African-American Family Case Study

Shelly and Mike currently reside in South Plainfield, New Jersey and have been married for a total of 8 years. Both are college educated; maintain professional jobs (teacher and computer system analyst); and could be considered a middle-class family. The young African-American couple (both in their early thirties) have one child, a son, name Chad who is quite a character. Both Shelly and Mike grew up in the East Coast most of their lives.
Shelly’s mother who is part Indian and African-American, was born and raised in Ringwood, New Jersey. Her father is originally from New York and comes from a mixed heritage of both Italian, Dutch and Spanish.
Mike who is also from New York, comes from a very diverse background as well. His mother, who currently resides in New York, is part African-American and Puerto Rican, and his father is of Jamaican descent and lives in Portland, Jamaica; a small parish on the northeast coast of the island of Jamaica. Currently Shelley and Mikes parents are no longer married and have been separated for a long time.
Seemingly, Shelly and Mike look like your typical average African-American couple, yet they both come from very rich and diverse backgrounds.
At first, during the beginning of the interview, the couple appeared to
Constant praise; being supportive ; positive reinforcement; and congruent communication are all essential in maintaining a healthy relationship. Mike explained how he frequently buys Shelly flowers and how they mutually do small things for each other for support and encouragement. He also stressed how crucial this was to the relationship and his son; demonstrating how a man is supposed to treat a woman. He is mindful that Chad is very observant, and mimics everything he does. Shelly nodded her head in agreement, and did not express a different viewpoint. To me this displayed solidarity, cohesiveness, and consensus on how to raise their