¶ … Life-Trajectory of Kevin Development Theory: The Life-Trajectory of Kevin

Kevin was born on a sheep farm in 1942, halfway between Canberra and Melbourne. As a young man he left farming to work in construction in Melbourne, where he met and married his wife. They raised three children together, but the marriage faltered once the children left to start their own lives. They separated amicably, continued to stay engaged with their families, and Kevin successfully transitioned to retirement despite a diagnosis of diabetes in his mid 50s.

Timeline

Birth. WWII (BBC, 2014)

Age 8. Korean Conflict. The market price of wool reaches an all-time high (ABS, 2007).

Age 15. Leaves school to work on sheep farm full-time

1962 -- Age 20. Leaves farming for construction work in Melbourne

1965 -- Age 23. Vietnam Conflict (BBC, 2014). Registers for National Service and serves 2 years, but never sees combat

1970 -- Age 28. Marries

1972 -- Age 30. 1st child born

1974 -- Age 32. 2nd child born

9. 1975 -- Age 33. Australia restricts entry of unskilled immigrants

10. 1977 -- Age 35. 3rd child born

11. 1981 -- Age 39. 2nd child dies of leukemia

12. 1990 -- Age 48. 1st child leaves for college

13. 1995 -- Age 53. 2nd child leaves for college

14. 1997 -- Age 55. Kevin is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

15. 2001 -- Age 59. 9/11 -- troops sent to Afghanistan

16. 2002 -- Age 60. Bali night club bombing

17. 2003 -- Age 61. Iraq war

18. 2004 -- Age 62. Becomes a grandfather for the first time

19. 2006 -- Age 64. Severe drought and the economy stalls

20. 2007 -- Age 65. Retirement

21. 2008 -- Age 66. PM apologizes to the "Stolen Generation."

Assessment

Kevin was born in 1942 on a struggling sheep farm halfway between Canberra...

Australian troops were engaged in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters, so women stepped into jobs formally held by men. The effects of the Great Depression were still being felt and the war effort was causing additional hardships, such as the rationing of food and clothing. Kevin therefore grew up in what would be poverty by today's standards, but there was never a shortage of food on the farm. Kevin and his four siblings were left to fend for themselves and attended school for a few years until they were old enough to work full-time on the farm. A strong work ethic and streak of independence was thus cultivated. Kevin was the youngest of five siblings, which allowed Kevin to attend school until the relatively late age of 15. Given the geographic distance between the farm and the nearest neighbors, the closest relationships in Kevin's life were those of his immediate family members, primarily his siblings.
Wool prices steadily climbed, until they reached an all-time high in 1950/51 (ABS, 2007). The growing prosperity allowed Kevin to follow his dream of doing something besides farming. He moved to Melbourne in 1962, at the age of 20, and quickly found work in home construction during the prosperous post-war period. The decision was made easy for Kevin with four older siblings vying for a place on the farm and beginning their own families, especially since farming and economic stability seemed incompatible (Howard, 2000). Social cognition provides the best theoretical framework for Kevin's identity at the age of 20, because he saw a future apart from farming without knowing what that future would be. The rising wool prices, a major event, therefore enabled Kevin to choose a different future.

The number of troops committed to the conflict in Vietnam expanded dramatically and Kevin was forced to register for National Service. His birthday was picked and he served two years without leaving Australia. Upon returning to civilian life, Kevin started his own construction…