Psychology Question

Post ID: 3481751

Analyze the development of an adolescent or emerging adult in a case study by applying theories and recommend an evidence-based intervention.

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Introduction

Note: The assessments in this course follow the successive stages of lifespan development, so you are strongly encouraged to complete them in sequence.

What is adolescence? When does it begin and end? What risks and opportunities does it entail? This period of transformation from childhood to adulthood comprises so many changes in development—physical, cognitive, identity, and social—it has been referred to as adolescent metamorphosis.

Adolescence brings the emergence of sexual characteristics, sexual behavior, and sexual preference. Maturation affects males and females differently in terms of potential social and psychological problems.

In addition to dramatic biological changes, adolescents continue to demonstrate cognitive development. In cognitive development, as the Piagetian stage of concrete operations is gradually supplanted by the formal operations stage, more evidence of reasoning and abstract thinking begin to emerge. The shift to this stage of formal thought has the capacity to influence adolescents' approach to academics as well as other life domains.

In addition to biological and cognitive changes, there are dramatic advancements in socialization and peer relationships. During adolescence, relationships with parents, siblings, and peers change. Adolescents no longer fit in well with groups of younger children and at the same time, they are not sufficiently developed to associate well with adults. Thus, adolescents can be greatly influenced by peer relationships, something that often places them at odds with the influence of parents and the broader community including schools. What risky or unhealthy behaviors are associated with adolescence? Are these behaviors common across genders or across cultures?

Adolescence is a time when humans begin the process of figuring out who they are and who they want to be. The quest for individuality is a major focus at a time when significant and often uncomfortable changes are taking place. Erikson (1950) proposes that all adolescents experience identity challenges that need to be resolved.

Effects of earlier influences continue to manifest themselves in the development of adolescents. And, the significant biological and social changes that adolescents undergo have great implications for their emergence into adulthood.

Reference

Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). Norton.

Note: The assessments in this course follow the human developmental sequence, so you are encouraged to complete them in order.

Overview

Early childhood begins at the end of toddlerhood, at approximately age two, and continues until middle childhood begins with formal school entry at age five or six. During this period, there are greater changes in cognitive development than any other period of life. At the same time, family relationships provide children with their earliest social experiences. Attachment patterns developed in early childhood influence an individual's ability to successfully develop and maintain peer and adult relationships throughout the lifespan. For this assessment, you will apply the concepts you've learned to an analysis of a case study dealing with adolescence or emerging adulthood.

Instructions

In this assessment, you'll choose one case. Please choose only from the cases in the Case Studies: Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Do not use other cases or make up your own. In your paper, present the person and the concerns they are facing. Then apply developmental theories to specifics of their case. You'll choose and describe a potential intervention for the person and the challenges faced. Finally, you'll support that recommended intervention with evidence from research studies.

Some things to think about as you read the case:

The adolescent or young adult and their strengths and challenges.
A challenge for the person in terms of identity and self-concept.
The medical, family, and social context.
The developmental challenges that were evident in the behavior of the person.
Cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial stages of development.
Individual and cultural factors that theory and/or research indicate could impact the person's development.
Any other factors you deem appropriate based on your understanding of the theory and related research.

Consider the following as you search the literature:

Research evidence-based interventions that have been effective in meeting the challenges of the adolescent or young adult that you described in your case study.
- How the deficits in the social-emotional developmental domain impact development.
- How the environmental contexts impact development.
- The evidence for recommendations.
Literature on adult identity and self-concept, considering that early influences can impact development across the lifespan.
- The identity issues (for example, Erikson's theoretical perspective) that emerged in adolescence could be manifested in adulthood.
- Explain how this might help in understanding and determining an approach to working with an adult with a history of identity issues.
Theory and research related to development linked to adolescence or emerging (or young) adulthood.

Maintain a resource list of the materials you consulted to build your case. Follow APA guidelines for style and formatting, as well as for citing your resources. Include a reference list of the scholarly and professional resources you use.

Structure of the Report

The case study analysis should be a maximum of six pages, including the introduction and conclusion, each of which should be approximately one-half page. The body of the paper, including the introduction and conclusion, should not exceed six pages.

