Mother And Daughter Relationship: A Case Study On Michelle’s Emotional And Social Well-being

Toxic Mother-Daughter Relationship

Mother and child relationship is regarded to be quantitatively different from all other forms of relationships. Corney, Puthussery and Swinglehurst (2016) have stated that the nature of anxiety and pressure in mother-child relationships tends to leverage the structure of the family along with children’s emotions and behaviour. Such transformed behavioural patterns may lead to early mental health issues in children. A case of mother-daughter relationship reveals the way the toxic relationship has caused critical impacts on an eight-year-old girl, Michelle. The case further sheds light upon the deteriorated behavioural patterns of Michelle after her shift to a new place with four stepbrothers and sisters after her mother has engaged in a new relationship.

Wong et al. (2018) have noted that social support between mothers and daughters typically has been outlined from the perspective of the mother’s primary role in contributing young daughters with love, affection, support and advice. Recent empirical studies of Corney, Puthussery and Swinglehurst (2016) have presented as a significant reciprocal representation of mother-daughter association. Children’s development tends to be intrinsically associated with interactions among other actors within the family as parents relationship is typically being perceived as a centre of this system further leveraging all facets of family functioning (Pishva 2017). Children of separated parents tend to expect their parents to recombine as a family or maintain singlehood. Young children undergo crucial turmoil while leaving the imaginary world of family reconciliation and accept their stepparent, as they might develop the idea of betraying their biological parent. Golombok et al. (2014) have revealed such emotional turmoil has resulted from the finding of infidelity further causing an unconstructive impact on children unless special care has been taken to circumvent this. According to CASEL model, there can be identified factors self-management such as managing emotions and goal setting along with relationship skills like communication and cooperation) which have been posing threats to the life of Michelle and further contaminating her relationship with her mother.

SEL identified as a process of obtaining and productively implementing ideas states factors of self-management in young children as efficiently regulating their emotions to deal with stress and successfully articulate emotions to parents (Oberle et al. 2016). However, at this juncture, Michelle has been observed to have lack these areas of criticality because of her destabilized association with her mother concerning her new relationship and sudden shift to unknown locality. Nucci, Krettenauer and Narváez (2014) have further have stated that as self-management primarily involves controlling impulses, it serves a critical role in children’s’ school life. As Michelle is unable to express her emotions recently due to turmoil relationship, she is suffering from lesser impulse control resulting in her growing aggressive nature and depreciated educational level.

Impact of Emotionally Unavailable Mothers

Comprehensive studies of Pishva (2017) highlight the lack of maternal affection and warmth being consequential to a weakened emotional linkage between mother and daughter. However, regardless of broad strokes of shared and distressful association, the pattern of connection regarding the way mother interacts with her daughter tend to fluctuate significantly further impacting young daughters in specific ways. The regulative nature of parenting of Michelle’s mother has led the eight-year-old child to adopt a dismissive and sadistic attitude towards others. Arslan (2015) have noted that through controlling form of parenting, mothers tend to micromanage their daughters and dynamically refuse to support or stimulate the validity of children’s words or preferences. Such a micromanage attitude has resulted in infusing a particular sense of insecurity and vulnerability in young children.

Furthermore, emotionally unavailable mothers tend to impact patterns of parenting with their sudden withdrawal at young daughter’s approach (Pishva 2017). Michelle currently has been observing an unexpected denial of love and affection of her mother from her and her other siblings. Such a withdrawal in the view of Michelle is due to her mother’s growing integration towards recently developed adored relationship thus inflicting a severe of damage in her personal and educational life. Agnew-Blais et al. (2015) have mentioned the impact of apparent abandonment from mothers’ end which leaves a severe scar on the emotional development of young children. The deserted behavior of Michelle’s mother has not only disregarded her issues with a concentration in school but also of the inconsistent attendance of her along with her stepbrothers and sisters admitted in the same educational institution. Such lack of parenting results in young children like Michelle to be emotionally famished resulting to demonstrate excessive aggressiveness towards her peers in school. However, according to Corney, Puthussery and Swinglehurst (2016) the essential behavior for young daughters to deal with the emotional turmoil of toxic relationships relies on the dilemma of being unaware of the exact attributes of a mother. Several young children undergoing such toxic relationships create mental representations of the way maternal linkages in the real world tend to appear based on their association with their mothers. These young daughters in the view of authors comprehend emotional associations to be fraught and insecure resulting to a more significant level of lack of self-confidence and anxiety.

