Human development in Angela Wu's adolescent case study

Human Development: Hypothetical Case Study of Angela Wu

Angela Wu, age sixteen, was referred to the guidance department of the high school after several of her teachers noted that she had seemed unusually "stressed out, even for Angela," after mid-term exam week. Later, it was noted that her academic performance on her midterms was notably weaker than it had been over the past several semesters at the high school. After mid-term grade reports were sent, Angela's parents called and expressed concern, asking if it was possible if she could retake several of the tests.

Angela is a junior at the high school, and her parents noted that junior year is particularly crucial in terms of assembling a strong college transcript of grades when considering competitive universities. They said Angela has expressed her intention to apply for a scholarship to the state university and to several Ivy League schools. Angela is active in school, but has few leadership positions. She was referred to guidance for non-academic reasons once before, when a conflict with another girl over the course of a group English product became heated.

A. Cognitive changes in adolescence

Angela appears to be wrestling at the outset with a number of normative cognitive changes appropriate to her age. She expresses concern about her grade point average, but seems genuinely interested in many of her subjects, particularly biology, on a level beyond that of grades. However, much of the discussion had to be prompted from Angela, rather than emerging spontaneously from the young woman.

b. Memory

Angela has always been prompt when turning in her assignments, and come to all of her guidance appointments on time. She has shown strength as well in the academic 'quiz bowl' as one of her activities, a pursuit that requires a strong memory.

c. Academic and everyday Knowledge

Angela's strong performance in her academics belies an often naive understanding of everyday knowledge. When prompted with questions about current affairs, Angela often appears uninterested, although she states she has to know 'the basic facts' for the quiz bowl, if asked about that category. Angela's extracurricular have often been rather scattered in nature, suggesting an uncertainty of where her passion for hobbies may truly lie.

d. Problem solving

Angela has been criticized at times for her faulty hands-on problem solving skills, not so much in academics but in working in cooperative group projects with others. Solving problems from the point-of-view of emotional rather than intellectual intelligence has come with some difficulty for Angela.

e. Imagination, creativity and language

Angela is not particularly expressive in person in terms of her personal appearance. Although occasionally talkative about subjects and one or two teachers she particularly disliked in her academic past (notably her sophomore year English teacher), her vocabulary tends to be filled with slang. This often causes her to appear less intelligent or younger than her age and grades might suggest. She seems unwilling in her AP English and AP American history classes, teachers have noted, to 'think outside the box' when presented with undirected or unconventional assignments, such as writing poetry in the style of Shakespeare or of suggesting an alternative letter to the British rather than the actual Declaration of Independence.

2. Implication for the school counselor a. Common concerns

The greatest concern is to ensure that the next semesters Angela spends in high school are as enriching for her emotional development as they are for her scholastic development. Also, intervention should take place before her grades are further affected, as Angela's academic success is so important to her family and more importantly, to Angela herself.

b. Intervention

Although intervention is not a life-or-death matter, clearly Angela's potential is not being realized in the classroom because of emotional issues she may or may not be coping with or experiencing at home or in school. More discussion with the girl and her family may prove helpful in tracing the cause and specifying some of the difficulties.

c. Cultural variations

Angela's parents are immigrants from Mainland China. Her father is a professor of electrical engineering at a local university. Her mother is a homemaker. Her brother won a scholarship to the state university for engineering, where he is currently a freshman. Academic achievement has always been stressed in the girl's family, and her brother held up as an example to her. However, Angela has often stressed her lack of intelligence in relationship to both her father and her elder brother, albeit jokingly. Concrete measures of intelligence seem to be stressed in this family, to the exclusion of emotional discussions. There is also a division between parents and children because the parents commutate at home in Mandarin, while the children seem most comfortable in English, having been brought up in this nation from birth. Angela calls her brother her best friend, and his recent departure to college may be one of the reasons for her sudden downturn in mood.

B. Social/Emotional changes

1. Areas of development a. Emotional communication

Angela seldom expresses herself in 'I feel' statements. When asked about her poor performance, she blamed her teachers in some subjects and her own lack of proper study skills in others, rather than any emotional problems such as her brother's departure from school. When asked how the poor midterm grades made her feel, she said, 'bad,' and latter, 'dumb.' When asked to be more expressive about what 'dumb' meant, she said she had been over committed to her extracurricular, and should have worked harder in school. She said she had recently begun a part-time job as a waitress at her aunt's local restaurant that may have caused her to be more 'stressed out' than usual. The overall impression given was that Angela needs extensive work on her emotional communication skills, partly because she seems to think them relatively unimportant.

b. Self-understanding and interpersonal skills

When asked for why she had such difficulty with group projects, she admitted fearing failure because her partners would not work hard enough. She did not seem responsive to the question of how she could have motivated her partners to work harder using leadership skills. Angela was asked if she perceived herself as separate from the other girls in her independence and motivation, and she simply shrugged in response. When asked if she saw herself as a perfectionist, she said she did not know, simply that she tried hard and hoped to be rewarded for it.

c. Friendships and intimate relationships

Angela has few close friends at school. She says she is very close to her family. Most of her close scholastic relationships are those individuals she knows through her extracurricular pursuits, particularly in the school's academic quiz bowl.

d. Moral reasoning and behavior

When asked if it was morally wrong to steal, if for instance one needed a prescription that one could not afford, Angela acted surprised by the question. She said she thought it was wrong for drug companies to make medicines that were so expensive, but still was uncertain if stealing was correct. She has volunteered for numerous community service efforts for the school and said she thought that helping others was good, but did not elaborate why this was so.

2. Implication for school counselor a. Common concerns

Angela appeared depressed during much of the interview in her body language, but seemed unwilling to recognize or express this to the counselor. This depression could not only affect her academic performance, but also prove to cause emotional difficulties later on in school and also later on in this young woman's life.

b. Intervention meeting with the child and her parents seems appropriate, leaving open the possibility of her seeing the school therapist later on. It was suggested that Angela keep a journal of her feelings, which she responded, 'I already have to keep a journal for English class.' When it was suggested she do this for emotional reasons, Angela made one of the few jokes in the session, stating that she never thought she would be assigned "homework by the guidance department." c. Cultural variations

Later on, when queried, Angela's parents seemed alarmed when a possible meeting with the school therapist was discussed, which may partly reflect a cultural association of 'craziness' with seeing a therapist. Angela's lack of emotional development, for cultural and communicative reasons may be less of a concern for her parents than with other parents from a different cultural and geographic background. Furthermore, Angela's lack of connection to her peer group in her parental context seemed more praiseworthy in their eyes, rather than an issue of concern.