Verified Document

Left Brain And Right Brain Integration Essay

¶ … Brain and Child Counseling The effects of divorce on children can be diverse and include various factors that affect the outcome. Family is deemed to be an important variable in positively impacting a child's development (Farrell, Mays, Henry, Schoeny, 2011). However, not all families are the same: some have two parents, some have none, some are of upper income socio-economic status, others are of lower income status; some have religious/deep cultural backgrounds, others do not. Divorce is but one variable in how a child can be impacted; nonetheless, it is an important one (Amato, Bruce, 1991; Sandstorm, Huerta, 2013). This paper will discuss the effects of divorce on children by showing how various studies have indicated correlation between divorce and stress on children and what short-term and long-term effects are likely to occur in children of various backgrounds as a result of divorce. It will assess whether divorce is more impactful on children in various races, ethnicities, on gender, and on the age of the child affected by it.

The purpose of the paper will be to identify how children are affected by divorce differently, depending on the various factors in their lives. It will show whether stress is one of the most important indicators of whether a child will be negatively affected by divorce. It will also include some discussion of the range of effects that children can suffer...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The paper will indicate whether there is a one-size-fits-all way in which outcomes of divorce can be expected -- or if it all depends on how all parties approach the divorce, and whether the position of the children is adequately acknowledged by parents, who are able to appropriately respond to the needs of the child.
Part II

My new understanding of brain development might influence the way I would counsel a child in the sense that I am now better aware of the stages through which a child develops mentally. For example, children are not born with adult brains -- they have to pass through various stages of activity in order to grow, and what is most amazing about this process is that it takes years to complete. It is so important to remember this -- that while children may be curious about the world and want to know (and even mimic) what adults are doing, they themselves are not adults -- they do not have brains that are physically fully developed yet. As Siegel and Bryson (2012) note, "our brain has many different parts with different jobs" and for children their brains are still learning those jobs; thus it is important not to be hard on children as though they are experienced workers in the field -- they are not (p. 6). It is helpful…

Sources used in this document:
References

Amato, P., Bruce, K. (1991). Parental divorce and the well-being of children: A meta-

analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 110(1): 2-46.

Farrell, A., Mays, S., Henry, D., Schoeny, M. (2011). Parents as moderators of the impact of school norms and peer influences on aggression in middle school students. Child Development, 82(1): 146-161.

Sandstrom, H., Huerta, S. (2013). The negative effects of instability on child d evelopment: A research synthesis. Urban Institute.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now