Week 5 Assignment
Final Project Outline (Draft)
PART I: TIMELINE
Childhood
1966: Born; Absence of father
1976: Onset of puberty
Adolescence
1981: Mother in substance recovery
1983: Left home at 17
Adulthood
1994: Birth of daughter
1997: Closed company and returned to graduate school
PART II: TIMELINE ANALYSIS
Introduction
Thesis statement
Overview of assignment and significance
Support: Text & assigned articles, week 1 & other(s)
Life Event I: Birth and Circumstances (1966)
Born to an “unwed mother” (contemporary term); complete absence of father
Age-graded event (experience shared by all)
History-graded event (socio-cultural cohort)
Views of the time directly impacted how my mother and I were treated
Experienced much discrimination and judgment
Influence on attachment
Disorganized attachment
Bowlby/Main
Influence of macrosystem on development
Impact of socio-cultural influences
Bronfenbrenner
Influence of poor parenting on development
Mistrusting and fearful
Erikson
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 2 & 3
Life Event II: Early Pubertal Onset (1976)
Experienced growth spurt and puberty onset at age 10
Age-graded event
Experienced unwanted attention, teasing, and bullying
Impact on cognitive and emotional functioning
Influence on self-perception
Being different
Unwanted sexual attention
Harter/Gilligan
Influence on social interaction
Changed from “tomboy” to gender-aware female
Changed perception of how society treats people who are “different”
Social information processing model
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 2-5
Life Event III: Mother’s Substance Use & Recovery (1981)
Mother spent 3 months in residential treatment
Non-normative event
Influence of her extreme substance abuse on my development
Eriksonian stage
Trauma theory
Influence of her absence on my development
Erikson/Main
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 6 & 7
Life Event IV: Leaving Home (1983)
Ran away from home at age 17
Non-normative event
Reasons for this decision and subsequent life changes
Mother’s substance abuse & related behaviors
Transition from foreclosure to identity achievement stage of development
Impact on identity (Erikson)
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 6 & 7
Life Event V: Birth of Daughter (1994)
Gave birth to first and only child at age 28
Age-graded event
Life-changing
Precipitated period of personal evaluation and reflection
Catalyzed significant identity development
Erickson
Long- and short-term impacts
Family and work prioritization
Family life cycle theory
Career theory
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 8-10
Life Event VI: Major Shift in Career and Life Focus (1997)
Closed company (recruiting firm) and enrolled in graduate school
Age-graded event (due to being related to personal development)
Decision based on desire to have more meaningful career
Career Theory(ies)
Generativity (Erikson)
Support: Text & assigned articles, weeks 8-10
Summary
(Refer back to thesis from introduction)
Brief overview of how life events have impacted development
Why this is important to understand personally (self-awareness; insight)
How this understanding can be used in professional practice