Running head: UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT 1

PEPSI Case Study: Understanding

The Five Areas of Child Development

College of Southern Nevada

28 April 2018
UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT 2

Abstract

Understanding the psychological development in children is important in the education field.

There are many things that can be taken into consideration when observing a student’s behavior

either in the classroom setting or outside of it.

Introduction

Daniel K is a young seventeen-year-old boy born on 10 June 1998. He was born in

Southern California with his mother and older brother. Daniel did not have his father

predominantly in his life while growing up, so this may have affected him. Daniel has traveled

from Southern California to Las Vegas for family relocation. This move has also affected his

life. I chose to interview Daniel because Daniel is someone that is considered close to someone

in my family. I also work with Daniel, so I can observe him as well. I will incorporate

observations as well as his answers in each category to fully help explain the observations I saw.

I will use my viewpoint, his view point, and the DSHS Fosterparentscope Child Development

Guide.

Physical

Daniel is right where he should be for physical development. The DSHS

Fosterparentscope Training, n.d. says that the age group of 16-19 “has essentially completed

physical maturation; physical features are shaped and defined…[and the] probability of acting on

sexual desires increases.” Just by looking at him, I can tell he has reached a peak of maturation.

He is about 6 feet tall with facial hair growing in. His face has defined features, such as

cheekbones and jawline. He has acne, but not excessive like what is expected in younger

adolescents. Although he claims not to be sexually active, he does admit to having sexual
UNDERSTANDING THE FIVE AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT 3

attraction towards certain women. Although he is not sexually active, Snowman would claim that

“sexual intercourse among high school students has trended up…” (Snowman, 2013, p65) and he

should keep this in mind considering his sexual attraction. He claims that he will have safe

sexual intercourse; however, he does want a partner and children soon in his life. With these

facts, it is safe to say that Daniel meets the standards set forth in the DSHS. Another physical

milestone is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Because Daniel has food, water, safety, etc, he meets

the physical step in Maslow’s hierarchy. Daniel works at a grocery store, and because of this

employment, he knows he can help his single mother if needed and that they will always have

food, water, and a house over their heads. With all in consideration, Daniel seems to be on track

with his physical development.

Emotional

For Daniel’s age group, the DSHS claims that the emotional characteristics are that

adolsecents tend to “[worry] about failure…may appear moody, angry, lonely, impulsive, self-

centered, confused, and stubborn… [and have] conflicting feelings about

dependence/independence.” Daniel meets quite a few of these standards. Daniel’s grades have

fluctuated from passing and failing—he gets grounded for failing grades. When grounded, the

grades rise and he gets ungrounded, but then the grades fall again. He tries to stay motivated to

keep up his grades; however, it is quite difficult for him. There have been times, he admits, he

worried he may not graduate. However, with graduation in one month exactly, he is feeling

pretty confident about his grades. Daniel is also very moody—he will admit to it even. There are

times he will be upset about the smallest thing—like not sitting in the front of the car. These

things bother him more than they should. He also changes moods quick—he will be upset one

second, and fine the next. Sometimes, you cannot tell what he is feeling. This goes hand in hand
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with anger—he doesn’t get angry very easily, but he seems angry sometimes even though he

isn’t. However, he claims his moms ex-boyfriend use to make him quite angry, and that things

have even gotten physical between the two, which also explains the impulsiveness. Another trait

expected is they may appear lonely. This is applicable to Daniel because Daniel has moved to

Southern Nevada within the past few years. Because of this, he claims to miss his friends from

Southern California and reminisces on memories from home. Because of this, he may appear

lonely. Self-centeredness may appear to be a trait he sometimes wields; however, it is only a

façade. Sometimes Daniel makes jokes about being better than others, but in a way they are self-

depreciating. He does not really feel this way and it is obvious—he might have some self-

confidence issues. Snowman has said that “many psychiatric disorders either appear or become

prominent during adolescence,” (Snowman, 2013, p.67). This relates to his low self-confidence;

however, he may not have depression. He claims that he has been working out and working hard

to feel more confident. Daniel also shows the confliction of independence—he has said he goes

back and forth between staying with his mom and moving back to California. In regards to

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Daniel often feels safe with his mother—although she is strict, he

knows he is safe with her and this helps him maximize his full emotional potential. Daniel seems

to be on track emotionally.

