Family Project Paper Assignment

Ashley Simmons

Professor Diane Thompson

DEP0-2004

11 April 2021

Part A: Physical

1. At age 17; 

Height: 163 cm

Weight: 54.5 kg

2. The age of growth spurt.

11 years old.

3. Age of spermarche.

12 years old.

4. Physical changes at puberty.

i. Enlargement of the genitals.

ii. Growth of pubic hair.

iii. Broadening of the chest.

iv. Stronger and larger muscles.

v. Growth of beards.

5. Whether the changes were considered average, early, or late.

The changes were early because they started during the minimum age.

6. Health.

The child’s health was quite stable apart from a few physical injuries as a result of the child’s active behaviour.

7. Regular physical activity/sports.

There was active participation in sporting activities during this period.

Part B: Social/Emotional

1. Relationship with family members.

The relationship with family changed during adolescence. The child started to feel more independent and less attached to family. He started to make decisions of his own. As a result, the child had conflicts with family as he tended to stop taking instructions from parents. He spent less time with extended family members, he mostly liked to spend time with peers instead.

2. Social acceptance category of the child.

I would say that the child was socially accepted among the peers. The child’s acceptance can be described as popular as he interacted well with peers and always felt fit in the group.

3. Friendship group.

The child associated mostly with his agemates. He chose these people because it is the group that met his social needs at the time. The people in this group shared many things in common and the child felt comfortable.

4. Interaction with other teens.

The child interacts actively and freely with other teenagers in the community. Most of the interactions are done during sporting activities. He participates in community games and spends time training with peers (Sontag, 1996). The child also participates in social development groups in the community and partakes in activities such as community cleaning. He also participates in religious activities in society.

5. Identity vs role confusion.

The child did not have many failures while in pursuit of things he could do. The success especially in sporting and social peer groups grew self-confidence in him hence developed some sense of identity (Mathur & Kalra, 2019). However, this child experienced some role confusion as he tried to fit into music and art groups in society before finally coming to terms with sports.

6. Self-concept.

The child describes himself as a good, kind, and social person as well as adequately equipped with good communication skills.

7. Self-esteem and effect of social comparison.

The child displayed high self-esteem during the first stages of his puberty. This is because he experienced a lot of physical development such as the development of muscles. However, he was slightly affected by the fact that his beards did not appear until during the late stages of puberty, unlike some of his peers whose beards appeared immediately at puberty. 

8. The child’s preparation for puberty.

The child received basic sex education. He was told the changes to expect during this stage. The ways of protecting himself from reckless sex behaviour were also taught to him; including the possible consequences.

Part C: Cognitive

1. Child’s teen’s attention and memory abilities.

The child paid close attention to less important things. He displayed a lot of complexity in handling issues that are simple and do not require a lot of attention which mostly escalate matters. 

2. Exhibition of formal operational skills.

The child displayed some formal operational skills. He exhibited theoretical reasoning in solving problems. They involve creativity in thinking and abstractly imagine the results of specific activities.

3. Experience with an imaginary audience.

The child was greatly affected by the imaginary audience. He usually desired to do things perfectly without any slight defects as he thought someone must be watching. 

4. Impact of the “personal fable” on decision making.

The child’s personal fable had a great impact on his decisions. He viewed himself as if he uniquely knew everything and nobody’s ideas or suggestions mattered to him.

5. Skills learned through interactions.

The child acquired some skills from interacting with other peers. These skills are swimming, bicycle riding, and boat riding.

6. The teen’s level of moral development.

The level of moral development of the child is pre-conventional. He displays compliance when elders are watching to avoid punishment or condemnation. However, he displays his real behaviour while with his peers.

 

 

Part D: Freud theory

Sigmund Freud discovered that during the anticipated phases of initial childhood development. He observed that the child’s behaviour is directed towards certain body parts (Holt, 1989). In pursuit of fulfilling their sexual desires, the child may encounter parental or societal objections which might relate to the erogenous zone in question. This might persist into adulthood and anchors the character and derangement of a person.

Part E: Challenges experienced by the child during this developmental stage.

i. Unintended injuries. These are caused by the child’s hyperactive nature and involvement in peer activities. 

ii. Parent conflict. The child experienced wrangles with his parents as he wanted to rely on his ideas. He was almost not ready to take instructions from parents and therefore this resulted in little disagreements with parents.

Reference

Sontag, J. C. (1996). Toward a comprehensive theoretical framework for disability research: Bronfenbrenner revisited. The Journal of Special Education, 30(3), 319-344.

Mathur, V. P., & Kalra, G. (2019). Identity vs Role Confusion among Academic Dental Chairs in Pediatric Dentistry. J South Asian Assoc Pediatr Dent, 2(2), 35-36.

Holt, R. R. (1989). Freud reappraised: A fresh look at psychoanalytic theory. Guilford Press.