Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

Adelphi University

Authors Note
This paper was prepared for Adolescent Development 222-001, taught by Professor Neill.

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

Everyone has different experiences up to, and during, their adolescent years. It is a time
of learning, understanding, and growing of yourself and others. Many theorists and thinkers
have attempted to categorize and explain the different stages of development throughout life.
Each person has their own combination of stages and categories that describe their
developmental experience. Since this is a retrospective case study, I am analyzing aspects of my
own growth in relation to several theorists including Sigmund Freud, Lev Vygotsky, Erik
Erikson, and Jean Piaget.
My growth began from the day of my birth, October 6, 1994 in North Shore, Long Island
Jewish Hospital on Long Island. I was brought home to Glendale, Queens, where I still live
today. As the first child of the family, my parents devoted a lot of time to me. My mother read
to me often to familiarize me with word sounds and pictures. She also talked to me constantly.
Even though at this age I was unable to respond, this care and dedication really helped
familiarize me with language and expanded my brain. I was also always playing with objects
and was fascinated with the most standard things. According to my parents, I loved to play with
pots and pans because of the noises that each one made.
This stage of my development, from my birth until about the age of 3, coincides with that
of several theorists. Piaget, for example, claimed that the first stage of development was called
the sensorimotor stage in which infants gain knowledge of the world from the physical actions
they perform on it. They coordinate sensory experiences with these physical actions. (Santrock,
2012, p. 93). My exploration with the pots and pans helped me associate actions with sounds.
My complete trust of my parents was also very important during this time, according to Erikson,
who believed that the first year of infancy sets the stage for my world and future self (Santrock,
2012, p. 29). Then, as I advance into my first, second, and third years, I become more aware of

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

my own actions and the way in which I do things and begin to form my own concept of
independence. I am also learning through Albert Banderas view of observational learning
(Santrock, 2012, p. 32). The ways in which people act towards me and around me are examples
of how I should act in the future. My mom is reading books to me, my parents are creating a
healthy family dynamic, etc. all of which demonstrate to me proper ways in which to act and
proper things that I should be doing when I am older.
Beginning school at the age of four was another large step in my development. Preschool
through first grade was my first real formal educational experience. I learned how to interact
with other peers and classmates through playing as well as studies such as reading and writing.
Formally learning how to express myself through language was also a major first step. Being
exposed to an authority figure other than my parents was also a new and beneficial experience.
Vygotsky, a huge supporter of language growth agreed with this stage of my
development. He believed that language plays a powerful role in shaping thought (Santrock,
2012, p. 101) and the beginning of my language quest was a great time to start learning about my
thought processes. At the time, I did not realize that my thoughts were being affected by my
growth in language, but looking back, it is definitely evident that I began to articulate my
emotions and overall wants and needs better with my expanding vocabulary. Erikson also
touched upon the preschool years from 3 to 5 years of age saying that school is a new challenge
for children as they are thrust into a new and unfamiliar social situation (Santrock, 2012, p. 29).
As a young school child, I had to learn how to behave properly and responsibly.
My second, third, and fourth grade years were full of knowledge and exploration. I
generally liked going to school, seeing friends, learning new things, playing at recess, etc. I
learned so many new things including actual subjects such as math and science. Social studies

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

also became my favorite subject and passion in school. I learned how to complete homework
and how important school, in general, was for my future. My parents were always willing to
help me with difficult school work and attended many of the school events including spring
concerts, walkathons, and lunch duties. They were very interested and involved in my
educational life. It is at this time that I truly understood their support for me. During this age
group (age 7-9), I also loved playing with Legos and building new things, as this was my
creative outlet at the time. I also loved to play with others. The social interaction was very
important to me.
Many theorists try and categorize the period between the ages of 6 and puberty. Erikson,
for example, calls this time the industry versus inferiority stage in which children are focused on
learning and gaining knowledge (Santrock, 2012, p. 29). However, with this process, young
children may begin to feel inferior as they do not know as much as other people do at this stage.
They may feel as if they are asking stupid questions or are curious about impractical things. I
know that at times, I had questions, but was afraid to ask them in front of the whole class
because I did not think they were worthy enough to be addressed. However, this was not the
case and still is not the case for elementary school students today. All questions are worth
asking, however, at such an age when a school environment is new, students have not yet learned
this concept. Piaget would apply his third stage of development to this age group. The concrete
operational stage (ages 7-11) states that children can now reason logically about concrete
events, understand the concept of conservation, organize objects into hierarchical classes
(classification), and place objects in ordered series (seriation) (Santrock, 2012, p. 93). At these
grade levels, students are learning how to think for themselves and are beginning to apply
concepts and theories, what they have learned in classes, to actual things or processes. This is

