Psychology 92 Developmental Psychology
All the instructions are provided in guidelines for writing.
Psychology 92
Developmental Psychology Dr. Mary Conroy
CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT
NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED
PURPOSE:
The general goal of the case study assignment is to help the student develop a better awareness of the developmental tasks or crises of a particular stage of life and to appreciate the diversity of personal styles that are successful in meeting these challenges.
PROCEDURE:
- Select an individual aged eighteen or older.
- Identify the developmental tasks and/or crises of that particular stage of life. Use the class discussion on developmental tasks, your text and additional readings and your own judgment to do this. One good way to begin thinking about this might be with a description of how individuals of the age you are studying meet the developmental needs(e.g. school/work, leisure, friendships, family, divorce, chronic illness). A minimum of four tasks should be discussed.. In order to ensure that you consider the “whole” person at least one task related to the biosocial, psychosocial and cognitive domains of development must be included.
- Devise some way to examine how the individual you have selected is dealing with the tasks you have identified. Interview/questionnaires must be extensive enough to gather sufficient information about each of the tasks you plan to include. Generally at least 8 to 10 items should be directed to each of your tasks. Observations may also be used to supplement the information you obtain by other methods.
- Write up your study. Your written report must include:
- a description of the individual you studied. Your description should include the age, sex social class, education, current living circumstances, current and past occupations, physical characteristics, individual interests or activities and any other information you think may be of interest. You must also include information on how you became acquainted with you subject and how long you have known him/her. Please name your subject but do not identify your subject by his or her real name
- a description of your method of gathering information about your subject. This should include the number and lengths of your interview sessions, and should refer the reader to your appendix to view your interview questions and responses. If you are using information based on knowledge you obtained outside the interview, please note that in this section.
- a description of the developmental tasks and/ or crises you have identified and your reasons for selecting them. You should clearly delineate the nature of the tasks themselves, and indicate why you selected these particular tasks. You should use at least three references to assist you in completing this section of the assignment.
- a description summarizing your findings about how the individual you have studied is meeting the developmental challenges of the stage. These finding should be specific to the tasks outlined in 4c. Some of your findings may reflect the failure of either the individual or his or her environment to permit adequate adaptation during a given life stage.
- a discussion of the developmental tasks. This discussion should include suggestions you might have for maximizing the human potential of individuals in this particular stage. These suggestions may be specific to the individual you have studied or general suggestions for most people going through the stage in question. In your discussion include comments on cultural factors that might contribute to the ability of individuals to realize their potential, and on the nature of developmental tasks today compared to those of the past.
- an appendix, including:
1). your interview questions or observational data, and interview notes or tape.
2). your reactions to the information gathered and the assignment in general.
All material, ideas, statements, facts, figures, etc. that are not your own must be referenced in the text by author and year of publication. When quoting a source of any length (even a few words), the passage must be in quotation marks and the source acknowledged. All references actually used should be listed on a page headed, References. Listings should be alphabetical by last name of author. You may use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as a guide.
From Havinghurst, R. Development and Education
“……….Nature lays down wide possibilities in the developing of the human body, and which possibilities shall be realized depends upon what the individual learns. This is true even in such crude biological realities as feeding habits and sexual relations, while more highly social realities of language, economic behavior and religion are almost completely the product of learning at the hand of society.
………The tasks that an individual must learn-the developmental tasks of life are those things that constitute healthy and satisfactory growth in our society, These are the things a person must learn if he is to be judged and to judge himself as a reasonably happy and successful person. A developmental task is a task which arises at or about a certain period in the life of the individual successful achievement of which leads to his happiness and to success with later tasks, while failure leads to unhappiness in the individual, disapproval by society and difficulty with later tasks.
……..Inner and outer forces contrive to set for the individual s series of developmental tasks which must be mastered if he is to be a successful human being….some tasks may arise mainly from physical maturation such as learning to walk…Other tasks arising from the cultural pressure of society….There is a third sources….the personal aspirations of the individual which are part of the personality or self.”
