The Life Span: Human Development of Helping Professionals

    Case Study #1 Chapter 1: Organizing Themes in Development Anna is a 9-year-old third-grade student in a public school on the outskirts of a large industrial city. She is the oldest of three children who live in an apartment with their mother, a 29-year-old White woman recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Despite her young age, Anna’s past his-tory is complicated. Anna’s biological father, Walter, is a 37-year-old man who emigrated from Eastern Europe when he was in his early 20s. He married Anna’s mother, Karen, when she was 19 years old. The couple married hastily and had a child, Anna, but Walter abandoned the family shortly after Anna’s birth. Walter and Karen had fought constantly about his problems with alcohol. Karen was particularly upset about Walter’s behavior because her own father, now deceased, had suffered from alcoholism and left her mother without sufficient resources to care for herself. Alone with a child to support and only a high school degree, Karen went to work in the office of a small family-owned business. There she met Frank, one of the drivers who worked sporadically for the company. They married within a few months of meeting and, within another year, had a son named John. Karen, with Frank’s grudging con-sent, decided not to tell Anna about her biological father. She reasoned that Anna deserved to believe that Frank, who filled the role of father to both children, was her real parent. Anna was developing normally and seemed to be attached to Frank. But, unknown to Karen, Frank had some problems of his own. He had been incarcerated for theft as a young man and had an inconsistent employment history. The family struggled to stay together through many ups and downs. When Anna was 6, Karen became pregnant again. Frank wanted Karen to have an abortion because he didn’t think the family’s finances could sup-port another child. Karen refused, saying that she would take on another job once the new baby was born. Ultimately, the marriage did not survive the many stresses the couple faced, and Karen and Frank were divorced when Anna was 7. Karen’s situation at work is tenuous because of her medical condition. Her employer balks at making accommodations for her, and she fears she might be let go. After the divorce, Karen filed for child support, and Frank was directed to pay a certain amount each month for the three children, but Frank was outraged that he should have to pay for Anna’s care because she was not his biological child. Dur-ing a particularly difficult conversation, Frank told Anna the “truth” that he was not her “real” father. Karen, still unable to deal with this issue, insisted to Anna that Frank was her biological parent. Karen could not bring herself to mention Walter, whose existence had never been mentioned to the children before. Karen desperately needed the money for Anna’s support, especially because she had amassed substantial credit card debt. She felt her only plea-sure was watching shopping shows on TV and ordering items for her children. In school, Anna is struggling to keep up with her peers. Her academic performance is a full grade level behind, and her teachers are concerned. The school Anna attends has high academic standards and pressures for achievement are intense. Anna behaves in immature ways with peers and adults, alternating between excessive shyness and overly affectionate behavior. She does not appear to have any friendships within the class. Discussion Questions 1. Consider Anna’s development with regard to the following issues or concepts: contributions of nature, contributions of nurture, interaction of nature and nurture, proximal processes, distal processes. 2. Can you predict outcomes? Consider issues of continuity and change. 3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the family members? 4. What environmental modifications would be helpful to promote healthy developmental outcomes? Be specific about each family member. Case Study #2 Chapter 2: Genetics, Epigenetics, and the Brain: The Fundamentals of Behavioral Development Jennifer and Jianshe Li have been married for 10 years. Jennifer is a White, 37-year-old woman who is an associate in a law firm in a medium-sized, Midwestern city. Her hus-band, Jianshe, a 36-year-old Chinese American man, is a software developer employed by a large locally based com-pany. The couple met while they were in graduate school and married shortly thereafter. They have no children. They own a home in one of the newly developed suburban areas just outside the city. Jennifer was adopted as an infant and maintains close ties with her adoptive parents. She is their only child. There has been no contact between Jennifer and her biological parents, and she has never attempted to learn their names or find out where they live. Jianshe’s parents, two brothers, and one sister live on the U.S. West Coast, and all the family members try to get together for visits several times a year. Jennifer and Jianshe are active in a few local community organizations. They enjoy the company of many friends and often spend what leisure time they have hiking and camping. The Lis have been unsuccessful in conceiving a child even though they have tried for the past four years. Both husband and wife have undergone testing. Jennifer has had infertility treatment for the past three years but without success. The treatments have been lengthy, expensive, and emotion-ally stressful. Approximately a year ago, Jennifer began to experience some mild symptoms of dizziness and dimmed vision. At first, she disregarded the symptoms, attributing them to overwork. However, they persisted for several weeks, and she consulted her physician. He thought that they might be a side effect of the medication she had been taking to increase fertility. Jennifer’s treatment protocol was changed, and shortly afterward, much to the couple’s delight, Jennifer became pregnant. Unfortunately, the symptoms she had experienced earlier began to worsen, and she noticed some mild tremors in her arms and legs as well. Jennifer’s physician referred her to a specialist, who tentatively diagnosed a progressive disease of the central nervous system that has a suspected genetic link and is marked by an unpredict-able course. The Lis were devastated by the news. They were very concerned about the risks of the pregnancy to Jennifer’s health. They also worried about the possible transmission of the disease to the new baby whom they had wanted for such a long time. In great distress, they sought counseling to help them deal with some of these concerns. Discussion Questions 1. As a helper, what are some of the issues you would need to be prepared to discuss with this couple? What information or training do you think you would need to deal effectively with this family? 