smith to be the parents of the little baby boy.

Barbara and Murray are thrilled, and name their son Michael. Because of their socioeconomic status,
Barbara and Murray Smith have access to good healthcare for their new son Michael. Almost
immediately after he is adopted, they have him seeing specialists to develop a plan of care to help his
mobility. His gross motor development will be hampered by his missing limb, and by the fact that he
has low muscle tone (Berger 2013 Ch. 3 Pg. 104). They are able to work with specialists to fit
Michael with a prosthetic leg, and learn how to help him use it.
Barbara reads many child-development books and is happy to learn that she has been using childdirected speech when talking to Michael. What this means is that she uses higher pitch, simpler
words, repetition, varied speeds, and exaggerated emotional tones when she speaks to him (Berger
2013 Ch. 3. Pg. 121) She has been doing it instinctively, but happily learns that it will help Michael to
have a better grasp of language.
Initially, Barbara chooses not to give Michael a pacifier or lovey because she worries that he will
become too attached and will not be able to be separated from it later on. Michael falls asleep in her
arms, and then wakes up alone in his crib- terrified. After many nights of crying fits, Barbara decides
to try a transitional object or an object that helps to comfort the child in the absence of the parent.
(Berger 2013 Ch.4 Pg. 133) The blankie that Barbara gives to Michael helps soothe him when he
wakes up alone in his crib, and they all sleep better at night as a result.
Barbara and Michael Smith have a high Socioeconomic Status, lots of support from family and friends,
and access to healthcare and ample food and leisure activities. They do not face daily stresses like war,
major illness, or scarcity of food or shelter. Their parents provided stable, loving environments and
they are in tune with their son. They devote time and attention to Michael's care. As a result, he
develops a secure attachment to them. He is able to be separate from them, but returns to them to
soothe and comfort himself (Berger 2013 Ch. 4 Pg. 143).
Barbara quits working so that she can stay home full-time to care for Michael. This is Barbara's first
child, and she has never known anyone with special mobility needs, so she is anxious. She fears that

Michael will get hurt, will fall, or will be humiliated- so she tries to shield him from situations that
could incur these events. Michael's growing hypothalamus is very sensitive, so he watches his mother
carefully to determine what his reactions should be to events in his life (Berger 2013 Ch. 5 Pg. 181).
He senses her anxiety, and takes it on as his own. He becomes fearful of new situations, of terrain that
isn't perfectly smooth, and of other children.
Michael's neighborhood in New Canaan, Conneticut is filled with large homes with expansive lawns.
He attends a private school, and is one of the only African-American kids in his class.
He is very anxious, but still manages to find a great group of friends in first grade who play with him
and don't bother him about his prosthetic leg. There are some children though, that sense Michael's
anxiety and notice his prosthetic leg. They see these as weaknesses. In third grade some of his
classmates stop playing with him when a bully threatens to rip Michael's prosthetic leg off and beat
them with it. He becomes a withdrawn-rejected target, targeted by bullies because she is anxious and
shies away from social contact (Berger 2013 Ch. 8 Pg. 305). He is bullied verbally, with insults, and
relationally, by destroying his friendships and his social standing with his class (Berger 2013 Ch. 8 Pg.
306).
Michael begins to spend more time inside, instead of playing with other children. Barbara makes
plenty of snacks and meals for Michael and insists that he eat every last bite, even when he says he is
not hungry. As a result, Michael gains weight and loses his desire to go outside and engage in active
play. He spends more and more time on the computer playing video games. When Barbara takes
Michael to the doctor for a check-up, the doctor mentions to Barbara that Michael's Body Mass Index
(or BMI) places him in the obese category, joining the 25-30% of overweight 5 to 17 year-olds in the
United States (Berger 2013 Ch. 7 Pg. 249). Barbara is very upset, and decides to enroll Michael in
Karate, to give him some physical activity, and to improve his self-esteem.
Initially in his karate practice, Michael employed the use of Preconventional moral reasoning. He
attempted to avoid the discomfort of practicing, he felt it was too hard. Through the process he moved

on to Conventional moral reasoning, continuing with his karate practice because it was important to his
parents and impressed other adults. Ultimately though, he moved on to Postconventional moral
reasoning, thinking about how the world should be- and how he could use his abilities to help others
and improve his own life (Berger 2013 Ch. 8 Pg. 309).
By the time Michael is 18 years old, he has a black belt in Karate, has a BMI in the normal range, has
gained self-esteem, and has made a new set of friends. He has learned how to defend himself if needs
be, but mostly uses his newfound skills to make friends and have fun.
He decides to pursue a career in law enforcement, and plans to enroll in the police academy right after
graduation. His prefrontal cortex has not yet matured, meaning that he feels invincible and doesn't
think through the logistics of becoming a police officer (Berger 2013 Ch. 9 Pg. 331).
On his graduation day, Michael feels confident and hopeful- he has worked hard and feels like he can
do anything he sets his mind to. He is ready to start his adventure as an adult.