Developmental Psychology: Elderly
Name of the student
Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s name
Submission date
Developmental Psychology
Description of Individual Studied
My grandparents have a significant influence on my growth and development from childhood to my present life. Cecile, my grandmother, is 75 years old, living in California; she was married for 50 years but is a widow after my grandfather passed on two years ago. In her prime age, she worked as an accountant in the Wells Fargo Bank since 1960 and has lived in California until today. She retired at 65 years after working in two other national banks in California. Her husband was a teacher, and through their hard work, they were financially stable as they bought their own house, which Cecile lives in currently. Cecile can be described as a middle-lower class in our contemporary world with the house as her most valued asset, well-educated three children, and her religious beliefs. Cecile is a protestant with strong conservative values, beliefs and dedication to charitable works and bible teaching. She lives in her home with the company of a nurse where she receives home-based care due to the physical and mental hardships she faces. Occasionally I visit her, and I always find her sewing and knitting clothes that she donates to an orphanage. My grandmother loves knitting, sewing, reading, and baking. Every time I visit her, she bakes creative cake designs even during special occasions, making some of her hobbies and interests. Cecile depends on her retirement funds from 401K, her late husband’s pension, and about $25,000 from her social security.
Methodology
The data used to form a comprehensive and conclusive report was acquired from conducting an interview and observation based on witnesses and experiences seen in our lives together. The meeting with my grandmother was performed on a Sunday afternoon while she knitted and sewed. The interview lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, where I asked her questions as enlisted in Appendix I, while I wrote and filled her responses. Detailed and extensive information regarding the interview is neatly displayed and found in Appendix I, seen below.
Developmental Tasks and Crises Identified
The identified developmental tasks identified include relationship maintenance of family members, relatives, and family; financial adjustments and acceptance of fixed income; acceptance and adjustment to diminishing physical strength and cognitive abilities; finally, acquiring a suitable and acceptable housing arrangement. These four tasks identified are essential to study as they are recurrent in my grandmother’s experiences and elderly life. Primarily, relationship maintenance of family members, relatives, and family is an essential task to evaluate among older adults. Senior people isolate themselves from many people, their friends, and extended family relatives as their health and strength diminish (Zadworna-Cieślak, 2019). Some become indirectly isolated when their friends have passed on, which results in total isolation, minimized social interaction to avoid feeling like burdens among the ever-busy newer generation. Increased isolation can result in loneliness and depression among some, which adversely affects their health and wellbeing. Besides, declined strength limits the ability of the elderly to undertake social events and activities, which results in weak relationships or broken contacts (Freitas, 2013). The evidence-based practice recommends the building of new relationships and maintaining the existing ones, especially among immediate families for complete mental and physical health.
Secondly, financial adjustments and acceptance of fixed income are other sources of constraints and challenges faced among the elderly. The reason for picking this task was in the quest to study reasons why finance and budget maintenance is complicated and mostly unattended, especially because many senior people face financial struggles. According to a WHO report, many older adults, 65 and above have trouble paying for their basic needs, including food and medicine (WHO, 2015). Leaving on fixed incomes is also challenging as the elderly have extended living expenses that require being met, especially if they have health issues. Thirdly, acceptance, and adjustment to diminishing physical strength and cognitive abilities is another task worth exploring as it affects all older adults. Understanding it helps devise effective mitigation strategies that will help offer medical support, treatment plans, adjustment efforts, and acceptance for increased wellbeing. Puvill et al., in a cohort study, established that older adults are susceptible to poor health, which is associated with lower life satisfaction (Puvill, 2016). The authors conclude the lower life satisfaction among older adults is highly related to poor mental health that is common among older adults.
Finally, acquiring a suitable and acceptable housing arrangement is in response to the desire to live independently where their frailness, mental, and physical health are well taken care of and addressed (Mohd, 2017). Researching and understanding this task provides an opportunity to empathize with her situation and other older adults, which will help me understand and treat her better without unconscious biases.
