Michael Case Study (Case Study Sample)

Michael is a rising artist in his local community who just turned 18 years old, and he lives in south central Los Angeles. This area is known for gang activity and violence. For the past 4 years, Michael has participated in an after-school program devoted to the arts, he is now a senior in high school. Because of Michael’s hard work, perseverance, and creativity, he was able to build a solid portfolio and maintain good grades with very little resources and family support. He received a full ride (tuition, room and board) at the University of California. Michael’s family is working-class, his parents are undocumented (father works in construction and mother in housekeeping). Michael has two older siblings, a brother who is affiliated with a gang and a sister who works two jobs while paying her way through college. Michael also has a younger brother who does well in school but often gets into trouble by hanging out with the oldest sibling. Michael is meticulous in his approach to school, his art, and is determined to be more successful than his parents. Some of Michael's success could be attributed to his somewhat ruthless attitudes towards others (family, friends, associates). He knows what he wants, and will achieve his goals, even if it is at the expense of others. As an example, at the beginning of starting the after-school art program he befriended one of the volunteers who was responsible for organizing the program. As a result of this befriending, Michael obtained a space to paint, yet others did not receive the same courtesy. After he secured his spot, he is no longer friends with this individual, as they fell out after a seemingly minor argument. Michael can be very charming when he meets new people. He is the life and soul of any party and knows how to have a good time. Others are initially attracted to him because of his good looks and quick wit. However, he also has a nasty streak, which makes his behavior unpredictable at times. This has resulted in very few long-term friendships that someone his age would have during this stage in life. As a child, Michael could be described a bit of a loner. Indeed, he often blurted out things that could be thought of as unkind, which alienated other children. He likes to be in control and see how far others would go obeying his commands. Because of his brother’s gang affiliation, Michael was protected, and others often feared his connection. Although it seems like Michael’s life is going well with graduating from high-school and earning a full scholarship, Michael seems to maintain some type of relationship with gang members. Write a well-thought out, professionally written, proofread paper including the following bulleted prompts. Feel free to add additional information that is relevant to support your approach to this case (Please do not take up space in the paper by rewriting the case study): How does this case study relate to social cognitive theory? What behavior is of concern in this case study and why? What other social and environmental factors may be related to the behavior of concern? In what ways do you think the gang may influence the environment Michael’s behavior? From a population health perspective as it relates to gang violence, what policy, system and environmental change could be put in place to mitigate gang violence exposure? What if any, are influences of observational learning on the behavior of concern? In what way did the construct of expectations influence the behavior of concern? Use personal (self, family, friends, neighbors, etc.) or professional (clients, patients, colleagues, etc.) examples to enrich your responses. Submit your answers in a Word document with 2-3 references from peer reviewed journals in current APA format. This assignment should be at least 2 pages in length of content. There needs to be a title and reference page, an abstract is not required. source..