Interpretation in Terms of Adolescent Development Theories - Essay Example

 Adolescent Development: I have chosen Penelope Gomez, a 16 year old Latino American, as the subject of this case study. She is a second generation American born and brought up in the United States. Her parents however were from Mexico, having migrated to the United States for better economic opportunities. Typical of Hispanic Americans, she is from a modest socio-economic background. A set of questions were prepared to elicit information about Penelope regarding her physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social development. The essay is structured in such a way, that Penelope’s answers pertaining to a particular topic are grouped together followed by an interpretation in terms of adolescent development theories. I have related some of the events, characteristics and phenomena in Penelope’s life to some popular theories of adolescent development. As I run through the salient answers from the interview, I shall attempt to see Penelope’s life as an adolescent in the context of development theories. To facilitate eliciting accurate and truthful responses from the subject, I incorporated a few rapport building features in the interview. First of all, the interviewee was made to feel at ease and comfortable. The sequence of question categories gradually increase in their complexity, starting off from general questions regarding family structure, number of siblings, relationship with parents and her personality. These were followed by questions on physical, cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral aspects of her life so far. The answers to these questions throw light on Penelope’s adolescent development; they help set a background from which a scientific analysis of Penelope’s psychological development is made easier. The theories of development discussed in this essay are those proposed by Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget and Sigmund Freud. According to Piaget, a growing child develops cognitive structures or cognitive concepts in order to deal with its surrounding environment. Also, these cognitive structures and concepts grow in complexity and sophistication as the child passes from one stage to the next. According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Penelope should have completed all the four stages of child development – sensory-motor, preoperational, concrete operations and formal operations. Given the fact that Penelope had graduated all grades successfully indicates that she has also passed through all the four stages of Piaget’s model. As Piaget does not expand his theory to address possible consequence of failing to complete these stages, it offers little scope for application in Penelope’s case. On the other hand, Penelope’s case provides more scope from a Freudian psychosexual perspective. Take for example, answers given to the following questions: Are you loveable, can someone besides your parents/guardian easily love you? Why /Why not? “I think I am lovable because I am accommodative, obedient and helpful to others.” Do you feel that you have social support or do you feel alienated? “My mother has always been supportive of me. So were a few of my teachers and counselors. My father was mostly absent during my childhood (his profession requires him to travel a lot). However, even in the precious little time we had together we never really got along well. This has always given me much pain and still continues to. Why do you think it is important to help and care for others? Do you? “So that they will love me and respect me. I always try to make others comfortable.” All three answers together reveal an underlying Electra complex. According to Freud, people who did not resolve this stage of development successfully will remain fixated on it. Penelope mentioned her disappointing relationships with her father and most of her teachers. Her accommodativeness, obedience and helpful tendencies are a result of a subconscious endeavor to please these authority figures. Also, a symptom of Electra complex is obsessive and troublesome relationships with the opposite sex. She is only 16 and has had three boyfriends already. She has been sexually active from 14, which is too early by general cultural norms. This tendency is accentuated by her prevailing sense of low self-worth. What’s your relationship with the opposite gender? Is your friendships mixed between males/females? “I have friends from both genders. I get along with all of them very well. However, my previous intimate relationships ran into trouble within months.” Do you feel comfortable with your physical appearance? “Not completely. I wish I was prettier and more attractive.” Do you have a boyfriend, are you sexually active? “I have a new boyfriend now and we’ve been sexually active. But, as with my two previous relationships I don’t like the fact that my boyfriends always get their way.” The above set of answers can be interpreted to portray Penelope’s psychological conflict in experiencing intimacy by overcoming isolation. For example, to be able to experience and enjoy intimacy, the individual must be able to let go of their self-awareness and inhibitions. The failure to achieve this leads to seclusion and loneliness. According to Erikson, this is the principle by which intimacy and isolation are pitted against each other during the period following puberty. Penelope’s recurrent relationship problems can be linked to her unfulfilling relationship with her father as well as her low self-esteem. Low self-esteem translates into higher self-awareness and self-absorption, making it difficult to achieve intimacy. How do you cope with issues that you are not too happy with? “I try not to focus on aspects of my physical appearance that give me distress. I also try and avoid social situations where many people have gathered.” Do you feel comfortable with your physical appearance? “Not completely. I wish I was prettier and more attractive.” How do your peers/media affect your decision making, do they give you advice? Tell me about it? “At times, I do feel