Life-Trajectory of Kevin: A Human Development Case Study

Introduction and Life Timeline

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.

The following timeline places key events in Kevin's life alongside the broader historical context of Australia during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries:

Early Life and Identity Formation

Kevin was born in 1942 on a struggling sheep farm halfway between Canberra and Melbourne, during World War II. Australian troops were engaged in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters, so women stepped into jobs formerly 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 considered poverty by today's standards, though there was never a shortage of food on the farm. Kevin and his four siblings were largely left to fend for themselves and attended school for a few years until they were old enough to work full-time. A strong work ethic and a streak of independence were thus cultivated from an early age.

Kevin was the youngest of five siblings, which allowed him to remain in 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. This early reliance on family would remain a defining feature of his identity throughout his life.

Wool prices steadily climbed until they reached an all-time high in 1950–51 (ABS, 2007). The growing prosperity allowed Kevin to pursue something beyond 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 easier by the fact that four older siblings were already vying for a place on the farm and beginning their own families, and because farming and economic stability seemed increasingly incompatible (Howard, 2000). Social cognition provides the best theoretical framework for understanding Kevin's identity at this stage, because he envisioned a future apart from farming without yet knowing what that future would look like. The rising wool prices — a major historical event — enabled him to act on that vision.

Adulthood: Family, Loss, and Career

The number of Australian troops committed to the conflict in Vietnam expanded dramatically, and Kevin was required to register for National Service. His birthday was selected in the ballot, and he served two years without leaving Australia. Upon returning to civilian life, Kevin started his own construction firm and met his future wife. The first of three children was born in 1972, the year Kevin turned 30. Over the next seven years, two more children were born. Tragically, Kevin's family later grieved the loss of their second child to leukemia at the age of seven.

In 1990 and 1995, the surviving two children left to attend college. At the age of 55, Kevin was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As Kevin began to manage dramatic lifestyle changes, his son and daughter were establishing white-collar careers and families of their own. Meanwhile, major world events — the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the Bali nightclub bombing — unfolded against the backdrop of Kevin's domestic life.

With the children gone and starting their own families, long-suppressed emotional wounds surrounding the death of the second child erupted, destabilizing Kevin's marriage. He moved into an apartment, but the question of divorce was never seriously discussed. The choice to remain married is consistent with continuity theory (Atchley, 1989), because both Kevin's and his wife's identities remained tied to the roles of husband, wife, parent, and grandparent, despite the emotional wounds. Living together, however, became too uncomfortable. Counseling would probably have been an effective intervention, but Kevin's deeply independent and self-reliant nature made that choice difficult for him to accept.

Health, Retirement, and Quality of Life

Kevin reached retirement age still in good health, due in large part to an early diagnosis and successful management of his diabetes. The treatment plan involved a dramatic change in lifestyle, including a low-calorie, nutritious diet and regular exercise (McNaughton, Dunstan, Ball, Shaw, & Crawford, 2009). These lifestyle changes and the associated weight loss allowed him to avoid common complications of type 2 diabetes, including circulatory problems that frequently result in blindness and amputation, while remaining active post-retirement through volunteer work and family obligations.

His good physical and financial health also allowed him to spend quality time with his children and grandchildren, as well as to visit his siblings' families several times a year. Aging into retirement thus gave Kevin the time needed to strengthen already strong ties to his immediate and extended family. His quality of life improved after retirement — a common outcome for contemporary retirees (Heybroek, Haynes, & Baxter, 2015).

Conclusion

Kevin's life trajectory reveals a number of important values that influenced the choices he made, including independence, self-reliance, resilience, and family. He maintained strong ties to his immediate and extended family despite geographic and trauma-related barriers. Although the social role of business owner changed at retirement, this transition was eased by volunteerism consistent with continuity theory (Atchley, 1989). Family roles — husband, father, brother, and provider — most fundamentally defined Kevin's identity, and his resilience ultimately enabled him to manage a serious health diagnosis and achieve a fulfilling, high-quality retirement.

References

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2007). The wool industry — looking back and forward. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article172003?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2003&num=&view=.

Atchley, R. C. (1989). A continuity theory of normal aging. Gerontologist, 29(2), 183–190.

BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). (2015). Australia profile — Timeline. Retrieved from

Heybroek, L., Haynes, M., & Baxter, J. (2015). Life satisfaction and retirement in Australia: A longitudinal approach. Work, Aging and Retirement. First published online 1 April 2015. Retrieved from http://workar.oxfordjournals.org/content/1/2/166.

Howard, J. A. (2000). Social psychology of identities. Annual Reviews in Sociology, 26, 367–393.

McNaughton, S. A., Dunstan, D. W., Ball, K., Shaw, J., & Crawford, D. (2009). Dietary quality is associated with diabetes and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Journal of Nutrition, 139, 734–742.