Summary of Findings
As identified above, Cecile, my grandmother, lives in the company of a nurse where she receives home-based care due to the physical and mental hardships she faces. In the past five months, I have had random and planned visits where I identified four tasks that she struggled with, which form the basis of this report with the bid to understand what she undergoes and copes with physical and mental issues. Cecile is relatively healthy with minimal vision and hearing impairments that she addresses by using glasses while reading. She suffers from hypertension, where she has to undergo extensive treatment plans. Through the nurse, she can undertake anti-hypertensive drug therapy from the comfort of her home, coupled with thiazide diuretics. Cecile undertakes effective hypertension management strategies, including having special dieting, which is part of her treatment plan that the nurse takes care of daily.
Cecile identified two main challenges associated with ageing, including occasional forgetfulness, having a feeling of losing one’s mind, and occasional loneliness. She explains forgetting events and things; to a point, she is ashamed and distressed from the episodes. Secondly, she has sporadic panic attacks caused by extreme fear and lack of quality sleep. This is most prevalent when she is alone and begins thinking of adverse events such as the loss of her husband, friends, and her first-born son. Coping with this situation has not been easy; however, through increased baking, sewing, and knitting, she can concentrate, distract herself, and avoid letting her mind wander off. Cecile identifies still having panic attacks that have necessitated the full-time monition by her nurse. In helping her, the nurse is paid full time to watch over her and keep her company, in addition to bi-monthly visits from her children and grandchildren. She explains looking forward to summer breaks, as she gets the opportunity to host her grandchildren, as well as, weekends as she leaves for the orphanage when delivering knitted clothes, play toys, and cookies to children.
This situation brings about the need to adjust to her new living arrangements, whereby it consumes much of her savings and income. Living within a fixed income of monthly stipends limits her ability to pay for her basic needs, the nurse, and house improvements for her health conditions. However, she opened up that my parents support her financially by paying the registered nurse to take care of her after opting not to moving to care homes and institutions. With that support, Cecile smiles and feels appreciated and loved; however, she does not stop thinking how a burden she is to her children when they support her. Her financial issues and needs are catered for by her second son, my father, who ensures that she is well equipped with food, basic necessities, medication, her bills paid, anything including her knitting, sewing, and baking needs are met. When responding to this question, Cecile depicted a trustworthy experience where she fully trusts her son to manage her finances effectively. Besides, at no point has she ever had inadequacies.
General Discussion of the Developmental Tasks
Generally, my grandmother is relatively healthy and addressing the identified developmental tasks very well. They include relationship maintenance of family members, relatives, and family; financial adjustments and acceptance of fixed income; acceptance and adjustment to diminishing physical strength and cognitive abilities; finally, acquiring a suitable and acceptable housing arrangement. The presence of her engagement in the orphanage provides one of the best places and platforms she can maximize her mental health and wellbeing. I think she needs to spend more time there, where she can knit and socialize with not only the children but also attendants and organizers. That way, she can build new relationships, avoid staying alone where she is susceptible to panic attacks and loneliness that can result in severe depression and eventually poor mental and physical wellbeing. Cecile’s high blood pressure forms one of my primary concern, as she feels distressed and a burden to her children and other people when she has to rely on their support for medical support. This issue is not easy to address, as her mental construct makes her feel that way. Despite having many meetings and visits, she at times withdraws and saddens, showing distress and referring to herself a burden.
My grandmother’s financial adjustments and acceptance of fixed income is not a significant concern, as she is well catered for, and her children effectively manage her finances to her benefit. My grandmother is lucky to have supportive children and grandchildren not only financially but also psychologically and emotionally through constant engagement with her hobbies and preferred activities. More importantly, I believe she enjoys the suitable and acceptable housing arrangement, with a full-time nurse ensuring adequate and quality care. The nurse is trained and registered who works within her physician’s instructions and adheres to a strict treatment plan (Laura Levit, 2013). I once felt home-based care would maximize my grandmother’s loneliness, because, in the institutions, she could find her mates, build relationships, and new friends. However, she described that as a way of losing family and showing that she is more of a burden.
