Case Study # 1 Adolescent Development

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Case Study # 1 Adolescent Development 1. From a developmental standpoint, how might we explain Ashley’s preoccupation with her appearance? In 1967, Dr. David Elkind defined adolescent egocentrism as adolescents’ believing that everyone around them is as concerned about their appearance as they are. He reported that adolescents tend to relax with this idealism the older they get (Schwartz, Maynard, Uzelac page 441). Though the case study scenario depicts a younger student, the example it provides is relevant to the study. In chapter 2, Ericksons definition of identity is described as, “being at home with ones body” (Snowman, McGowan, & Biehler, 2009). He also points out that adolescents can enter into role confusion and if they are unable to identify a sense of self. Being an adolescent is a difficult time. In the case study Ashley is so concerned with her appearance and how her peers see her that she is constantly late for class which lands her in a debate class. In chapter 3, that middle school students typically conform to what their peers are doing. Ashley is only 14 so she hasn’t quite developed a sense of self in regards to her appearance, and she is acting in a way that most of her peers are probably behaving. 2. From Piaget’s perspective, in which stage of cognitive development is Ashley? Explain your answer. It’s stated in the text, that with Piagets stages, children may use an advanced form of thinking for one problem but may resort back to less sophisticated form for another. The text also indicates that some psychologist consider Piagets stages to be overlapping(Snowman, McGowan, & Biehler, 2009). In this circumstance Ashley is very inflexible from her point of view and is unable to hear Mr. Wri... ... middle of paper ... ... hypothetical peer conversations to approximately 5,881 adolescents from the three stages of adolescents. The overall findings of the study do not support the idea that adolescents are critical of each others beliefs. Schwartz, P., Maynard, A., & Uzelac, S. (2008). ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM: A CONTEMPORARY VIEW. Adolescence, 43(171), 441-448. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Snowman, J, McGowan, R, & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Works Cited Schwartz, P., Maynard, A., & Uzelac, S. (2008). ADOLESCENT EGOCENTRISM: A CONTEMPORARY VIEW. Adolescence, 43(171), 441-448. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Snowman, J, McGowan, R, & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

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