Organize your assessment as follows, including headings for each section:

Title Page.
Introduction: Include an overview of the contents, with a brief summary and background information on the case study.
Case Study Analysis:
- Present the challenge: Explain the presenting challenge or challenges and primary issue or issues for the person in the case study that you selected.
- Apply lifespan theories: Consider lifespan development theories to determine the most appropriate theory or theories and apply them to the case. Note that to achieve a distinguished score, you will need to apply more than one theory.
- Discuss individual and contextual differences: Discuss possible individual, familial, group / cultural, or contextual factors that may impact the individual's current development and functioning.
- Present an intervention: Search for an intervention that you find appropriate for the individual (or family if applicable) in the case and describe the intervention. Make sure that you find support for the intervention so that you can achieve the next step.
- Provide research support for an intervention: Search the Capella library for studies that test the intervention you select. Present research articles and their findings that show support for the potential effectiveness of the intervention. Note that to reach distinguished, you will need at least two research articles that support the intervention.
Conclusion: A conclusion that summarizes the case study context, challenges, and interventions.
References: Cite a minimum of four current peer-reviewed articles, as well as your course text, to support your assertions for a total minimum of five references. You may use additional sources as needed.

Additional Requirements

Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and format. Use Academic Writer for guidance in citing sources in proper APA style. See the Writing Center for more APA resources specific to your degree level.
Number of references: Your paper should include at least five properly cited peer-reviewed articles in addition to the textbook in which the case study is embedded.
Length: 5–6 double spaced pages of content in addition to the title page and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 points.

Refer to the scoring guide to ensure you meet the grading criteria for this assessment.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Apply developmental theories to explain human growth and behavior at different stages of life.
- Apply two or more developmental theories to understand an individual in a case.
Competency 2: Analyze the influences of individual, familial, and group differences on lifespan development.
- Analyze individual, familial, cultural, or contextual factors in understanding development of an individual in a case.
Competency 3: Apply research findings as evidence to support recommended interventions for specific developmental concerns.
- Describe a recommended intervention for an individual in a case.
- Apply research findings from a scholarly research article to support a recommended intervention for an individual in a case.
Competency 4: Apply professional writing and APA formatting to scholarly writing with few errors.
- Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text with appropriate tone and grammatically sound sentences.
- Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing with few errors.

Applies APA style to scholarly writing, but with multiple errors in format.

Non Performance

Does not apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

Chloe

Chloe is a White 13-year-old girl who was adopted when she was one-year old. She and her older brother, Jake were adopted by Robin and Stan. Robin and Stan were loving and highly protective parents. The children went to church with Robin every week, and the family was highly involved in church activities, including the youth group. Robin was the secretary for the church and taught Sunday school. Stan was the assistant manager of an office supply store. Stan left most of the parenting decisions to Robin.

Chloe and Jake were only allowed to associate with children from church and were not allowed to have friends over to their house or to go to friends’ homes. At age 13, Chloe had never spent the night with a friend, except for the couple of times the church had a sleep-in for the pre-teens. While she liked some of the other kids at the church, she had some good friends at school that she wanted to spend time with. She enjoyed going to school. She found the work easy and she liked be able to see her friends.

Chloe, who was highly intelligent and creative, began to question what the church was teaching. She liked some of what they taught, but was confused on other points and wanted another point of view, or to learn what other religions has to say on certain subjects. She was curious and asked questions, but Robin took her curiosity questions as a sign of rebellion and disrespect to both the church and to her. Chloe and Robin argued frequently, and Chloe was often grounded to her room for weeks at a time.

Jake, now 15 had some of the same questions as Chloe about the church and on some social issues, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to face his mother’s anger and instead focused on his interests in cars and video games. He talked to his friends about cars and they played on teams in online video games. Stan was overwhelmed with the arguments between mother and daughter and avoided getting involved as much as possible.

Chloe also began questioning her sexuality as she found herself feeling attracted to both boys and girls. She dared not discuss this with her mother. Chloe had a friend who was gay and Robin forbade her from spending time with the friend. Chloe would sneak and talk with the friend on the phone.

Chloe began to feel distant from her mother and disliked what she felt was narrow thinking. She resented Robin for not being interested in how she thought or felt about religion, social issues, and gender issues. Chloe wondered who her biological parents were. She was considering running away. She dreamed that she could find her biological family and that she could live with one of them.