Philosophical

Daniel has matured in his viewpoints since the day I first met him two years ago. Ever

since he got a job, he seems to be more in touch with the “adult world” and to have developed

morally. The DSHS states that the milestones for this stage are the adolescent “is confused and

disappointed about discrepancies between stated values and actual behaviors of family and

friends; experiences feelings of frustration, anger, sorrow, and isolation…[and] may be interested
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in sex…” Daniel does not really experience discrepancies in family behavior, and he claims to

not have these experiences with friends. However, on a similar note, Daniel may meet Piaget’s

rules on moral relativism. He claims that children older than ten “base their judgement on the

intent of each child” (Snowman, 2013, p 40). Sometimes, Daniel stays up later than supposed to;

however, he claims it is to get his homework done since he worked late. Although he is supposed

to be in bed by ten, the rule is flexible because good intentions. Daniel is philosophically

mature—he is a bright child with his morals set straight—he wants to do good because it’s

ethical principle, like what Kohlberg states for his six different moral stages. Daniel seems to be

at stage six. This maturity could be because he had to grow up fast to help his single mom.

Regardless, Daniel is on track.

Social

Daniel has a good relationship with his mom. The family of three were close because

they did not have much growing up, only each other. It is said by the DSHS that “relationships

with parents range from friendly to hostile…sometimes parents are ‘too interested’”…[and they]

usually [have] many friends and few confidants.” As stated previously, Daniel has a good

relationship with his family. He is close with his mother and sometimes his older brother was

like a father figure. However, he does get hostile with them when he feels they are too interested,

and this is specifically with his grades. Although they get along primarily, Daniel claims to hate

confrontation about his grades and wishes they would not try and be so involved. He feels as if

he wants good grades to please his family, but also wants to not pursue further education,

psychologist Erikson claims there is “uncertainty as to what behaviors will elicit a favorable

reaction from others” (Snowman, 2013, p 19). This is important because Daniel is still forming

his identity—he is considering the options he has for his education and he is unsure how his
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family will react, but he wants them to be supportive. Snowman claims that “parents and other

adults are likely to influence long-range plans” (snowman, 2013, p 66). Although this may be

true, even with his mother’s constant encouragement to go to college, Daniel does not

necessarily want to besides the fact pursuing this route will please his mother. He socially is

developing; however, he is confusing his social role in his family with what he wants for himself,

and what will please others.

Intellectual

Daniel is intellectually smart. Although he exhibits low confidence in his academics, he

is smarter than he thinks. This is completely in line with the DSHS scope, claiming the

adolescents “may lack information or self-assurance about personal skills and abilities.”

Although I explained to Daniel that he is smart and he is only doubting himself, he disagrees and

claims that he is not smart. Only on a few days out of the week does he actually feel intelligent.

When asked what made him feel intelligent, he says it is after he receives praise on his

intellectual capabilities. Sometimes at work he is complimented for his problem solving behavior

and his clever mindset, and he realizes, ‘wow, maybe I am smart!’ Yet most days, he simply feels

unintelligent. Although it is sad to realize this, it is important to know that this is a

developmental milestone for adolescents that he can grow out of. Daniel seems to be on track

developmentally in the intellectual range.

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DSHS Milestone Tracker

8

0
Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual

# of days out of the week

*I gave Daniel the list of DSHS milestones discussed in this case study. I asked him to keep track of how
many days he felt he corresponded with the majority of the milestone per category. The results are
displayed in the bar graph above.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Improvement

Daniel ranks pretty well according to some of the guidelines set forth by the age group he

is set in. Although he has self-doubt, it is something to be expected in his age group. To help

Daniel with his confidence, parents and teachers ca utilize scaffolding techniques to slowly but

surely build up Daniel’s confidence through each success. This will help Daniel mature

exponentially—for many milestones, he has matured past what is expected. However, it is his

self-doubt that keeps him within the developmental range expected. I believe that he will mature

tremendously as he gains confidence in his abilities, and this is possible with the proper support.
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References

Alice Smith, personal communication, 24 April 2018.

DSHS Fosterparentscope Training (n.d.). Child Development Guide. Retrieved from

http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2013). Ed psych. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.