Human Development

Case Study: variables impacting an adolescent’s developmental growth process.

Each teenager is an individual with unique personalities, special interests, likes and dislikes. In general, however, there is a series of developmental tasks that everyone faces during the adolescent years. The purpose of this case study is to explore whether or not abandonment, neglect, and substance abuse impacts the developmental growth of an adolescent.

Introduction

An interview with a young lady and her father was conducted to ascertain the variables that adolescents face and how they affect their growth. For the purpose of this assignment, the subjects name is Jane Doe, as per her request.

Jane is a sixteen-year-old female of Puerto Rican and Italian decent. She is a sophomore in a public high school in the Bronx. She is petite with fair complexion, brown hair and brown eyes. She describes herself as friendly, heterosexual, an atheist, and reserved. She said she can be somewhat of a loner. She enjoys long quite walks, going to the movies with her friends, and watching television. She is the eldest of two children. Jane’s medical history is relatively healthy. There is no evidence of physical or mental handicap. However, she reports always being nervous. She stutters when she is rushed to speak and stated that she always has sweaty palms. It should be noted that she is not certain as to the origins of her speech impediment. She has never been evaluated by a speech pathologist. I know Jane all her life. Her maternal family and my family were next door neighbors. I guess you can say that Emma Doe and I were raised during the same era. In fact, Jane still lives in the same neighborhood with her father and brother. I see Jane every now and then when I visit my grandmother.

Findings

o   The environment one is brought up in largely impacts how they feel, their attitudes and relationships with other people.

In Jane’s case, her past is not rosy. Her parents separated when she and her brother were still young and the circumstance was not pleasant. She and her brother were removed from the custody of their mother; then separated from their father, pending an investigation into allegations of drug abuse, child neglect and endangerment. Consequently, both Jane and her younger brother were placed in the physical custody of their father, John Doe. She never saw her other for seven straight years since the incidence only for her to show up one day remarried and with a son. Because of this, she has never enjoyed that mother-child attachment. Moreover, she has never lived in a home and enjoyed the love of both parents because her father never remarried and before their separation, her parents were a young couple and their home was in constant chaos and there were episodes of physical violence. Her mother on top of her history of drug abuse was verbally abusive.

o   Relationship with the parents

A persons relationship with his/her parents influence how they view life and other human beings. If it is good, they will be affectionate people but if it is not so good, they will tend to be ignorant people towards other people’s feelings. Jane’s relationship with her mother is straining her from all corners. She gave up her rights when she gave full custody to their father and was further denied custody when she petitioned the courts upon her return. Her mother’s drug problem is affecting her negatively in a gigantic way. She is parenting her own mother as she has to run around day and night in order to keep her out of trouble. This has affected her school work especially her freshman year. She is practically struggling to maintain her average grades.

This situation with her mother is affecting her emotionally, psychologically and even health wise. Jane has difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and her nights are filled with troubled sleep. She also stated that it is difficult for her to “drag herself out of the bed in the morning.” Jane expressed that during the day; she has difficulty concentrating, unprovoked crying, and is preoccupied with thoughts of “doom” relating to her mother. She admitted that her biggest fear is that of being “sucked” into her mother’s “insane black hole,” or having her mother die of an overdose.

Jane’s relationship with her father could be better. She says he is a good person, generous and a good provider but he does not know how to raise kids. Jane feels that her father should move on with his life and find some good woman who will love him and his kids unconditionally but he is wasting time holding on to the thought that maybe one day her mother will get back to him and has no idea of how dysfunctional her mother is.

o   Mentors/ support systems

The people around as who have our best interests at heart are the one’s who will contribute largely in building our self-esteem by steering us in the right direction by telling us if what we are doing is right or wrong and what needs to be done. Jane’s paternal grandmother whom they have a strong, solid and loving relationship is her number one support system and she lives close to their home. Her grandmother is part of a large network of young women who work as interns at a local salon. Aside from her grandmother’s support she receives a tremendous amount of support from the mothers of her two closest female friends, as well as the women at the salon. She stated that if it was not for her grandmother and other support systems she would “lose it” in trying to figure out the problems in her life. Even though she did not mention her father, her father is concerned about her and understands the emotional roller coaster she is experiencing. He wants her to finish school so that she can move on with her life besides; he has supported her when she was referred to a community mental health clinic as suggested by her teachers to help her deal with her problems in an effective and efficient way.

o   Social life

The activities one engages in really say much about a person. Some are positive while others are negative geared in the ultimate moral destruction of a person. One is supposed to have fun but in a responsible manner. Negative forms of pleasing oneself could be as a result of trying to solve the problems one has or just by induction. In Jane’s case, she openly admits that she is sexually active but taking the necessary precautions. Presently, she is involved in a serious relationship that has lasted almost a year and her father is aware of their relationship. She also admitted to moderate alcohol consumption, driving under the influence, and occasionally blacking out or not being unable to remember events that take place while under the influence of alcohol. She stated that she does not use recreational drugs, but that she smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. However, she is aware of her risk taking behaviors and is working towards improving herself.

Conclusion

From the above study, it is evident that the surroundings children are raised up in and the people who raise them contribute a lot to their emotional, psychological and physical well being. Jane may represent other teenagers who are in the process of self-discovery where they are trying to identify themselves in regards to the attitudes, traits, abilities, habits, tendencies, and preferences so that they can fit in the world better.

 It is usually a long complex process which provides continuity between an individual’s past, present, and future. Adolescents should make an effort to try and understand their inner feelings and where they want to be in the future. Just as in Jane’s case, she expresses a strong desire to better herself and appears to uphold a sense of relief and safety knowing that it will take her dedication and commitment in order to triumph.