2. List the possible problems faced by this couple as well as the supports available to them. What are the options available to Jennifer and Jianshe? 3. As a genetic counselor, how would you help them in the decision-making process? Case Study #4 Chapter 4: Emotional and Social Development in the Early Years Angela is a White 17-year-old girl who is also the mother of a baby named Adam, now 11 months of age. Both Angela and her baby live with Angela’s mother, Sarah, in a small rented house in a semirural community in the Midwest. Sarah, a single mother herself, works as a food server in a local restaurant. Sarah has another child, David, who is 13. Angela’s father abandoned the family when she was 7 years old. Wayne, Angela’s boyfriend and Adam’s father, has also become estranged primarily because Sarah refuses to allow him in her house. She is angry that Angela became pregnant and views Wayne as incapable of, and uninterested in, taking on his share of the responsibility. During her pregnancy, Angela continued to attend classes at her high school. She dropped out, however, when she was 7 months pregnant. She had grown increasingly depressed about the prospect of caring for an infant, and she found dealing with schoolwork and her pregnancy overwhelming. Following Adam’s birth, Angela tried hard to be a good mother to her son. She took on most of the caretaking responsibilities by herself, which gave her some measure of satisfaction. However, she also felt deeply ambivalent. Above all, she resented the restrictions that the baby placed on her life. Adam’s frequent crying for no apparent reason was particularly frustrating. According to Angela, Adam cried even when he was not hungry or wet. Sometimes she handled Adam roughly, when he wouldn’t quiet down after a feeding or around bedtime. At other times, Angela was upset that Adam didn’t seem to smile enough at her when she wanted to play with him. Some-times, Adam paid no attention to her when she wanted interaction. At these times, she would raise her voice and hold his face in her hands to make him look at her. She was beginning to feel that she was not a very good mother to her son after all. Sarah and Angela’s already strained relationship grew more hostile as Adam approached his first birthday. Angela felt that her mother wasn’t interested in helping her. Angela always idealized her father and believed that it was her mother’s frequent outbursts of anger that led to her father’s leaving home. For her part, Sarah believed that her daughter wasn’t doing enough to help herself. Angela chose not to go back to school, even though she could have access to school-based child care services. All through Angela’s high school years, Sarah had expected her daughter to find a steady job after graduation and to contribute to the family financially. Instead, Sarah found herself in the role of financial provider for another child. She was very angry and hurt that Angela didn’t seem to appreciate all she had done for her over the years. Whenever the mother and daughter had an argument, Angela would say that she felt her mother never really cared about her. What was even worse for Sarah was that Angela had begun seeing Wayne again, without her mother’s per-mission. She made it clear to Angela that she and the baby would need to move out if she ever got pregnant again. Discussion Questions 1. Comment on the quality of the attachment relationship between Angela and Adam and between Sarah and Angela. Do you think that Adam is at risk for develop-mental problems? Discuss. 2. Using the model of intergenerational transmission of attachment presented in this chapter, discuss the trans-mission sequence as it applies in this case. 3. What kinds of interventions could you suggest to help the members of this family? 4. How would you engage with a parent who is maltreating a child? What steps would you take to help in this circumstance? Case Study #5 Chapter 5: The Emerging Self and Socialization in the Early Years Terry and Bill, married for 5 years, are a Black couple who live in a small suburban community. Terry graduated from high school and worked as a receptionist before her marriage to Bill, a communications company manager. Because both of them believed that mothers should stay at home with young children, Terry quit her job when she had her first child, who is now an intense and active 4-year-old daughter named Dawn. Both parents were very attentive to their daughter and enjoyed caring for and playing with her when she was a baby. As Dawn got older, she became more active and assertive. When Dawn fussed, resisted, or showed frustration, Terry was patient and affectionate with her. She was able to coax Dawn out of her bad temper by making up little games that Dawn enjoyed. Both Terry and Bill liked Dawn’s spirited personality. Because her parents wanted her to have access to playmates, Dawn attended a church-related program for toddlers and preschoolers three mornings a week. When Dawn was 3 years old, Terry gave birth to the couple’s second child, a son named Darren. Soon after the baby’s birth, the family learned that Darren had a congenital heart problem that would require ongoing medical treatment and a specific regimen of care at home. Darren was an irritable baby. He fussed for long periods and was very difficult for Terry to soothe. Because of Darren’s need for medical care and the limitations of Bill’s medical insurance, the couple soon found themselves in financial difficulty. Bill began to take on overtime work at the company to subsidize some of the bills and was away from the home several nights a week and part of each weekend. Terry found the care of two demanding