Childhood Observation

Observation Paper #4

Class/section: FHS 1500-017
Your Name: Brandi Pickle
Assignment: Observation 4

Background Information
Child’s age: Adolescent 13-18 years old
Fictitious name: “Sky”
Location: Woods Cross High
Brief Description: Observation/ interview with an adolescent aged girl named Sky.

Biological Development

Maturation is one of those stages that everyone has to go through, and during the adolescent years is when most of these changes begin to happen. People between the ages of 13 to 18 start to figure out who they really are and what they identify as, as well as what their personal beliefs and opinions about everything are. However, adolescents also make poor decisions once in a while, such as what time they go to bed every night.

In my interview with Sky, she disclosed that some of her friends, as well as others she knows, don’t go to bed until almost midnight or 1 in the morning, while she herself goes to bed at 10 and wakes up between 7 or 8 in the morning. She also noted that she is definitely a morning person rather than a night person; she really enjoys time to herself first thing in the morning. To me, this shows that her circadian rhythm is right on track. A circadian rhythm is defined as “a day-night cycle of biological activity that occurs approximately every 24 hours” (Berger, 2016, p. 318).
Another common yet serious issue some adolescents face is body image. Sky stated that she has a very positive body image, but her best friend Maddie suffers from anorexia. Anorexia nervosa, as it is called, is characterized by “severe calorie restriction and the fear of being fat” (Berger, 2016, p. 325). While Maddie obviously needs some help, it’s not my place to tell Sky that. However, I am particularly proud of sky’s positive body image and the fact that she doesn’t obsess and isn’t anxious about it like most people.

Cognitive Development

Transitioning appears to be happening a lot during adolescent years, particularly with regards to school. Our textbook states “Moving from primary school to middle school is stressful, because teachers, classmates, and expectations all change during a developmental period considered especially crucial for learning” (Berger, 2016, p. 341). Sky stated that she doesn’t particularly like school, but there are some subjects that she is really skilled in. Her favorite subjects in school are English and science, and she loves learning about how the world works. Adolescents can think “abstractly, analytically, hypothetically, and logically as well as subjectively, emotionally, intuitively, and experimentally” (Berger, 2016, p. 344), and I would think any one of those approaches would be similar to how Sky thinks while she is in school.
When asked if she had any plans after high school, Sky mentioned that she wasn’t quite sure.

She had possibly thought about either getting a part time job or going to college, both of which are tough decisions, depending on circumstances beyond most people’s control. She also stated that she was only in her second year of junior high school, and that she felt she had plenty of time to decide what she wanted to do with her life. Children are the ones that are asked “What will you be when you grow up?”, and they usually answer with careers such as “a Singer” or “a Millionaire”. However, as an adolescent, this question becomes harder to answer; they get the most targeted question” are you college material?” (Berger, 2016, p. 344). They think about what jobs are available and how enjoyable and demanding they are, how much they get paid, etc. With that said, I believe that it’s never too late to start planning your future, and in Sky’s case, I think she should start as soon as

possible.

Psychosocial Development

As adolescents get older, they usually rebel against everything, and their hormones are usually a lot stronger as well.

These hormones awaken sexual interest and so adolescents are usually involved in romantic relationships as a result. Sky stated in our interview that although she does want to have kids someday, she and her boyfriend Josh are putting that off for as long as possible. She also stated that while she is sexually active, she understands the risks of unprotected sex, thanks to her parents, and as such always uses some form of protection every time she has sex. Our textbook states “sex education begins within the family” along with course programs within school (Berger, 2016, pg. 367). I feel like awareness has definitely increased, especially with safe sex being taught in school nowadays. It seems like everyone should be aware and take the right precautionary measures before having

sex.
Adolescents are influenced by many people, but they rely on their peers to help them “navigate the physical changes of puberty, the intellectual challenges of high school, and the social adjustments of leaving childhood” (Berger, 2016, p. 359). Sky stated that in her school, there are several different crowds, but that she prefers to hang out with positive, upbeat people, and she doesn’t care about labels. Someone once persuaded her to smoke a cigarette, but she refused. I was glad that Sky didn’t give in to peer pressure, as most adolescents do to make themselves feel cool and like they fit in somehow. Peer pressure can be defined as “when people of the same age group encourage particular behavior, dress and attitude” (Berger, 2016, p. 360).
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Reference List

Berger, K. S. (2016). Invitation to the life span (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.