PSY 211 Project One

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Feb 20, 2024

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PSY 211 Project One Template Use this template to complete your case study analysis. Answer each question with a minimum of 3 to 5 sentences. Support your answers with credible sources when appropriate. Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information. 1. Describe the ways in which Piaget’s research applies to Kelly’s development. Jean Piaget’s constructivism theory posited that, “…children actively construct their own understandings of the world based on their interactions with it (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.)” Or children are not born with innate knowledge or simply learn knowledge from adults but come up with their own ideas based on their own observations and interactions with others and their environments. For example, a young child may believe the sun is alive because they have observed it move across the sky. Furthermore, Piaget’s theory suggests that, “…interaction between biological maturation and experience is responsible for the progress from one stage to another (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.)” Piaget’s research applies to Kelly’s development in that she learned through interactions with her mother and her environment. Unfortunately, Kelly spent critical developmental years in an environment where her mother drank excessively, struggled with her own mental health and addiction issues. Kelly’s interactions with her mother, who had mental health issues, could have influenced Kelly’s own mental health, leading to the possibility of similar illnesses. To conclude, Piaget’s theory of constructivism and interacting with one’s environment can be applied to Kelly’s development in relation to her mother’s history of mental illness and other struggles. 2. Describe the ways in which Vygotsky’s research applies to Kelly’s development. Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective posits that, “…cognitive development is shaped by the sociocultural context in which it occurs and grows out of children’s interactions with members of their culture (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.)” Furthermore, Vygotsky believed that the culture one grows up in will supply them with tools, such as language and problem-solving skills, that are passed from generation to generation. Therefore, Kelly would have learned thought processes and problem-solving skills from a more knowledgeable member of her culture, in this case, her mother. Kelly’s angry outbursts, fearfulness, self-isolation, and inability to regulate emotions could be the result of learning from her mother that these behaviors are normal responses to stimuli. It is possible that these behaviors are the manifestation of the cultural environment in which she grew up in. 3. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s physical well-being during the prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development. Due to Judi’s history of negligence to good health practices, it is plausible to suspect that she abused substances, such as illicit drugs or alcohol, during Kelly’s prenatal development, infancy, and early childhood. Unfortunately, exposure to these substances during these critical developmental stages can have far reaching deleterious physical effects both short and long term. It is well known that “ Almost all drugs are known to cross the placenta and have some effect on the fetus (Behnke & Smith, 2013.)” Some of the known physical effects of intrauterine exposure to drugs or alcohol include stunted fetal growth, neurobehavioral effects, vasovascular constriction, nutritional deficiencies or congenital abnormalities (Behnke & Smith, 2013.) If Judi 1

was actively using or drinking during Kelly’s birth and infancy, it is possible that Kelly could have suffered from withdrawal symptoms, low birth weight, tremors, or congenital defects such as a cleft palate or fetal alcohol syndrome. Furthermore, if Judi had breastfed Kelly during her infancy while still using drugs or alcohol, Kelly could have had an increased exposure to these substances via breastmilk. Unfortunately, early exposure to substances can continue to effect children long after the initial exposure. For example, “ the evidence is strong for fetal growth problems, congenital anomalies, and abnormal infant neurobehavior (Behnke & Smith, 2013.)” While Kelly’s possible exposure to drugs and alcohol in the prenatal, birth and early childhood years is likely, environmental factors could also possibly affect Kelly’s physical well-being. As previously stated, it has been reported that Judi has poor attention to good health practices. It is possible that Kelly did not have access to proper health screenings during her early development nor access to healthy nutrition which could have caused physical health problems or nutritional deficiencies. 4. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s cognitive well-being during the prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development. Similar to the answer above, possible exposure to drugs and alcohol during the prenatal and birth stage could have also had deleterious cognitive effects on Kelly. For example, “…low birth weight and teratogens such as maternal smoking and alcohol use and exposure to lead, air pollution, and other toxic chemicals during pregnancy appear to contribute to some cases of ADHD (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.)” This is a significant finding as Kelly has recently been found to have attention-deficit issues. Furthermore, fetuses and infants with exposure to drugs and alcohol can also experience lower IQ’s, poorer memory, poor executive functioning skills, deficits in problem solving skills, poor language development, and delayed developmental milestones (Behnke & Smith, 2013.)” While exposure to drugs and alcohol probably affected Kelly’s cognitive well-being, there is also the possibility that Judi’s mental illnesses could have also had influence over Kelly’s cognitive development. For example, “… New research shows that newborns are at risk of cognitive impairment if the mother suffers from a mental illness ( Early Childhood Mental Health , 2023.)” Additionally, Kelly was exposed to a significant trauma early in life, the passing of a sibling. The stress of this trauma and exposure to her mother’s mental illnesses could have influenced Kelly’s cognitive development which is evidenced in Kelly’s current behavioral issues. 5. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s psychosocial well-being during the early and middle childhood stages of development. One study concluded that, “ Mental illness in primary caregivers can impair the psychosocial development of the offspring. The psychological burden of parental mental illness may not only lead to emotional and behavioral difficulties in children, but also has a more general influence on the children’s social relationships, interests, and academic environment, and thus may affect the children’s overall well-being and life satisfaction (Radicke et al., 2021.)” Therefore, it can be assumed that exposure to Judi’s mental illnesses has influenced Kelly’s psychosocial well-being. Furthermore, children of parents with mental health or substance abuse issues often do not form secure attachments with their primary caregivers, which has the potential to cause confidence and relationship issues later in life. Additionally, the loss a sibling could have also influenced Kelly’s psychosocial well-being. It has been found that “… a number of psychological symptoms, most prominently neurosis and depression, appear to correlate with parental or 2