As mother-daughter relationships are multifaceted and diverse, they tend to determine a girl’s future relationship competencies and self-esteem. However, Golombok et al. (2014) have stated that daughters of highly critical mothers typically exhibit weakened social skills with detrimental behavioral patterns towards academics and social communication. The case of Michelle’s toxic relationship with her mother along with sudden relocation with her mother’s new partner has posted a detrimental impact on Michelle’s emotional and social wellbeing. However, following the CASEL model, Oberle et al. (2016) have characterized SEL that is children’s social and emotional learning as the capability to interact and socialize to others efficiently. Significantly, SEL focuses on the skills of self-regulation and behavioural management of young children.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Meanwhile, Nucci, Krettenauer and Narváez (2014) have stated that young students unable to obtain social and emotional skills at home are given opportunities to attain SEL in school. Reports of authors have revealed that a severe deficit of skills reinforcement by parents is recognized as a critical impediment for schools aiming to implement SEL. However, a related majority of around 80% view SEL as an essential determinant of enhancing students’ academic growth. Arslan (2015) has shed light on the importance of parents’ involvement in children’s academics which typically advances students in acquiring higher grades; develop improved social skills with consistent school attendance. Michelle’s deterioration in academics with amplified aggressive nature must be taken into serious consideration by her mother in order to reduce the toxicity of their relationship and further provide her with improved social and emotional skills. Nucci, Krettenauer and Narváez (2014) have further noted the importance of family participation in a child’s intellectual, social as well as emotional learning and functioning. Michelle’s teachers and her mother must successfully develop an attainable school-family partnership (SFP) which should be based on her learning as well as emotional development with parents and educators equally sharing responsibility. Michelle’s class teacher being highly concerned with her weakened academic competence must proficiently distribute SEL strategies, mechanisms, ideas and resources with Michelle’s parents to facilitate with at-home strengthening and fortification.

Disruptive behaviour problems in preschool children are identified as critical risk factors and potential elements of neurodevelopmental as well as mental health disorders. Certain non-compliance, temperamental tantrums and destructive temperament observed in children aged between two and five years are considered to be ordinary and short-lived. However, according to Piquero et al. (2016), challenging levels of disparaging behaviour especially when accompanied by functional impairment and significant anxiety level must be recognized before early intervention which can enhance outcome trajectories. The case of Nathan has demonstrated the way the three-year-old child has been suffering from disruptive behavioural patterns with his incapability of focusing on any activity for prolonged time.

Epstein et al. (2015) are of the opinion that disruptive behaviour disorders are considered to be among the easiest to differentiate all coexisting conditions as they involve behavioural patterns such as physical aggression related to attacking other children at school, anxiety attack, immense argumentativeness and other forms of confrontation towards authority. A child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) exhibit a tendency to argue frequently with adults such as caregiver or parents lose his or her temper easily and show immensely vindictive and the resentful manners (Leno et al. 2018). Similarly, comprehensive insights into Nathan’s case have revealed his weakened competence of grasping things even after pursuing his favourite activities. These factors further have been unconstructive to Nathan’s behavioural development. At this juncture Kaminski and Claussen (2017) have noted that for a mass proportion of preschool children clinical as well as subclinical levels of disruptive behaviour tend to continue till the early primary school years for the positioning the children at higher risk for unproductive academic, physical as well as psychological health outcomes in to adolescence and adulthood. However, though the quality of life for these children with disruptive disorders as well as their families have been considered to be lower, conscious of cost to society for academic, social assistance healthcare and criminal justice initiatives are identified to be higher for developing these children. According to CASEL model, lack of relationship skills ability typically creates severe impediments in the social and emotional learning progress of young children (Kaminski and Claussen 2017). Epstein et al. (2015) have noted that incompetence in forming proper communication with caregivers; parents or pre-school teachers have been consequential to young children’s behavioural patterns. As social and emotional skills are vital for any children to thrive in the academic sphere successfully, children’s lack of relationship skills increases the level of violence and aggression in them (Homem et al. 2015).

Importance of School-Family Partnership (SFP)

Several instances of challenging disruptive behaviour can be comprehended as unproductive dealing strategies for young children with or without a learning disability (LD) or weakened social and communication abilities are intending to regulate activities occurring in their surroundings (Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. 2018). Young children encountering disruptive behavioural disorders tend to refrain from expressing their emotions to parents, educators or caregivers resulting in a significant loss of concentration. Furthermore, Homem et al. (2015) have identified certain environmental factors which exhibit a high propensity to raise the threat of challenging behaviour and lack of constructive interaction. Additionally, in the view of Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. (2018), aggression is identified as a universal, multifaceted and challenging behavioural indication for referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrists. The case of Nathan has reflected the way his level of passion and eagerness tend to disintegrate into severe frustration and tears.