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

the start of a very important process that continues through adulthood. Without humans abilities
to analyze and conceptualize, they would not have the higher thinking required at older ages.
Kohlberg also comes in at this stage with his theory about moral development. Ages 7 to 9 may
be considered part of stage 3, the mutual interpersonal, expectation, relationships, and
interpersonal conformity (Santrock, 2012, p. 226) stage, in which individuals value trust,
caring, and loyalty to others as a basis for moral judgments (Santrock, 2012, p. 226). At this
point in their development, these young children, including myself at that age, all have a trusting
attitude toward other peers and adults. Their innocence is something that parents and families
cherish for these few years as it is very pure and shows the unblemished, uninfected minds of
younger people. However, what Kohlberg pointed out, was that children morally want to please
everyone, especially their parents, so they act in ways that their parents would believe to be
correct. Parents need to be reminded that they are an incredible influence on their children,
especially those at younger ages. In this way, children want to look like the good girl or good
boy by following their parents ideas. I, personally, always wanted to please my parents at this
age. I followed their thinking and obeyed their word. The ages of 7 9 in school and just in
everyday life and relationships, as can be seen, are full of learning, exploration, cognitive
expansion, and essential development.
Ages 10 through 13 seem to be very difficult years for children. For one, puberty, a time
in which childrens bodies physically begin to change, along with hormonal changes that effect
emotions, begins. During this time, children, developing into teenagers, become very uneasy.
They are uncomfortable in their own skin at times and feel as if they are unsure of the person that
they are and who they should become. This makes everyone very insecure and fosters an
environment for bullying. Up to this point, I loved school. I liked learning and having a

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

structured environment in which I could explore new things and better myself. However, once
6th grade began and puberty was in full swing, I started to be bullied for my studious attitude. At
times, I admit, I was sensitive, but there were several instances where I was very hurt. These
experiences affected my image of grammar school during my final years up to 8th grade. I did
not like going to school as much and it became more of a challenge socially, rather than
academically. I still studied hard, actually harder because I was not as involved in social
relationships as I would have liked. I graduated salutatorian of my class, and I overcame the
rough ending of my elementary school experience. Even though there were many days in which
I came home crying, and I cannot begin to explain the freedom I felt on graduation day, I would
not change these years because they sincerely taught me about people and personalities.
Unfortunately, these situations did harden my personality. I began acting like the person that
everyone wanted me to be, not like the person that I truly was. My self-esteem was very low
and, as a result, I became very shy. Overall, the beginning of adolescence, from 5th to 8th grade,
was not the best.
When I entered high school, I was excited to start again, meet new friends, take different
classes, and make the most out of the four years. I attended an all girls private, Catholic high
school which meant that I would be able to form close relationships with girls, a new experience
for me since I had been friends with boys for most of my prior social experience. I joined the
soccer team and various clubs, met many new girls, and had a great opening experience. I did
well academically as well, and loved the challenge of new classes and a new learning
environment. However, just like grammar school, my social experiences in high school did not
end very well. By junior year, I had lost many of my original friends and my entire lunch table.
I had no idea what I had done to anyone and it just seemed as if my social situation was hopeless.

