Parental alcoholism and its psychological impact on James T. Johnson

Alcoholism and Upbringing

Psychological theory

James' father is responsible for James' involvement in crime and burglary. Origin of the problem. Alcoholic parents are the reason for the moral decay of juveniles

Another reason for James' feelings of inadequacy

Effect of alcoholism in the upbringing of a child

The effect of taking James out of his mother's home as a juvenile

Reaction formation

An examination of James' denial of his responsibility over his problem

Personality theory

Sociological theory

Personality and sociological theory

An explanation of James' behaviors, and his father using the two frameworks

Thorburn (2005) suggests that a misapprehension that numerous alcoholics seem to have is that their behavior does not affect other people. They deny ever hurting other people but themselves. A great deal of research and huge anecdotal proof suggest otherwise. The behavior of alcoholics can affect those around them, including family members, friends, coworkers and employers. Children are the most susceptible. The psychological impact of drinking disorder on the children of the alcoholics forms the centre stage of this paper. The children could develop deep-seated emotional and psychological issues because of growing up with an alcoholic parent. Further studies reveal that the psychological traits play a vital role in character formation of the child (Plant, Peck, Samuel & Stuart, 2000). Majority of the character traits portrayed during adulthood reflects those reported by minors who experienced sexual or physical abuse by a parent (Thorburn, 2005). Other contexts reflecting such outcomes include minors who lived in foster homes, or those adopted at a late age. Others include children brought up with parents with compulsive behaviors like overreacting and gambling.

Case study

James T. Johnson's upbringing was not short of constant friction because of his fighting parents. The regular fights between his parents resulted from his father's drinking problem. The drinking and brawling that characterized his childhood affected him psychologically as well as reducing his quality of life.

Origin of problem

The lack of an example to follow from his childhood and normal family relationship greatly affected his self-esteem. He is a construction worker who seems to be committed to his work. The employment offers a source of income for him. Consequently, his involvement in crime is not because of lack, but a deep feeling on inadequacy. Majority of adult children of alcoholics find it hard to confer themselves a break. They portray feelings of inadequacy and inferiority syndrome. The low self-esteem and little self-worth further complicate their psychological disorder (Thorburn, 2005). In the course of growing up while dealing with his father's alcoholism, James unconsciously adopted his father's lifestyle as the only way of life he knew. The unhappy childhood that he had to tolerate resulted to his involvement in crime. During the week, James maintains diligence at his place of work. From the case study, it is evident that his commitment to work rules as long as he maintains sobriety. His character was polluted by the various burglaries that he commits after their drinking sprees with work mates. His behavior persisted until it ended him at the local police station. He faced burglary charges but was lucky enough to be bailed out by his mother who mortgaged their house. The whole incidence frustrated his mother who blamed him for following in his father's footsteps. It is clear that James' father's drinking habit led him to crime (to finance his drinking habit and ultimately led to separation from his wife).

Origin of problem (2)

Thorburn (2005) adds that another reason that could contribute to James' problem is the fear of loss or self. The fear generates from the fact that James never had the chance to establish his sense of self in the course of his upbringing. The early messages that he received from his parents were confusing. This led to the creation of values and beliefs in his mind that he could have learnt through example. When a child suffers neglect, he automatically self-parents himself. His vulnerable state of selfhood developed much stronger inner messages than the exterior ones. James' alcoholism and involvement in crime emanated from his weak decision making mechanisms. The weak system relied on self-knowledge and instincts, instead of relying on the lessons from school.

Effects of alcoholism

Alcoholism normally has strong negative impacts on marital unions. Because of his father's drinking, James' parents separated (Heath, 2005). This is because of the constant fights that resulted because his father was drunk most of the time. Around 66% of divorced and separated women and around 50% of divorced or separated men have been victims of alcoholism at some time. The vice comes with a significant portion of human violence. The perpetrators are normally under the influence of alcohol. Studies reveal that alcohol is a key tenet in 68% of assaults, 62% of manslaughters, 48% of murders, 54% of robberies and 44% of burglaries. The violence and impaired judgment induced by alcohol results to the alcohol related crimes. Researches on domestic violence constantly document high levels of alcohol and other forms of drug abuse (Floyd & Seale, 2002).

A different social environment

Removing James from his home as a juvenile would have exposed him to burglary to a wide extent. The partial parenting that he received from his mother worked to prevent James' total condemnation in alcohol and crime. The reality that he had a family to return to after work limited his involvement in burglary. Heath (2005) maintains that recent research has shown that full time criminals perpetrate the majority of the crimes committed. They do not have another source of income apart from crime. Separating James from his house would be tantamount to eliminating the only source of worth that he had. His abuse and low-self-esteem made him feel so inadequate about many things. Thus, his home remained his only source of worth (the only reason that might have kept him from indulging in full-time burglary).

Personality theory

Personality psychology deals with the personality of human beings and its individual distinctions. It mainly focuses on building of a coherent picture of an individual, his/her major psychological processes, an investigation of what makes individuals different from each other, and an investigation of human nature and similarities. The personality of an individual influences his/her emotions, motivations, social adjustments, behaviors and cognitions in varied situations. These traits show in an individual. With time, the personality develops and determines ones' values, attitudes, expectations, and self-perceptions. It also predetermines human reactions to stress, problems or other people (Edwards, 2007). James behavior corresponds to the series of his childhood experiences under the care of an alcoholic father and frustrated mother. The development of his value system sources from the biased memories of neglect and domestic violence. Personality theories help in clearing up why people behave the way they do, for instance James. His childhood experience and upbringing aid in explaining his behavior. This comes in handy during therapy, for the specialist diagnoses a patient's psychological disorders with the aid of a patient's past experiences.

Sociological theory

Edwards (2007) reiterates that sociological theories explain the human society by basing their analysis through the examination of the society. They are a set of inter-connected ideas that permit the systematization of knowledge of the social setting. The knowledge applies while explaining the social world as well as coming up with predictions on the future of the social world. Of interest to this paper is the social learning theory; the framework attempts to explain socialization and its impact on self-development of self. It focuses on the individual learning mechanism, the influence of the society and the formation of self. It places emphasis on the societal context of socialization rather that the mind. The theory has it that a person's identity is not the result of the unconscious mind, but the outcome of modeling oneself in reaction to the expectations of others. Applying the framework in the case study helps to explain that James' activities resulted from how the society shaped him to be, and not from his personal choices. The reinforcement and encouragement of his peers made him indulge in alcohol and burglary according to the social theory. The framework has it that peer pressure is responsible for James wayward character.

Personality and sociological theory

Through personality theory, the research maintains that James' father is responsible for the feelings of inadequacy and low-self-esteem that he exhibited. His father ignored him on various occasions because he needed to shield him against his violent nature (Edwards, 2007). The sociological theory helps in understanding why James' father opted to alcoholism. The emotional and physical abuses he experienced in his environment while growing up have made him vulnerable. The theory explains that his drinking problem offers a temporary relief from the attacks, and has become part of him in the end.

The case study has revealed the difficulty of growing up in a neglected family that is marred by violence. The psychological abuses that James and his father experienced while growing up greatly affected their social relationships. James turned to alcohol and crime to compensate for his inadequacy while his father opted for an alcoholic lifestyle and domestic violence. This research has shed some light into the effects of alcoholic parents on the lives of their growing children.