Nurturing Strangers by Andrew Fitz-Gibbon Jane Hall Fitz-Gibbon

Author:Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, Jane Hall Fitz-Gibbon [Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, Jane Hall Fitz-Gibbon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Sociology
ISBN: 9781351383219
Google: yWN8DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-12-07T03:44:27+00:00

This is not strictly speaking akratic behavior, a weakness of will, for a deliberate choice is made between a temporary pleasure now, and a long term good. It may be foolish to choose the immediate gratification, given possible futures, but such a choice is not necessarily a weakness of will.

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Wilfredo came to us from a residential facility. He was a sixteen-year-old with a number of mental health needs. We had the unusual luxury of having the opportunity of meeting him before placement. He came to our house twice for a short visit before he moved in. Nevertheless, moving in with strangers, on whom you would be dependent for food, clothing and much more, must be terrifying. Will arrived early evening looking nervous and unsure of himself. As always, we did our best to put him at ease. He proved himself a likeable, chatty boy, although seemed to have developed no self-control or empathy for others. He took things without any thought for others. He knew it was wrong as he did it in a manner that was sneaky. Within the first week of placement he had stolen five times that we were aware of.

The things weren’t of great value, nevertheless we knew it was a habit that needed to be broken. In another couple of years taking from others could get him into some fairly serious legal trouble. We did not want to see him become another teen who was heading for jail.

He took clothing and minor items from the other kids’ rooms when they were out. He took all the snacks and drinks, often leaving the other three to find the cupboard was bare when they went to get a snack. When confronted with the evidence of his habit he denied it, becoming very angry, screaming and shouting at us.

We realized that the underlying problem was lack of self-control, plus some learned behavior from a very unstable family background and more than one residential facility. We had to find ways to help him develop self-control, moral restraint, and also empathy for those whom he was depriving by taking their possessions or share of the snacks.

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