Precious also experienced some of the different behaviors that manifest in individuals that are depressed.

People with depression have many different symptoms, including Anhedonia, depressed mood/irritability, disturbance of appetite and weight gain/loss, disturbance of sleep, retardation, lethargy, feelings of worthlessness, diminished ability to concentrate, and thoughts of death and suicide. Precious exhibited multiple symptoms related to depression. Multiple times in the movie she seemed depressed, or saddened, especially by her home situation and the things happening around her. She has gained significant weight, and fluctuates in extremes of eating; at one point, she wasnt hungry at all, and had no desire to eat, then, in another scene, she gorged herself on fried chicken before school. She also struggled with reading and English, and with school in general, which could possibly be a sign of diminished ability to think. She also had a tendency to lose herself in daydreams and flashbacks, showing an inabliity to concentrate. Problem Behaviors of Disordered Behavior: Teenage Parenthood/Sexual Activity In the book, there is a section that lists early sexual activity and teen parenthood as a problem behavior of Disordered Behavior. Precious is a 16 year old with two children. Within the movie she made many comments about wanting to keep her baby, saying that it was the only way for her to have someone love her for who she was. The textbook says that many teen mothers romanticize being a parent, feeling like their child will be able to give them the love they are not getting from signifcant others or from families. She also had a tendency to warp the feelings others had for her, telling herself that they were romantic feelings, when, in fact, they were no more than platonic or concerned.

Causal Factors There are many different reasons why Precious could have an EBD: they are caused by a multitude of causal factors, some of which are more likely than others. Biological Factors Within the movie, it is obvious that Preciouss mother is seriously disturbed in some way. She is unable to form loving relationships with her children and family, and she seems to be depressed herself. She let her boyfriend molest and rape her daughter from a young age, just so she herself could feel love and affection from him. This shows that her mother has serious issues (mental and emotional) that are unresolved. Familial This seems to be the most likely cause of any EBDs that Precious may have. Her home life is full of physical, mental, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse. Her mother is constantly beating her, and making her feel worthless. by yelling obscenities and negative comments at her. Her mother also let her father molest and abuse her, causing her to be impregnated

twice. Her mother also makes Preciouss daughter live with a grandmother, denying her of the presence and love of her daughter. Precious has no positive support from her nuclear family; her grandmother is afraid to show her affection because she wants to avoid the wrath of Preciouss mother. Her home is also filthy and unclean, another negative factor to add to the environmental factors. Social In her first school, Precious was older than all of her peers, and was often ridiculed by her fellow students. She didnt seem to have friends, and this negative social aspect of her life could contribute to her feelings of depression. She doesnt talk much, and doesnt seem to have many social skills when interacting with other students. Cultural Because of the way her mother was raised, Precious was not raised to have the same values that society may deem important. To her mother, watching television, playing the lottery, smoking cigarettes and abusing her child was acceptable. Because of this, Precious was raised in a culture where she was not taught etiquette, rules, and morals that society deems normal, which could also cause certain behaviors like theft or lying. Symptoms of Depression Precious does show some signs signs of depression, but there are many symptoms that she does not have as well. Precious does not show signs of Anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure in almost any activity), and she doesnt show signs of general irritability. Despite all of the abuse she encounters at home, she doesnt seem to be an angry or temperamental person. She doesnt show signs of insomnia, and she doesnt show signs of retardation either. She doesnt seem to be lethargic, and she doesnt dwell on thoughts of suicide or death. Classroom Management Styles There were many differences between the Classroom management styles by both of Preciouss teachers in the movie. These differences in environments seemed to have a huge impact on Precious ability to learn. Mr. Wichers Class The word that best describes Mr. Wichers class was chaos. He had a very strict, authoritarian style of classroom management. His motto, Requirements are greater than requests showed that he had no tolerance for not doing class assignments., and no exceptions when it comes to discipline His classroom was full of loud, disruptive students and disturbances. He did not seemed to be concerned with getting to know his students and

gaining their trust, and had one style of teaching for all of his students. It appears, to the viewer, that his main motivation is to do his job and make his paycheck. Blu Rains Class, Blu Rains class feels totally opposite compared to Mr. Wichers class. Her class, for the most part, is small, with no great disruptions, presenting a safe environment for the students. Her style of discipline is very different, and she is more lenient, trying to understand why a student broke a certain rules before disciplining. She is also extremely concerned with relationships in her style of classroom management. To her, maintaining good teacher/peer relationships, and fostering good peer/peer relationships is important, for both gaining trust and effectively teaching. Her style of teaching is more personalized (which is easier considering her class size), and is geared towards making sure each person is learning as well as they can. And it is obvious that her main motivation is not with a paycheck, but with making sure her students are successful in achieving their goals.