Furthermore, genetic factors can be identified as another critical cause of disruptive behaviour in young children. In the view of Nowicki et al. (2018), as depression typically has its occurrences under stress and anxiety, there can be experienced severe loss with other chronic physical ailments. From the case of disruptive behaviour in Nathan and his symptoms of lack of concentration and distraction, there can be observed a tendency of a genetic disorder in his family. For instances young children and adolescents who have relatives particularly relatives of first degree who have encountered disruptive behavioural symptoms tend to be at an elevated risk for developing the disorder themselves than individuals without any significant familial association (Kaminski and Claussen 2017). However, according to Nowicki et al. (2018), anxiety appears to be infectious emerging from mothers to their preschool children, in the course of genetic factors and further through behaviour modelling along with a concerned approach of parenting.

Furthermore, a developmental taxonomy theory by Patterson has been proposed in order to help comprehend the mechanisms fundamental to the early incidence of disruptive conduct problems (Moffitt 2017). Sagar-Ouriaghli et al. (2018) have described the sadistic sequence of non-contingent parental responses to pro-social and antisocial child conduct resulting in involuntary reinforcement of child issues. Meanwhile, Leno et al. (2017) have noted that parents’ involvement in ‘coercive cycles’ results to children obtaining the functional value of their aversive behaviours such as physical hostility and frustration for escape as well as prevention of redundant interactions further been consequential to the use of elevated aversive conduct patterns from child as well as parents in order to attain social goals. Thus, in the case of Nathan, such critical child behavioural training involved with social rejection typically result to develop deviant peer attachment along with delinquency in adolescence period.

Identification of suitable treatment strategies relies on a careful evaluation of the prevailing indicators, family along with caregivers’ significance on the child’s developmental level as well as physical health. At this juncture, strong parenting skills training, however, have been recognized to be important strategies to improve preschool children’s disruptive behaviour.  Kaminski and Claussen (2017) have observed that social-learning along with behaviourally based parent training is effective for generating steady improvement in preschool children with disruptive behaviour. This parent social-learning skill training conducted by Nathan will lessen the externalizing behavioural issues for Nathan and help him to recover from his severely destructive and hostile behavioural patterns. Meanwhile, Piquero et al. (2016) are of the perspective that customary school strategies for children suffering from disruptive behaviour such as expelling children have been highly detrimental to them. Drawing relevance to such a perspective, the case of Nathan has revealed the way he was removed from his nursery school had caused damaging effects on the child that often lead him to exhibit high frustration and vulnerability towards his surroundings. Thus, Kaminski and Claussen (2017) have stated that preschool educators who typically deal with young children with disruptive behavioural patterns must execute ‘step-by-step’ guidelines in order to efficiently implement evidence-based strategies which can be distinguished as productive in the elevating levels of participation and achievement by children suffering from disruptive behaviour.

Nathan’s nursery teachers must proficiently employ self-management interventions as well as tiered intervention mechanisms along with peer-aided learning procedures to successfully guide students like Nathan to recuperate from their disruptive nature and move towards a stable emotional and social developmental path (Leno et al. 2017). However, Homem et al. (2015) have observed growing evidence in order to substantiate that school-based interventions to seek budding disruptive behavioural issues in young pre-school children tend to generate significant reductions in the parent as well as children with self and teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

There can be observed a pain of desiring to belong to a specific group but instead unable to position them within it (Howley and Boyce 2017). Introvert teens typically tend to struggle with utmost distress and pain of relentlessly being obligated into places such as educational institute which draw attention to the divergences introvert adolescent encounters. Severe introversion and shyness impact teenage students’ social as well as academic life and further leverage the ways in which students’ show greater degree of inclination in obtaining and processing information in the classroom  (Wols, Scholte and Qualter 2015). The case of Ahmed, a teenage boy, has shed upon his areas of challenges in distinguishing, acknowledging and utilizing use of his skills and abilities. Ahmed’s growing introversion has been gradually causing deterioration in his academic life despite his intellectual skills and eagerness in learning new educational projects.

Introvert teenagers typically find the intense social interactions which are a significant part of high school to be immensely freezing and even unnerving thus making them comfortable in solitary activities. As Ahmed fails to show a certain degree of eagerness in getting associated with any social group, a major proportion of his classmates perceive him as unsocial resulting in severe bullying and harassment. Howley and Boyce (2017) have revealed that teenagers in recent times endure a greater number of impediments and challenges in school in comparison to their extrovert peers. Meanwhile, Mirnics, Kovia and Bagdy (2015) have stated that high school culture can be immensely hazardous and pose risk factors for teenagers to successfully navigate individually if they develop a high level of introversion. As a high school, cultural patterns are fundamentally constructed for students showing extroversion with extracurricular activities as well as social groups, for a majority of highs school students, getting involved in a social group is considered to be one of the most critical determinants of being in high school  (Wols, Scholte and Qualter 2015). However, at this juncture, Ahmed as a teenage not being associated with high school social groups often have critical times in coping with school peers. Such criticalities according to Afshan, Askari and Manickam (2015) tend to characterize shy teenagers as losers or incompetents further being detested and often being secluded by their classmates and parents. It has been noticed from the case, that Ahmed though possesses high intellectuality to tend to maintain silence and withdraw him while sharing his bullying incidents received from other students in his class.

