The Lost Boy Essay -- essays research papers

THE LOST BOYSOCW 3220 Human Behavior II victimizeImagine a boy who is nine long time old and who is alone. He doesnt have a home, and the however possession he has is what he can sprout in a brown paper bag. In the novel The at sea Boy, the author David Pelzer tells his experience of this first hand. David was removed from his abusive biological mother when he was nine years old and placed into a foster home. Soon after his first placement, he began to come out of his shell. He was going by an adjustment period where he had to get use to being a boy instead of it. During this transition he became overly aggressive, and full of energy. This energy and ill will landed him in trouble on a few occasions. He was forced to move from one foster home to the next because of this trouble.During this period, David not only had to adjust to his new surroundings he also had to adjust to the awkward years of adolescence. This adjustment was especially hard for David because he was never real ly a boy. However, he was able to overcome it and grow up to live a normal life, as a pilot for the Air Force.In the novel The Lost Boy, the main character was David Pelzer. David became a foster child because he was severely abused by his alcoholic mother. This book looks at his life from ages 9 to 18, when he was a foster child. The theoretical concept of development that applies to David during this stage of his life is Erik Eriksons psychosocial theory. Erik Eriksons psychosocial theory has eight stages of development. These stages are as followsStageCrisis Age Important aftermath1Basic trust versus basic mistrustBirth to 18 months Feeding2Autonomy versus Shame and doubt 18 months to 3 years Toileting3Initiative versus guilt 3 to 6 years&n... ... their children to associate with him. This was evident when David tried to talk to a girl he liked in his neighborhood. David went to her house to speak to her, but instead of speaking to her he spoke to her mother. She told David th at she did not know why they allowed his kind in the neighborhood. She said that he was a filthy hooligan, and he reeked of street trash. He was told that he is not allowed to talk to her children or approach her house. This response is an example of issues of diversity. Because David was different from these womens family, she did not approve of him. This pillow slip of prejudice is evident throughout the novel. Many people told David that the sooner he learns that he is only an F-child, the better off he will be. He was told to stimulate with his own kind. This was just a different type of prejudice that David went through. I though that this novel was very well written. It kept my attention and made me insufficiency to read more. I would recommend that this novel be read by all social workers that want to work with abused or fostered children.