Adolescent Psychosocial Assessment

Adolescent Psychosocial Assessment
SECTION I – SOCIAL HISTORY
Personal
In list format, cover the following:
1. Name: John Mathew
2. Age: 18
3. Sex: Male
4. Race/Ethnic: Black, African-American
5. Education/Occupation: Student
6. Health: Okay
Social
John's family lives in an apartment situated in the middle of a range of complexes. The residence is right in the middle of communities in Washington, DC. The household is always abuzz with activity. There are two boys named Zebulon and David. The boys still call for their mother's attention. Ervin, my father, does not have a job. He is grounded in a wheelchair, following health challenges he has faced in the past couple of years. My mother is a part-time writer. Her name is Monique. The main poverty indicator about my family is the challenge we face in paying bills and lack of money to travel around (Sherman, 2012). Several aspects of culture support my family and me. We have strong social networks that work. Family members are cooperative and are ready to take up tasks. We are also highly religious and spiritual. I love watching T.V., taking part in sports, creative activities, reading, and listening to music.
SECTION II –THEORY/THEORIST(S), CONCEPTS OF HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1. Choose any two theories/theorists on the effect of the social environment on human behavior and one theory/theorist on, Person-In-Environment (PIE).
Social Learning Theory
According to Bandura, a crititcal element of human learning occurs through imitation. Of course, imitation involves some cognitive processes. A lot of information is gained when we simply look at models. W consequently code what we see on our minds. The model by Bandura provides deep insights into learning by imitation. Broadly, one of the basic and rather subtle concerns by Bandura is the process of socializing. This is the process of inducing the society members to operate in socially acceptable ways. The socializing process is so important that it has a major effect on all kinds of behavior, including skills of technical nature. Most of the boys of teenage age in the U.S. feel that they won't be compatible with their social group before they learn how to drive an automobile. However, driving an automobile is not a skill that is expected of teenagers in all cultures. There are several categories of social conduct that bear wider import and relevance. The socialization process makes sure that children behave in a certain gender-acceptable manner. The boys across societies are taught to behave in masculine ways; girls are also taught to behave in ways expected of girls and women. People, though, as they grow older, keep adjusting their behavior as they depend less and less on external influence. In other words, adults build their internal standards to punish and reward what they do (Crain, 2014)
Psychosocial theory
Erik Erikson, on his part, opined that all humans pass through eight developmental stages –from when they are born until they die. The adolescent stage demands that one discovers that they are separate entities from their family. This stage is necessary if ego identity is to be attained. The ego identity stage pressures one to find out who they are and their place in the society they live in. The stage involves taking earlier experiences that one has gone through and developing a life philosophy. Erikson proposed that adolescents might as well choose a psychosocial moratorium: space and time to pursue different activities that encourage life experiments. These activities may comprise of traveling and studying until the attainment of ego identity (Reubins&Reubins, 2014).
The stage also manifests a positive relationship with the industrious world. It also marks the start of sexual maturity. These two developments are clear markers of the end of childhood and the onset of adolescence. While they look for ways of mutually regulating themselves in light of the changes occurring on the psychosocial front, adolescents are expected to develop an identity with meaning independently. Such an identity should integrate and reconcile the past, present, and future. The confusion that emanates from their view of the self and self-exploration urges makes them to be too concerned with how they look before other people. This makes them overly preoccupied with crowds and cliques. The value system that one carries into their adult life starts to develop at this point (Chávez, 2016).
Person-In-Environment theory: Psychoanalytic theory
Oedipal feelings preoccupy the life of a teenager, suddenly and with force. They tend to resent the same sex parent. The incestuous forces that draw them to the parent of the opposite sex are common-place but unconscious. When the oedipal feelings, first, manifest, the adolescent feels like running away. They feel rather uncomfortable and tense in the presence of their parents. They feel relieved when they are away from them. Some adolescents cannot stand it at home. They run away. Others stick around but with a boarder attitude. They lock themselves up in rooms and feel free only when they met their peers. Other adolescents try to create a psychological justification o avoid their parents by crafting a blanket condemnation. They try not to think about their parents in a vain attempt to try and break away from parental care (Crain, 2014).
Apply the theories you have chosen to your interviewee's development
John, an adolescent, is shaped by his residential environment. Environmental factors have also become part of his development process. All adolescents are subject to a wide range of transitions. The changes range from cognitive, biological, and social. The changes are in tandem with the normative ones expected of adolescents from childhood to adult life. John, who is an African American in the U.S., is not expected to experience the same developmental changes as Americans of white descent. John lives in a world where he may be expected to deal with racial prejudice against his race. He needs t call his coping strategies into action because of the stressful situations he faces. The youth often handle stress and prejudice in a way that becomes problematic. They form negative identity schemas which determine that there is a missing element. While the circumstances may help them to identify themselves, they are likely to live in an identity crisis. Luckily, John seems to handle stress and prejudice positively. His method of handling these pressures helps him to resist them. Consequently, he manifests behaviors that are productive (Brittian, 2012).