Furthermore, in the view of Francis and McKenna (2018), introvert and shy students typically encounter certain unnerving situations to show responsiveness in class. Thus involving in comprehensive class discussions have the propensity to be objectionable for shy teenage students as even with their growing identities and awareness with the particular material to be addressed, majority discussions involve contributing on the fly with limited time for any types of correction (Yang, Bear and May 2018).  Furthermore, in the case of Ahmed classroom discussions, as subjects alter rapidly, Ahmed often encounters incompetence to switch his attention from one subject area to the other as fluidly and successfully as his extrovert classmates. In addition to this, Georgiou (2015) has noted that shy teenagers as a function of social anxiety tend to remain on the perimeter of activities resulting to get faded away and lose the significance of their skills and abilities.

As introversion is recognized as a personality trait, an introvert child neither shows self-confidence nor any form of enthusiasm in immensely stimulative social situations. Wols, Scholte and Qualter (2015) have stated that while some children thrive socially and have been emotionally energized by group interactions, introverts often tend to encounter contradictory responses. Furthermore, incompetence in accomplishing other expectations has a propensity to destabilize the confidence and self-realization of teenagers which they may already possess. According to Yang, Bear and May (2018), parents must essentially offer introvert teenagers with complete acceptance of such behaviour. Ahmed’s parents at this juncture must need to acknowledge exercise, physical activity along with healthy and comprehensive interaction in order to successfully distinguish areas where Ahmed experiences strong emotional development and receives a considerable level of intellectual stimulation. Lack of proper parenting of Ahmed’s parents has led them to disregard his growing level of apprehension and nervousness in successfully learning any new subjects in school. Such an elevating rate of anxiety and apprehension according to Mirnics, Kovia and Bagdy (2015) play a critical role in teenage students’ academic progress further leading to severe deterioration. These factors have been of great concern to Ahmed’s class teacher who has noticed a distinct decline in his attendance as well as academic expansion.

 Afshan, Askari and Manickam (2015) have observed several parents overlook the benefits and gifts of living constituted in an introverted child. From the evaluation of Ahmed’s case of severe lack of academic interest, there has been observed a form of limitation in making greater thoughtful and informed preferences. Francis and McKenna (2018) have stated that as introverts typically maintain silence, it tends to be highly challenging for others to comprehend their thoughts and perception. Correspondingly, in Ahmed’s case, his unvoiced characteristics have led him to be perceived as being rude and discourteous resulting to encounter bully and humiliation from others. Thus, Ahmed’s parents rather than accepting such initial detachment as rudeness must essentially interpret his introversion as a common attribute and develop a sense of willingness in him.

Individuals being susceptible towards social apprehension require implementing strategies of proper navigation of their quiet tendencies and further influence their areas of strength to benefit maximum potential. As a result, Wols, Scholte and Qualter (2015) have emphasized parents in providing an appropriate structure to introvert teenagers at home. Furthermore, preparing collective activities, as well as responsibilities such as household chores, family dinner or vacation, are identified as purposeful strategies to involve introvert teenagers and support their social, emotional and academic learning. Yang, Bear and May (2018) have stated that asynchronous environments found on the Internet can contribute introvert students with the ideal space required for them to acquire a more significant amount of knowledge and ideas. Furthermore, the freedom to investigate their passions and desires with the ability to relate to similar learners, all with the solitude required by the introvert can develop these communities as the ultimate arena for learning and attain creativity to cultivate in the introvert. While developing any social-emotional learning interventions for introverts, it is essential to note that individuals with introversion are not disinclined in engaging with people instead they necessitate a higher degree of solitude to re-energize and further generate the mass sensory input in which the extrovert primarily thrives on (Georgiou 2015).

Meanwhile, Wols, Scholte and Qualter (2015) have stated that as individuals live in an extrovert-dominant world, there can be observed a propensity for individuals to overlook the ambiance needed for introverts to excel in life. Thus, parents of introvert teenagers must purposefully form and embrace the environments required for them to successfully surpass all boundaries and realize the peculiarities of the environment. Furthermore providing space, time along with proper asynchronous opportunities to develop a high level of self-confidence by parents and educators will aid natural introverts like Ahmed excel in his classroom (McIntosh et al. 2016).  

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