Theories of Human Development

Terrell

One approach from the chapter that explains Terrell's behavior very well is the behavioral approach, especially the behaviorism of B.F. Skinner. By looking at the antecedents and consequences of the behavior we can determine what is being reinforced and Terrell's case. The vignette clearly states that Terrell's symptoms are disappearing once he is allowed to stay home, informing us that Terrell is being allowed to stay home when he feigns sickness. It is quite obvious that Terrell is being reinforced for feigning that he is ill according to B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning paradigm. The vignette does not allow us to determine the reason why he wants to stay home; however, it is not unusual for it a six-year-old boy to feel some anxiety regarding a new environment and separation from mother and we could hypothesize that Terrell is feeling some mild anxiety before going to school, this anxiety leads him to feeling sick with all the symptoms he complains of, and once he is allowed to stay home his anxiety and illness goes away (negative reinforcement) and the act of acting sick gets him what he wants (to stay home with mother; positive reinforcement).

The "tough love" approach could be used that would be not to allow him to stay home when he complains of being ill and sending him off to school, thus extinguishing the behavior. Alternatively, Terrell's mother might reinforce him for going to school such as praising him for attending school or allowing him to engage in some desired activity if he goes to school every day. Once he stops complaining of being ill the reinforcement can cease. It would not be such a great idea to reinforce Terrell for not complaining of being ill in the event that he really does get ill and does not tell his mother in an attempt to get the reinforcement.

Another theoretical perspective that might explain Terrell's behavior comes from Freudian thought. Terrell is at the upper end of the phallic stage, a stage where the young male child develops a sexual attraction to the mother and views the father as competition. We could hypothesize that Terrell's behavior represents a form of castration anxiety where he views going to school as an attempt to separate him from his mother. This anxiety leads to the manifestation and sensation that he really is ill with a terrible stomach ache, headache, and severe nausea as a defense mechanism to allow him to remain close to his mother who gives in to him. This could also be explained as a type of separation anxiety from the mother that is linked to Oedipal conflicts and issues with castration anxiety. Terrell would not be aware of this dilemma consciously and since he is only six years old it would be very difficult to explain it to him. Moreover, since this conflict can resurface in later stages of life (fixation) unless it is addressed constructively Terrell may experience similar difficulties later in life for going to work, going to school, etc.