What stage of development is the individual you are assessing? What information/observations/responses from the client are you using to base your assessment on?
John is an adolescent, just about to transition into the world of adults. The information provided in this assessment is drawn from the interview with his family on the origins of his family, his struggles, problems he encounters in the society, and the support tenets that he depends on.
2. Write about your interviewee and how they conform or dispute the "normal" developmental milestones discussed in the attached text.
John lives true to the expectations of what someone in their late adolescence does. He demonstrates well-formed formal operations and has also got used to the body changes that have occurred. For example, he demonstrates hypothetical thinking capabilities. He can figure out the effects of thoughts and actions even when he has not experienced them in the actual sense. He can think through several possibilities and craft a course of action effectively. He can accept, reject, or identify with a hypothesis using logical reasoning. He manifests uneven cognitive development tendencies. He appears to mix logical reasoning with emotional responses. To John, understanding, conscious choices, trust, and loyalty determine friendship. He considers honesty and uprightness an important trait to gain trust in adults. He sticks to the golden rule of moral behavior and sticks to the demands of the law- an important tenet for a functional society (Sigelman& Rider, 2009)
3. What Biological, psychological & sociological factors influence the specified age group in human growth and development?
Biological factors
Adolescents experience puberty – biological changes of adolescence. Boys and guys are changed by biological forces from a state of physical immaturity to a state when they can engage in sexual activity and reproduce. The changes not only touch on their sexual states but influence them emotionally and psychologically. Puberty does not occur at a fixed time in all adolescents. It happens at different stages and varying rates. Thus, some adolescents may be ashamed at some things, become conscious of the self in an exaggerated way, and feel awkward among other character manifestations. They may also feel inadequate for their peers because they seem to be developing at a different rate. It is not a surprise, consequently, that many adolescents are too conscious about how they look and how they appear in the eyes of their peers. On its part, the social setup exerts a lot of pressure on what puberty means and what the consequences are, both social and psychological (Newman & Newman, 2015).
Psychological
Psychological changes show in the area of moral and emotional growth. An individual encounters a myriad of emotional changes. The emotional changes are both negative and positive. Such emotions as joy and exuberance signal happiness. Sadness is marked with depression, fear, and unhappiness. Such emotions as anger, protest, and rebellion may also come to the fore. It is also interesting to note that patriotism and a sense of sacrifice for one's country also emerge. There are significant and conspicuous changes that adolescents manifest on the moral front too. They begin to develop a strong ethical code. It is not just based on what the parents and or guardians think should be but on their personal experience too. The adolescents commonly begin t question the moral order as they see unfolding before their eyes in society. They only accept the moral codes that sit well with their conscience (Newman & Newman, 2015).
Social factors
The social changes in adolescents are observed in situations when they prefer to stay away from their parents but hung out with their peers. Adolescents use the peer groups as the social agent that molds their character. Peer groups shape the personal identity picture of their members. Socialization as a process occurs concurrently with the quest for self-identity. At the early adolescent stage, there is a tendency only to befriend those of the same sex. In the mid and late adolescence, however, the preferences change. In the latter stages, they tend to value and construct relationships with the opposite sex (Newman & Newman, 2015).
3. Identify how power, privilege, and oppression has affected your interviewee within their development
Social, political, psychological, and institutional influences affect the development of African American youth. The stereotypes that the media and the education system churns out form part of the influences too. The tendency to look down upon the practices of the African American and the barriers imposed to prevent such practices form part of the broad spectrum of issues that interact to affect the healthy growth of the African American youth negatively. Research shows that the youth in their late stages are more conscious of the prejudices than those in the middle and early stages. Further, studies have shown that discrimination negatively affects the behavior outcomes of the minority groups in their growth process. There is also scientific evidence that demonstrates that discrimination is connected to reduced psychological wellness among the African American youth (Seaton et al., 2008).
