Assessment 3: Meet the Washingtons: Case Study
Name
Capella University
PSYC-FPX3210: Human Lifespan Development
Instructor Name
July, 2024
Meet the Washingtons: Case Study
Kyla Washington is the firstborn in the family of Bob and Lorraine, 16 years of age. She was raised with two younger sisters and one elder brother, and her family includes her mother, father, and great-grandmother. Currently, Kyla is in school and enjoys cooking in her spare time. She was also very close with her mother, although the two often fought with her father. Since Kyla is in the adolescent phase, she has experienced many physical and emotional changes. It will now take us to some of these developmental changes and the theory that could have been responsible for them.
Psychosocial Stage of Development
Kyla is now 16 years old, and according to Erik Erikson, on the stages of psychosocial development, the stage of mid-adolescence is dominating, and the main psychosocial conflict is identity versus identity confusion. The last developmental stage of adolescent personality is the identity versus role confusion stage, aimed towards forming an identity out of all the roles, beliefs, and goals adolescents try. Based on Erikson’s theory, identity attainment results from proper resolution of this stage rather than role confusion or instability in one’s position in the world (Colak et al., 2023). The values, hobbies, and occupational orientations are experimented on by people in adolescence so that they can find their niche in society (Reilly & Ebersole, 2024). It involves the performance of actions and the enjoyment of decisions that an individual assumes to fit a social role they are expected to play. For example, Kyla mentioned they are considering the field of culinary arts, which corresponds to the idea of the above case. As for the extracurriculars, she spends much time practicing in the kitchen, trying new recipes, and wondering about new techniques. She is saving money for culinary school, so she is seriously considering becoming a chef. One example of niche-picking is illustrated by the findings on Kyla, whose hobby is cooking in the convenience store, not by force of her peers but voluntarily. Here, there is no pressure being applied from outside forcing her to do it, but instead, the passion and the knowledge demonstrated present domain-specific knowledge.
Thus, the last stage of Kyla’s decision-making process has been choosing culinary as her career. She intends to become a chef, so she is gradually transitioning to the position by saving for a seat at a culinary college. Such a move can be referred to as identity foreclosure based on what Erikson holds. It is the state at which the person makes up his mind about a certain way to proceed and stops searching for other ways. Indeed, paying attention to more aspects of her home background gives more information about Kyla’s love for cookery. They compliment her a lot on cooking, a form of positive reinforcement. In the behaviorist perspective, words like ‘good job, preparing such a meal?’ ensure that the particular behavior is repeated the next time it is required (Guo & Cheung, 2023). This kind of reinforcement enhances the goal and the drive need of Kyla to participate in the program.
Parent-Child Relationship
Kyla’s relationship with her mother contributes to her character. They have built a bond centered on cooking, which remains one of the activities that offers much positive reinforcement to Kyla. These cooking sessions are one of Kyla’s few chances to bond one-on-one with her mother, thus promoting the friendly mother-daughter bond. It also enables Kyla to feel fulfilled and fortify the bond between the two women, parading the benefits of the interactions essential to their association.
As for the relationships within the family, it is necessary to note that Kyla fights with her father often. As Kyla grows older, she wants to be treated more maturely, which only complicates the conflict within the family. It is tradition to note that parent-child relationships may encounter some stresses during adolescence because of the processes resulting from development changes that affect both the child and the parent (Peters et al., 2021). Children and teenagers are likely to go against the wires of their parents on simple issues like social networks (Hsieh et al., 2023). Such conflicts can be considered natural during adolescence caused of the growing reasoning and independence. Relating these conflicts to effective problem-solving skills and good communication, these conflicts may be reduced as Kyla grows older into a teenager.
Social Media Influence
Much information can be comprehended concerning the impacts of social media on the personality and behavior of Kyla. Here, the degree of the reception of her posts is considered part of her self-image process that is relevant. In this case, it must be unreal to argue with her father since Kyla holds antagonistic views of her father relative to controlling the content of the social network platform. However, if one wants to talk about Kyla’s adolescence or similar changes in the body and mind of the character, such a subject will be given to the self. An activity often discussed in this stage is the notion of the so-called ‘imaginary audience, meaning that teenagers are sure that everyone around them pays much attention to them (Chen et al., 2024). The perception fosters self-consciousness, which in turn helps augment the size of the individual’s vulnerable group, of which condemnatory remarks by bystanders will not be welcome.
Research by Mertens et al. (2021) reveals that adolescents place a high value on the perception of others, which is closely linked to their self-esteem, social support, and acceptance in school. The influence of public opinion and the desire for approval can significantly shape an individual’s actions and emotions, underscoring the profound impact of social media and peer relationships on adolescent development (Zhu and al., 2024).
Ethical Considerations
Managing an adolescent like Kyla can pose many clinical issues from a clinical perspective. Another important factor that has to be considered as a part of the treatment is the process of her increasing independence. It is imperative to understand that as growing up, people move through children, adolescence, and adulthood, and their expectations and desires for personal space and liberty also rise concerning the other family members. Such a situation often conflicts between the need to access the patient’s information and the legal rules that inhibit such access to offer the most effective treatment. With Kyla, it becomes complex, which is why working under the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code framework is paramount.
The communication between a patient and a therapist is sacred and private; therefore, disclosure is not allowed in most cases and, and most circumstances prohibited according to Rule 4 (Hansson et al., 2022),. Information can be revealed on the 5th of the APA’s Ethics Code to protect a client or others from imminent harm (Khalaf et al., 2023). One must explain the conditions of privileged communications to Kyla and thus work on the rules and regulations of her case with her and her guardians. Rule 4. 02 stresses that these areas should be topical for conversation. Psychologically and legally, certain information cannot be kept secret when a parent with legal custody demands it if the therapist does not believe that sharing this particular piece of information will be in the child’s best interest or not, according to the various principles of Ethics and clinical practice (Lanjekar et al., 2022).
Conclusion and Recommendations
This case study evaluates different developmental theories to adjust to various adolescent behaviors related to Kyla’s case. These events, i.e., family conflicts, the pursuit of one’s hobbies, and the primary impact of social media, are typical for this age. There are crucial stages in which a person may have positive or negative experiences. It is vital to monitor Kyla’s social media use more often to avoid the appearance of problems like depression. Upon changing the nature of parent-child relationships to incorporate better methods for both resolution of conflicts and promoting happiness, then it can be assumed that tensions in the family will decrease and the relationships will become more positive (Michaud et al., 2023). If Kyla directs her attention to these aspects, she can manage this stage of her life with fewer conflicts and more support from her family members.
References
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Colak, M., Bingol, O. S., & Dayi, A. (2023). Self-esteem and social media addiction level in adolescents: The mediating role of body image. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(5), 595–600. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_306_22
Guo, S., & Cheung, C. K. (2023). Social media and adolescents’ well-being. Healthcare, 11(16), 2297. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11162297
Hansson, K. M., Romøren, M., Weimand, B., Heiervang, K. S., Hestmark, L., Landeweer, G. M., & Pedersen, R. (2022). The duty of confidentiality during family involvement: Ethical challenges and possible solutions in the treatment of persons with psychotic disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1), 812. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04461-6
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Khalaf, A. M., Alubied, A. A., Khalaf, A. M., & Rifaey, A. A. (2023). The Impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents and young adults: A systematic review. Cureus, 15(8), e42990. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.42990
Lanjekar, P. D., Joshi, S. H., Lanjekar, P. D., & Wagh, V. (2022). The effect of parenting and the parent-child relationship on a child’s cognitive development: A literature review. Cureus, 14(10), e30574. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.30574
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Michaud, A., Takeuchi, L., Mazur, A., Hadjipanayis, A., & Ambresin, E. (2023). How to approach and take care of minor adolescents whose situations raise ethical dilemmas? a position paper of the European academy of pediatrics. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 11, 1120324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2023.1120324
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