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

During these times, I became very closed as well. Forgiving others was, and still is, very
difficult for me and I questioned everything that I did or said because of these scarring
experiences. I am, however, thankful that these experiences occurred because I would not be the
person that I am today without them. Because of the social situations I was in, I learned how to
accept others more and understood what it meant to be myself. I also developed my endless
drive that I still retain to this day. I threw myself into academics and extra-curricular activities
my junior and senior years (ages 16 and 17). Being involved with the community life of my high
school became important. I received one of the highest awards at graduation for being one of
three students that greatly emulated the mission of unity, reconciliation, and all-inclusive love
over the four years of my attendance. Even though I did not have a very good social experience,
I did learn essential subjects in high school and I got involved in many things from the
newspaper to National Honor Society.
I carried my motivation, drive, and determination with me to college. I decided to attend
Adelphi University, participate in its Honors Program, major in History, my passion from the age
of 9, and minor in Anthropology and Education. I told myself that this was a complete change
once again in social setting as well as academics. This time, however, I vowed to make it the
best experience that I have ever had. I would be my true self and find people that appreciated me
for the person that I was. Academically, I would push myself just as I had done in high school
and I also wanted to participate in extra-curricular activities. I am currently a sophomore and
doing all of these things. I am taking 17 credits every semester, have a high GPA, am a member
of honor societies, on two executive boards for the newspaper and Newman club, and have made
friends that I am beyond happy to know. College is, finally, the academic and social combination
that I have been searching for. There are people who are motivated and work just as hard as I do,

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

but there are times in which everyone knows how to have fun as well. Yes, there are some social
situations, but after the past 8 years of ups and downs, it is nothing that I cannot deal with in a
respectable and proper manner. I have finally become my true self and I am much happier for it.
I enjoy coming to school even on the worst days and the intellectual challenge is also welcome
and very beneficial now and for the future.
Most developmental theorists, after puberty, mesh the ages of 10 to 20 together in one
stage or group. Applying them to my life, most were very accurate. In terms of Kohlbergs
moral development, I would have been a part of stage 6, the universal ethical principles
(Santrock, 2012, p. 227) stage in which I have developed a conscience over these years and use it
to make decisions based on what I think is correct and proper. This is a great development from
my 5 year old self who did not have a conscience and only did things because I was told, by a
parent or teacher, that they were correct or wrong. Piagets final stage, (from 11 years old
through adulthood) called the formal operational stage, shows how I have learned many things
cognitively and abstractly (Santrock, 2012, p. 93). During my years of school so far, I have
learned more in terms of application, cognition, assessment, and inference. With these skills, I
am able to apply what I have learned in a classroom to real life situations and events. I can now
use these new abilities to propel my foundations in education into my career as a teacher and
educator. Vygotsky addresses a very interesting point in his view of adolescent development. He
suggests that formal schooling is but one of the cultural agents that determine an adolescents
growth. Parents, peers, the community, and the cultures technological orientation also influence
adolescents thinking. (Santrock, 2012, p. 100). All people are influenced by others. If
teachers, parents, and friends are encouraging students to do well in school and stress the
importance of education for future life, those students are more likely to work hard in school.

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

The same applies to the opposite situation. I am lucky to be surrounded by very academically
serious friends, an encouraging family, and teachers who care about my learning and want the
best for me. These influences have helped me become the studious person that I am today. I did
experience identity confusion in high school (ages 14 through17), just as Eriksons fifth stage of
development discusses. The identity versus identity confusion stage occurs during adolescence
from the ages of 10 through 20 (Santrock, 2012, p. 29). During this time, I did not know who I
truly was due to the social situations that I was experiencing at the time. I was confused about
what I believed, what I was passionate about, what I wanted to do in the future, etc. I did as
Erikson said though and explored roles in a healthy manner and arrived at a positive path to
follow in life (Santrock, 2012, p. 29).
Today, I am currently studying hard with the hope of one day teaching history to high
school students. I also hope that my extra-curricular involvement so far, and in the future, will
help me form a better perspective about different aspects of life. The volunteering that I
participate in, the people that I meet, the traveling that I do, etc. all assist me in developing
different ways in which to see others, see myself, and see the world around me. I could not ask
for anything more. Most developmental theorists would say that my development up to this
point has been standard and is on par with various stages and levels. I have grown up from a
normal child who obeyed others, to an adolescent who, at first, could not find her way socially,
to a late adolescent/early adult who is doing well, has found herself, and has great hopes for the
future. I believe that I have been, still am, and will continue on the correct path for the
foreseeable future.

Retrospective Case Study: A Look at My Development

Reference
Santrock, J.W. (2012). Adolescence. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

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