compelled to embrace a fad or fashion even if I personally don’t find it appealing. The pressure to comply is usually not explicit, but sort of implicitly understood. At times, I am not even aware of my own compliance.” The above set of questions and answers show another tenet of Erickson’s theory. Erikson theory states the conflictive nature of “work, accomplishment, pride” and “self-esteem, self-worth”. In other words, there is always a conflict between the opposing forces of “industry” and “inferiority”. These two are found in inverse proportions to each other in any individual i.e. the more “inferior” an individual feels about himself/herself, the less “industrious” he/she is likely to be. In Penelope’s case, she is beset with feelings of inferiority – most of them are unwarranted. For example, when I first Penelope, I was struck by her attractive looks and pleasant demeanor. Yet, she thinks she is inadequate in these departments. According to Erikson, such inadequacies lead the individual to become conformist. They are also prone to be exploited. Her inability to hold her own in the face of peer-pressure is an example of this. What are your views on racism, poverty? “I had been subject to racial discrimination from my peers while I was in seventh grade. So, I know how distressing and unjust the experience can be. Our family income is just above subsistence level, so I know the wrath of poverty as well. I would like to contribute whatever I can in alleviating these conditions across the world.” Do you think that you are mature? Explain. “I believe I am mature enough for my age. For example, I offer to help my mom in caring for my younger brother and sister. I think that is a sign of maturity.” What are your values? “I believe in honesty and sincerity. I chose my future profession to be nursing, so that I can upkeep my values.” What future careers/occupations are you considering? Are you currently employed? “I would like to get into a nursing career. I am not employed presently.” From the quotations above, we can see the manifestation of Penelope’s Generativity. In the seventh stage of Erikson’s model, the individual is subject to dispel stagnation by involving himself/herself in meaningful activity. Primarily focused on reproduction, Generativity can include a broad range of activities – including her career goals and moral values. It is also to be noted that experiences of her earlier years has also influenced her choice of profession. It is easy to connect low socio-economic status, poverty and parental neglect to caring for others and maturity beyond her age. Do you fit in with a certain type of crowd? “I prefer the companionship of people my own age. Otherwise, their racial, socio-economic or religious affiliations make no difference to me. My sexual orientation is straight.” Are you good at something valued by peers/parents? “I’ve always good in academics. My family members always appreciate my academic accomplishments. “ What’s your perception/view of the world? Are you able to distinguish reality, for example realizing that if you don’t get your credits that you won’t graduate in time? What’s another example that you think deals with reality that pertains to you? “I’ve realized that the path to inner harmony is within me. I know that if I depend on other people I am bound to find disappointment. Hence, I want to be an emotionally and financially independent woman when I grow up.” The above set of answers is consistent with the pattern established earlier. For example, coming from an oppressed minority community herself, she can relate and empathize with others in such condition. So, it is understandable that she is amicable and approachable to all her peers irrespective of their ethnicity or religious affiliation. Her isolation (as a result of unfulfilled intimacy) had probably made it easier for her to focus on academic pursuits. Similarly, congruent with her other answers on relationships, she is skeptical of meaningful relationships as they can hurt and disappoint. Hence, she is inclined to remain independent and lonely. As an aspiring counselor, the case study of Penelope Gomez’s psychological development has consolidated my grasp of the underlying theories of development. I learnt many things from this first-hand experience. I now have a better understanding of adolescent psychology than before. Studying feelings and attitudes of adolescents from the view point of development theories has convinced me of the importance of theoretical frameworks in counseling. In other words, teenagers’ emotions and beliefs are not easy to quantify; and generally tend to be vague and ambiguous. In this context, a theoretical framework gives the analyst a starting point from which further investigations into the psyche of the subjects could be made. I also realized that Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is of minimal use as an analytical tool to solve problems of psychology. Controversial as Freud’s psychosexual stages of development might be, it still finds instances in many case studies today. Also, Freud’s theory is not backed by comprehensive empirical data. Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, the basic tenets of the theory are accepted as truth; although the theory in its entirety might lack such recognition. Of the theories discussed in the essay, I found Erikson’s proposition on developmental stages the most comprehensive. This theory not only focuses on sexual urges but also takes into consideration emotional and social components of an individual’s growth. The time spent framing the questions, interviewing adolescent subjects and performing scientific analysis of their answers has served in strengthening my diagnostic skills, which is essential to any counselor. Having achieved competence in this important component of counseling, I now look forward to learning about therapeutic techniques to resolve psychological imbalances. References: Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (Annual 2001)., Adolescent Development., Annual Review of Psychology, p.83. 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