Nevertheless, home-based care makes her happy, comfortable, and satisfied, as she has the freedom to access anything she wants in the house without always bothering people to have things brought to her in institutions. In a cultural lens, I believe the community and government can promote elderly abilities, provide them with increased resources, and educate them on effective healthcare as well as financial management. The presence of advanced technology is a hindrance that may result in the inception of a new developmental task (Ladrido-Ignacio, 2013). Thus, educating and helping the elderly adapt to advanced technology in their nutrition, healthcare, and communication will highly improve their abilities and potential.
References
Freitas, E. R.-L. (2013). Developmental tasks and life history of the elderly: Analysis of Havighurst’s theory. Psicologia: Reflexão E Critica, Vol 26(4), 809–819.
Ladrido-Ignacio, R. N. (2013). Mental Health, Cultural Values, and Social Development: A Look into the 80’s. Philippines: Springer.
Laura Levit, E. B. (2013). Chapter 3: Patient-Centered Communication and Shared Decision Making. In Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis. Washington (DC): National Academies Press.
Mohd, S. A. (2017). Living Arrangements of Elderly: Evidence from Household Income Expenditure Survey. Journal of Population Ageing volume, Vol 10, pp: 323–342.
Puvill, T. J. (2016). Impact of physical and mental health on life satisfaction in old age: a population based observational study. BMC Geriatrics, Vol 16, 194.
WHO. (2015). World Report on Ageing and Health. Geneva: WHO.
Zadworna-Cieślak, M. (2019). Psychometric properties of the Developmental Tasks Questionnaire for Seniors. Current Psychology.
Appendix I
| BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. What is your age? 2. Level of education? 3. Places of residence 4. How long have you been married? 5. How many children do you have? Alive? Dead? 6. What was your career and jobs taken? 7. What are your hobbies, preferences, and interests? 8. What are your cultural beliefs, values, and philosophies? 9. Is religion important to you? No…. Little….Yes 10. Are you affiliated in any religious group? Why? |
| BIOSOCIAL BACKGROUND
1. Do you have any Mental or Physical problem? If Yes, which one? 2. How do you cope with your health conditions and living a healthy lifestyle? 3. What do you think about ageing? How do you perceive changes in relations? Financial stability? House arrangements? Family and friend relationships? 4. Any significant relationships with children, close friends? 5. Who is closest to you? 6. Any potential loss of family or close friends? How many? If deceased when? 7. Do you have constant contact with family or friends? 8. How often do you communicate and see each other? 9. Is maintaining relationships with family or friends difficult or easy? Why? 10. Have you thought of remarrying since the death of your husband? |
| PSYCHOSOCIAL BACKGROUND
1. Do you have any living arrangement issues or challenges? Why? 2. What do you like and dislike most about your current living situation? 3. What are your sources of income and major expenses? 4. Who manages your finances? Why? 5. Are your children involved in your finances? Do you feel in control or controlled? 6. Do you experience changes adjusting to a fixed source of income? 7. What changes do you feel you can change in your life now? Health? Finances? Housing? Social relationships? 8. Describe your aging experiences 9. What are some of the instances you feel overpowered by aging? 10. Do you think cultural changes and governmental policies can help you now to live more comfortably? If Yes/No, Why? |
Reactions
Undertaking this case study has been an enlightening experience getting to learn the developmental tasks of older adults. I discovered older adults are susceptible to many challenges that they face with much strength. When we visit them, they warmly welcome us and provide high-quality care and hospitality. Behind their smiles, they have challenges, which they will not speak about. If possible, I feel people should learn and undertake this project, whether on or off academic practice for more understanding and better response to developmental tasks among older adults. One day we will face this stage of development, and this information is overly essential.