Available literature exposes he underbelly of the African American in the world of work. The intriguing aspect of this review is the relationship between employment and the rest of the psychological aspects covered in the book. The links between the employee perceptions and those of career to other aspects of the psychology of the African American are critical concepts. The interconnectedness includes aspects of access to education, the achievement thereof, and the essence of education attainment. The relationship between the barriers imposed and access to the world of employment versus involvement in criminal pursuits make it even harder for them to gain entry into the job openings. The historical causes of poverty and the fact that they lost the middle-class role models in a wide range of urban communities with low income reduce employment further. They also decrease the social capital that African Americans can access in their local settings. Apart from the historical challenges, there are also structural and institutional obstacles to quality education and job opportunities (Belgrave & Allison, 2009)
5. Identify at least one policy/trend which were part of your interviewee's development
Two Acts of parliament, i.e., the ESEA of 1965 and the HEA of 1965, play into the complex dynamic for access to education in the USA. The provision of federal funds, widely, uses the ESEA for the K-12 education programs. HEA provides grants, loans, and assistance for work-study to subsidize the cost of post-secondary educational needs. Incentives are also provided to disadvantaged youths. There are also separate laws that support youth with disabilities and youths with no homes (Fernandes-Alcantara, 2018).
6. Identify injustices, limitations, and deficits in advocacy needs for your interviewee
The U.S. health care system is guilty of imposing barriers and tending to discriminate against people of color and other minorities. There are coverage gaps in the health insurance sector, affecting minorities more than the rest of the groups. Poor health outcomes and lack of access to service are part of the problem of these events. When these challenges overwhelm a group in a given population, there is a high chance that the generations that come after that will also be affected in a similar but even worse fashion. They will not have equal opportunities as the rest of the populace. When the employment and health status of parents are poor, parents are disabled from monitoring the educational progress of their children. John faces a myriad of challenges at home at school. The rate of unemployment in Washington DC stands at 28.5%, while the poverty levels are reported to be at 40%. Available data from the U.S Population Survey, there are 14 million children in homes with incomes below the poverty level ratings. (Alexander, 2010).
Part of the ESEA provision caters for most of the funding needs for disadvantaged youth. It was also reauthorized recently by the Every Student Succeeds Act. The Local Authority Agency Grants provides the biggest access platform for secondary education. The grants from Title I-A reach he children perceived to be low achievers in prekindergarten settings through to grade 12. These are mainly focused on schools with high population concentration and those with parents with low income. Title I-A directs agencies at both state and local levels to promote enrolment, school attendance, and educational success of disadvantaged children (Fernandes-Alcantara, 2018).
SECTION III – SPIRITUAL FORMATION
John subscribes to the Christian faith. He calls churches "church homes and families." It means that the church forms an inclusive support system. The church leadership and structure provide an anchor for the life cycle stages. For instance, the church has built a nursery where children and parents are actively involved in the services. The church also offers a wide range of services, including tutoring after school. The role of religion and spirituality is critical in the life and lifecycle of the African American youth and adults alike. It is the survival mechanism that sustains the resilience of this minority group.
Interview questions
1. How are you?
2. What is your name?
3. How old are you?
4. What is your gender?
5. How do you identify?
6. What is your current occupation?
7. How would you describe the structure and socioeconomic status of your family of origin?
8. Did you ever encounter any problems or obstacles growing up?
Follow-up: Were you able to overcome those obstacles? What systems of support did you have?
Follow-up: Were there some obstacles that you couldn't overcome?
9. How are you involved in the community?
Follow-up: What are your interests?
10. What are your hobbies?
References
Alexander Jr, R. (2010). The Impact of Poverty on African American Children in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems. In Forum on Public Policy Online (Vol. 2010, No. 4). Oxford Round Table. 406 West Florida Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801.
Belgrave, F. Z., & Allison, K. W. (2009). African American psychology: From Africa to America. Los Angeles: Sage.
Brittian A. S. (2012). Understanding African American Adolescents' Identity Development: A Relational Developmental Systems Perspective. The Journal of black psychology, 38(2), 172–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798411414570
Chávez, R. (2016). Psychosocial development factors associated with occupational and vocational identity between infancy and adolescence. Adolescent Research Review, 1(4), 307-327.
Crain, W. C. (2014). Theories of development: Concepts and applications. Harlow, Essex: Pearson.
Fernandes-Alcantara, A. L. (2018). Vulnerable Youth: Background and policies.Congressional Research Service
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2015). Theories of human development. Psychology Press.
Reubins, B. M., &Reubins, M. S. (2014). Pioneers of child psychoanalysis: Influential theories and practices in healthy child development. London: Karnac.
Seaton, E. K., Caldwell, C. H., Sellers, R. M., & Jackson, J. S. (2008). The prevalence of perceived discrimination among African American and Caribbean Black youth. Developmental psychology, 44(5), 1288–1297. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012747
Sherman, S. L. (2012). Case studies: African American homeschoolers: Who are they, and why do they opt to homeschool?. Michigan State University.
Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2009). Life-Span human development. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth.