Social histories are prepared to paint a comprehensive picture of a client’s situation and
relevant information. This information may come from referral sources, other providers,
and the client. For this assignment, you will be drafting a social history for your client,
Mr. Brown, from the Case Vignette.
Instructions:
Apply the information provided in the Case Vignette and prepare a social history that
addresses the following:
• Client information
• Presenting Problem
• Referral (Including source and reason)
• Medical History
• Personal/Family History
• Education
• Work History
• Personality and Habits
Requirements:
• Submit a Word document that includes a title page.
• Be sure to address each section fully. Each area of information can be broken
into sub-sections, listed with the appropriate heading.
• This is a professional report and should use formal language, complete
sentences, proper grammar and appropriate sentence structure.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Social History: Mr. Brown
Client Information
Name: Mr. Brown
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Divorced
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: None specified
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Presenting Problem
Mr. Brown has sought therapy due to feelings of depression and anxiety. He reports experiencing low mood, loss of interest in activities he once enjoyed, difficulty concentrating, and frequent worry about his financial situation. These symptoms have been present for the past six months and have significantly impacted his daily functioning.
Referral
Mr. Brown was referred to therapy by his primary care physician, Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith became concerned about Mr. Brown’s mental health during a routine check-up. Mr. Brown expressed his concerns about his emotional well-being, and Dr. Smith recommended seeking therapy to address these issues.
Medical History
General Health: Mr. Brown reports being in good overall health.
Chronic Conditions: None reported.
Medications: Mr. Brown takes medication for high blood pressure.
Allergies: None reported.
Hospitalizations/Surgeries: No significant hospitalizations or surgeries.
Personal/Family History
Family Background: Mr. Brown was born and raised in a small town in the Midwest. He is the youngest of three siblings. His parents divorced when he was 10 years old, which had a significant impact on his upbringing.
Childhood: Mr. Brown described his childhood as challenging due to the divorce of his parents. He had a strained relationship with his father and experienced financial hardships.
Relationships: Mr. Brown got married at the age of 25 but got divorced after 15 years of marriage. He has one child, a daughter aged 18, who lives with her mother.
Support System: Mr. Brown maintains a close relationship with his daughter and occasionally meets with friends for social activities.
Education
Highest Level of Education: Mr. Brown completed high school but did not pursue any higher education.
Academic Performance: Mr. Brown was an average student throughout his school years and did not participate in extracurricular activities.
Vocational Training: None reported.
Work History
Occupation: Mr. Brown has been working as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company for the past 20 years.
Job Satisfaction: Mr. Brown reports feeling dissatisfied with his current job due to high levels of stress, long working hours, and limited opportunities for growth.
Previous Employment: Before joining the pharmaceutical company, Mr. Brown worked in retail sales for five years.
Personality and Habits
Personality Traits: Mr. Brown is described as introverted, detail-oriented, and reliable.
Coping Mechanisms: Mr. Brown tends to withdraw from social activities when he feels overwhelmed. He also engages in regular exercise as a means of stress relief.
Substance Use: Mr. Brown does not report any history of substance abuse or dependence.
Hobbies and Interests: Mr. Brown enjoys reading, gardening, and playing the guitar in his free time.
In conclusion, this social history provides a comprehensive understanding of Mr. Brown’s background, presenting problem, referral source, medical history, personal/family history, education, work history, and personality traits. This information will be crucial in guiding therapeutic interventions to address his current mental health concerns and support his overall well-being.
