PSYC 631
Case Study: Development and Ethnicity Assignment Template
Adolescent Information
Demographics: Mariah is a 16-year-old, fourth-generation Latina female.
Medical/Developmental history Mariahs medical history is significant for early maturation/early age of menarche (age 9). She also has a history of childhood obesity, although she has been at normal weight since age 12. Her medical history is otherwise unremarkable. She reached all her developmental milestones within normal limits.
Family history Mariah was born into a two-parent family, but her biological father left when she was 2 years old. Her mother raised her as a single-parent for most of her childhood. The family lived in an urban environment with moderate crime levels, and they struggled financially for many years. Mariah is an only child. Mariah reports that her relationship with her mother has been rocky in the past, and she describes that her mother was a strict disciplinarian for most of her childhood. This caused significant conflict in her early adolescent years when she felt her mother was being too controlling. Two years ago, Mariahs mother re-married and the family has experienced increased financial stability and has moved into a less-dangerous neighborhood. Mariah gets along well with her step-father, and since he has moved into the home, she notes that her mothers parenting style has become more balanced. This has helped improve Mariahs relationship with her mother considerably. Also, since the wedding, the family has been regularly attending a nondenominational Christian church, and Mariah has started attending youth group and volunteering in the church nursery. She notes that in the last year, she has tried to spend time praying and reading the Bible on her own.
Social history Throughout childhood, Mariah has always had a small group of close-knit female friends from her neighborhood who are also Latina. She reports that her mother has always been over-protective and does not let her go many places. Her mother is always reminding her about the dangers she faces as a minority and often warns her about discrimination and being too trusting of others.
Mariah reports that she has generally stayed out of trouble; however, her friends have convinced her to smoke marijuana several times in the past. At first, she enjoyed the behavior because it felt new and exciting. However, she reports that in the last year it has started bothering her conscience. She knows that certain important people in her life (e.g., her mother, her youth pastor) would be very disappointed in her if they found out. She wants to be seen as a good person and feels that she is not living up to that standard by doing drugs. Therefore, she reports that she has not smoked in the last 10 months. She reports that in the last year she has been spending less time with her old friends and more time with other youth from church, although she still tends to gravitate to the other Latina girls at church.
Mariah has had a few boyfriends in the past (that her mother does not know about), and she used to sneak out of the house to see them. She reports that she is used to getting a lot of attention from males, as this has been the case for the past several years. However, she reports that she has not dated in the last year because she is trying to focus on school, explore her relationship with God, and find herself.
Academic history Mariah attends public school and always has. In the past, she has received low grades. Within the last couple years (when entering high school), however, she has experienced increased motivation for school and her grades have steadily improved. She states that one of her main motivations for improving her grades is so that she can help provide for her mother if needed in the future. She reports having to battle test anxiety in science and math classes, since she has heard that females and minorities do more poorly in those subjects. She reported that her mother has always wanted her to grow up and be a doctor so she could make a better life for herself. Throughout her childhood, she was convinced that she would indeed take that path; however, in the last year she has started having doubts and has started to explore other future career options.
Psychological history Mariah has not been formally diagnosed with any psychological disorders. However, she does report that she believes she has been depressed in the past, and she experienced significantly low mood throughout most of her early adolescence. Even though she is now at a normal weight, she still feels fat sometimes and has battled significant issues with self-esteem in the past. However, she reports that her mood has improved significantly over the last couple of years and that she finally feels like she is getting her life together.
Short Answer Questions
Directions:
Read each question and in the box below provide your answer with appropriate research support. For full credit, each answer must include at least one citation from a course reading applied to Mariahs life. Aim to answer each question in one or two paragraphs (answers can be single spaced). Include an APA-style reference page at the end of your assignment. Each answer is worth 10.5 points.
1. How might Mariahs early maturation have influenced the development of any internalizing/psychological problems
and externalizing/behavioral problems (see Susman & Dorn, 2009)? Be sure to address both types of outcomes.
2. What family factors might have influenced the development of Mariahs early menarche (see Susman & Dorn, 2009)? Include details of the family environment and parental relationship.
3. What stage of Marcias theory of identity formation would you place Mariah into currently and why (see Côté, 2009 and module video)? Be sure to explain and relate the concepts of both exploration/choice
and commitment in your answer.
4. How might research related to adolescent judgement and decision making explain some of Mariahs behavioral decisions (see Albert & Steinberg, 2011)? Be sure to include a discussion of how adolescent perception of risks vs. benefits might have influenced her choices.
5. What stage in Kohlbergs Moral (Justice-Oriented) Reasoning theory would you place Mariah into and why (see Eisenberg et al., 2009 and module video)?
6. How might Mariahs religious/spiritual development have influenced her psychological, behavioral, and social outcomes in the last couple years since she began attending church (see King & Roeser, 2009)?
7. According to Fuligni et al. (2009), how might ethnicity be related to the characteristics
and quality of Mariahs friendships? Additionally, how might racial socialization from Mariahs mother have impacted her friendships?
8. Discuss the role that ethnicity might play in Mariahs current and past educational experiences (see Fuligni et al., 2009)? Additionally, how does Mariahs experience of familism/family obligation impact her academic experiences?
9. Discuss
two ways that Mariahs experiences match with or contradict gender research presented by Perry and Pauletti (2011).
10. Discuss
two Biblical verses that could be used to encourage Mariah in the changes she is making spiritually, behaviorally, socially, or psychologically. Be sure that you are not simply quoting Scripture, but that you are also providing application and discussion from a Christian viewpoint. Note that a research citation is
not required for this answer.
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