sibling death (Osterweis et al., 1984.)” Outside of Kelly’s home environment, there are other factors that appear to contribute to her psychosocial development at the early and middle childhood stages. For example, the case study states that Kelly often self isolates and withdraws from social situations. This would have made it very difficult for Kelly to form peer relationships. 6. Evaluate the sociocultural factors that could contribute to Kelly’s maladaptive behavior. Per the American Psychological Association (2023,) sociocultural factors are described as, “ environmental conditions that play a part in healthy and adaptive behavior and well-being or in maladaptive behavior and the etiology of mental disorder and social pathology.” Examples of sociocultural factors of a positive nature are a strong sense of family and community support, access to quality education and health care, availability of recreational facilities, and exposure to the arts. Unfortunately, Kelly suffers from a lack of these factors in her life as evidenced by her maladaptive behavior. While Kelly does have family, the relationship to her father is unknown, her mother has substance abuse and mental health issues, and experienced the loss of a sibling. However, it is a positive that Kelly has access to a school psychologist and noteworthy that Judi recognizes Kelly’s behaviors as maladaptive and has begun the process of seeking help for her daughter. Per the APA (2023,) Examples of a negative sociocultural factors that influence maladaptive behavior are poverty, extreme or restrictive occupational pressures, lack of good medical care, and inadequate educational opportunities. Although Kelly does have the support of her mother and school psychologist, her difficulty with relating and forming bonds with her peers could also be contributing to Kelly’s maladaptive behavior. Kelly recognizes that her angry outbursts are unsavory and will often withdraw and isolate away from others in social situations. Furthermore, in a previous case study, it was stated that Judi often could not hold down stable employment, which likely means that Kelly grew up in an impoverished household, a well- known contributing factor to maladaptive behavior. 7. Explain why it is important to consider the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial factors in combination (versus separately) throughout the life span when evaluating an individual’s well- being. Per Sigelman and Rider (2018,) health and wellness are lifelong processes and are multidimensional. Furthermore, overall wellness is comprised of physical, cognitive and psychosocial factors. Physical wellness refers to the body, its organs, and its physiological systems. Cognitive wellness refers to the ability to learn, problem solving skills, memory, and other mental processes. Psychosocial wellness refers to emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, and relationships. It is important to consider all three factors in a wholistic approach when evaluating an individual’s wellness because these factors are intertwined with one another. Similar to the life-span developmental perspective, over all wellness changes in one area influence other aspects of self (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.) For example, in Kelly’s case, it is possible that early exposure to substances, such as drugs and alcohol, affected her physical health. However, it also was detrimental to her cognitive development as well. Another example in Kelly’s case study, was the trauma she experienced in the form of losing a sibling. This event influenced both her cognitive and sociocultural development. 8. Describe the research or theory that best explains Kelly’s behavior. Explain your response. 3

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The theory that best explains Kelly’s behavior is Urie Bronfenbrenner’s systems theory called the bioecological model which conveys development occurs as the result of transactions between a person and their environment (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.) Moreover, Bronfenbrenner believed that a developing person is embedded within a series of environmental systems and that these systems interact with one another and with the individual over time to influence development. The first of four systems that explain Kelly’s behavior is the microsystem. A microsystem is, “an immediate physical and social environment in which the person interacts face-to-face with (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.)” Kelly was heavily influenced by her microsystem, which was her mother, Judi. For example, there is evidence that Judi might have exposed Kelly to drugs and alcohol has a fetus and infant, which could have possibly caused Kelly’s attention deficit issues. Another microsystem are the peers that Kelly interacts with at school. Her tendency to withdraw and isolate could be the result of the inability to form friendships or relate to others within this microsystem. The second of four systems that could explain Kelly’s behavior is the mesosystem which consists of the relationships between two of more microsystems (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.) For example, in Kelly’s situation, an unpleasant, difficult environment at home such as witnessing her mother’s mental illnesses could affect her learning ability in school, a second microsystem. The third system is the exosystem which involves social settings that individuals do not experience directly but that can still influence their development (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.) Examples of an exosystem could be how strong their parents’ social support is or children affected by their parents’ stress at work. As Kelly appears to be fearful and distrustful, it is possible that the stress of her mother’s circumstances is directly affecting Kelly and manifesting in her maladaptive behavior. The last system is known as the larger cultural or societal context in which the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem are embedded which includes a society’s cultural values, laws, political and economic systems, and institutions (Sigelman & Rider, 2018.) Kelly’s macrosystem could have affected her behavior by America’s over all attitude and stigmatization about mental health. For example, after Kelly’s angry outbursts she often feels guilt and shame which could be because it is culturally unacceptable. 4

References American Psychological Association. (2023). APA Dictionary of Psychology . Dictionary.apa.org. https://dictionary.apa.org/sociocultural-factors Behnke, M., & Smith, V. C. (2013). Prenatal Substance Abuse: Short- and Long-term Effects on the Exposed Fetus. PEDIATRICS , 131 (3), e1009–e1024. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-3931 Early Childhood Mental Health . (2023). Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/mental-health/#:~:text=As %20early%20experiences%20shape%20the ( Early Childhood Mental Health , 2023) Osterweis, M., Solomon, F., & Green, M. (1984). Bereavement During Childhood and Adolescence . Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217849/#:~:text=A%20number%20of %20psychological%20symptoms (Osterweis et al., 1984) Radicke, A., Barkmann, C., Adema, B., Daubmann, A., Wegscheider, K., & Wiegand-Grefe, S. (2021). Children of Parents with a Mental Illness: Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life and Determinants of Child–Parent Agreement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 18 (2), 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020379 (Radicke et al., 2021) Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2018). Life span human development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning Australia. 5

PSY 211 Project One

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