young children and the worries about money to be increasingly more stressful. She was always tired and seemed to have less patience with her family. Although she once had the leisure time to read to Dawn, to take her for walks, and to help her master tasks that proved frustrating, Terry now had to shift her attention to the care of her medically fragile infant. Because Dawn looked so grown-up compared to the vulnerable newborn, Terry began to perceive her daughter as able to do many things for herself. When Dawn demonstrated her neediness by clinging or whining, Terry became abrupt and demanded that Dawn stop. Many battles revolved around Terry’s new rule that Dawn have a nap or “quiet time” each afternoon so that mother and baby could get some rest. One day, Dawn’s preschool teacher, Mrs. Adams, asked to speak with Terry. Mrs. Adams noted that Dawn’s behavior was becoming a problem in the morning preschool sessions. Dawn had begun throwing toys when she became upset and often refused to cooperate in group activities. Terry was greatly embarrassed to hear about her daughter’s misbehavior. Dawn was the only Black child in the small class, and her mother wondered if this was part of the problem. When Terry got home, she put her tearful, clinging daughter in her room for time-out for being bad at school. She loved Dawn, but she could not tolerate this kind of behavior, especially when Darren needed so much of her time. She began to wonder if she and Bill had spoiled their daughter. Terry feared that Dawn would have problems when it came time for her to enter kindergarten if they didn’t take a strong stand with her now. Discussion Questions 1. Explain Dawn’s behavior from an attachment point of view. How would you describe Dawn’s attachment history? 2. Describe Terry’s parenting style. Has the style changed? What suggestions would you make to Terry and Bill about handling this problem? 3. What are some of the contextual influences on Dawn’s behavior? Case Study #7 Self and Moral Development: Middle Childhood Through Early Adolescence Kevin Miller, a White fifth-grade student at Greentree Elementary School, is in the principal’s office with his parents. Mr. Dolan, the school principal, has just informed Mr. and Mrs. Miller that Kevin’s fifth-grade trip privilege will be revoked because of an accumulation of disciplinary offenses. Kevin’s behavior in fifth grade has become progressively more disruptive. This time, he has managed to create enough problems for his teachers to prevent his participation in the end-of-the-year event, which was planned as a reward for the students’ effort and achievement. Kevin is a very intelligent and physically attractive youngster with particular interests and abilities in sports and computer games. In second grade, he was identified as a candidate for the school’s gifted student program, yet he invests little energy in schoolwork. He tells his teachers that he finds the assignments boring and can find no reason to involve himself in the learning process. He does little studying, but he manages to get by with a C+ average. In class, he talks to other students when he should be working, makes disrespectful comments to his teachers, and basically tries to get away with doing what he pleases most of the time. Kevin relishes his position of power in the group. Many students in the class look up to Kevin because of his engaging bravado. They like him because he is often funny and provides a diversion from class work. Other students find him a nuisance who distracts the teachers from their instruction. Students know that if they work with Kevin on a group project, they may have a good time, but it will come with a price: getting in trouble with their teachers. Kevin’s parents have a long history of conferencing with the school principal and counselor. Over the years, problems have increased from some concerns about his attention span in the early grades to more serious issues. In fourth grade, Kevin was caught cheating on a test proctored by a substitute teacher. Kevin claimed that he was falsely accused because the teacher “didn’t like him.” At the beginning of fifth grade, Kevin responded to his English teacher, who was trying to get him to focus on a classroom writing assignment, with a profane comment. When con-fronted about his behavior, Kevin was convinced that he did not do anything seriously wrong. His explanation was that he was joking, and he suggested that the adults should “lighten up.” Kevin’s parents believe it is their job to stand up for their only son and support him, even though they are unhappy about his frequent problems at school. The Millers describe their son as “lively and creative” and “smarter than they are” in some areas, such as computer literacy. Encouraged by the school counselor, they initiated private counseling for Kevin at the end of fourth grade. Kevin has seen his counselor sporadically for almost a year. Both parents believe that Kevin is a good boy whose irrepressible spirit and intellect get him into trouble with those who misunderstand him. Faced with this new consequence, Kevin is quite upset. He was looking forward to the class trip and believes that the punishment is extreme. The Millers understand the principal’s reasoning, but they also disagree with the punishment. They indicate that they will request a meeting with the superintendent to have the decision changed. They express the view that most kids behave like Kevin some-times. From their perspective, Kevin should be allowed to express himself and to have the autonomy to make choices about what he does. They emphasize his persistence and interest in activities that engage his attention. They come close to faulting Kevin’s teachers for failing to motivate him. The district superintendent, after considering the case, decides that depriving Kevin of the trip would jeopardize any relationship teachers would be able to develop with him in the future. Kevin’s consequence is changed to an in-school suspension; he is allowed to participate in the class trip. Discussion Questions 1. What are the issues involved in Kevin’s case? What assessment can you make of his moral development and his self-concept? 2. If you were his counselor, what would you recommend to promote healthy development?