ASHFORD ABS 200 Week 5 Final Paper

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ASHFORD ABS 200 Week 5 Final Paper

Bottom of the Social Ladder | Introduction to Applied Behavior Science

Even though it is believed that the poor will always be poor, those on the bottom of the social ladder can rise. “For most Americans, the word “poverty” suggests near destitution: an inability to provide nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter for one’s family”. (Rector -Sheffield (2011). In this paper I will discuss an individual who is living under poor conditions and having a difficult time providing reasonable shelter for herself and her family. I will show how Tammy is living at the bottom of the social ladder. I will discuss the aspects of poverty, evaluate the situation and circumstances that are involved and those that may have contributed to it. I will then apply concepts of this course in order to offer an alternative method that can be applied in order to assist her in making a positive change and increase the quality of her life.

Tammy is a middle aged, Caucasian, female. She is a single mother of four children. She and her children live in an isolated area within Waverly, Ohio. They struggle to make ends meet, worry about money and Tammy worries about her situation. Women comprise the majority of those affected by poverty according to Poverty eradication and the role for social workers (2012). Tammy states that she is unhappy in her situation. She states that she needs to get things “a goin” and needs to make a change, but she is unsure of where to start. Tammy and her children live in a trailer. The trailer has no furnace to keep them warm in the winter, and the yard is full of junk.  Items such as clothing, toilets, lawnmowers, burned items and various other things lay around in the yard. While the middle son states that he is to lazy to clean up the yard, the oldest son states that he does not know what to do with all of it so he just puts it in a pile behind the trailer. They have no neighbors therefore Tammy has no social interaction or support. She has less access to resources and is not moving up in the world. They live a considerable distance from the nearest town. There is a car in the yard that needs to be fixed in order for them to have transportation. The car has an electrical problem and also needs four new tires. Even if she was able to get the car fixed, Tammy has no driver’s license and would not be able to drive it.