case study #1

Smarter Decision Making through Psychology

August 4, 2020

Using what you have learned about the adolescent brain and social development in Chapter 3 of the webtext, answer the questions below to help Gloria understand why her son is making such poor choices, and pose some recommendations to help her solve her problem. (Use page 3.4 for brain development and page 3.6 for social development.)

For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5–7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo webtext as a resource.

Question 1: What physically happens to teen brains that make it difficult for someone like Gary to weigh risk and reward?

Question 2: In addition to their brains changing, teens change socially too. Why may Gary value his peers more than his mom?

Question 3: What specific strategies or advice would you recommend that Gloria can do to help her son to make better decisions? (Hint: Pages 3.7 and 3.17 have resources to help.)

Question 4: Place yourself in Gloria’s shoes. How do you think Gloria is feeling? How can understanding her feelings help you offer constructive advice?

Sources

1. David G. Myers. 2019. Psychology. http://www.webtexts.com