PEREZ CASE STUDY 1

Case Study of Samantha

Wendy Perez

College of Southern Nevada

PEREZ CASE STUDY 2

Case Study of Samantha

Introduction

Samantha is a 15-year-old girl, who is currently in the tenth grade. For her age, she is

currently at the grade level that she needs to be at. Since Samantha has been living with me for a

few months I have been able to observe her reactions and way of thinking towards certain things.

I began observing Samantha for a few months now and I have noticed many different things

about her. I would observe Samantha for a few days each week. Throughout my observation, I

have come to the conclusion that she follows typical behavior of an adolescent. I have learned

many thing about her through observing her on a daily basis.

Physical

According to Woolfolk, teenagers begin to pay attention to and go through physical

development (Woolfolk, 2014) Everyone starts to notice physical changes whether at school or at

home and it can have an effect on any person. Because of Samanthas age, she will start to

physically and mentally mature. Physically and mentally maturing is something that everyone

has to go through. I have noticed that does not like some of the things that are occurring as she is

maturing both physically and mentally. At this age, teenagers begin to care about how they look

or what they have on. They think about what others have to say about them and whether they will

look good in others eyes. In the DSHS website, it states that Samantha will start to develop acne,

grow in height, and may sexually mature (DSHS 1993). Samantha is someone who says she does

not care about what other teenagers have to say or what they believe.

Throughout my observation, I felt that she thinks exactly as most teenagers do. She cares

deeply about her appearance just like any other teenager. Most of the times it isnt a very good

thing. She needs to learn how to get past that stage and not care as much about her appearance as
PEREZ CASE STUDY 3

she does. Woolfolk states that people develop in an orderly fashion and Samantha has gone

through the infancy stage and is now at her teenage years where her body will start to change and

her mind will begin to expand with more knowledge that will help her care less about her

physical appearance (Woolfolk, 2014).

Intellectual

In an article by Jigsaw, teenagers start to feel independent. They begin to transition and to

transform themselves based on what they believe. (Jigsaw, 2009) Intellectually, Samantha

follows typical behavior of a teenager in certain situations. If Samantha is having trouble with

school she wont ask for help and will try to figure it out for herself. It makes sense for Samantha

to want to do things on her own because at that age she feels like she is transitioning from a child

to an adult. According to Piaget, by Samanthas age she should be able to stably think for herself

to make good choices. (Woolfolk, 2014) Samantha is constantly finding things to argue about.

Since she has reached her teenage years, she should be able to control her thinking in order for

her to thrive on arguments.

Through observation, I have learned that Samantha has reached that age where she thinks

that she is always right. Samantha needs to work on her development to pass that stage where she

behaves intellectually at her own level. According to Vygotsky, adult guidance is an important

factor to help intellectual development. (Woolfolk, 2014) I feel that Samantha needs a role model

that will help her throughout this stage in her life.

Social

According to the Washington State Child Development website, the typical

characteristics of a 12 to 15-year-old child consist of withdrawal of parent because the child

might feel that the parents are old-school or old-fashioned. During that age, children become
PEREZ CASE STUDY 4

rebels and begin to feel that their parent do not let them do the things that they want to do. As

well as being annoyed by the parents, during this age teenagers become annoyed by their

younger siblings (DSHS 1993). Samantha displays the same characteristics mentioned in the

website. In Erik Eriksons theory he mentions how there are eight stages that suggests that a

person must go through eight stages throughout life. In the fifth stage, he states that the

adolescent stage is the most crucial for developing a persons identity. I noticed that Samantha

was having trouble coming out of her shell and figuring out her true identity. Samantha is very

social and has many friends, but I noticed that at times she enjoys being alone. She tends to be

annoyed very much by her siblings. I also noticed that she not only gets annoyed by her siblings,

but by her cousins and other people as well. She does not have the greatest relationship with her

parents and does not like to show affection most of the time, which is typical behavior at her age.

(Woolfolk 2014)

Although Samantha displays the same characteristics mentioned, she needs to practice

overcoming the areas she has trouble with in order for her to get through each of Eriksons

stages. Samantha will practice identifying her likes and dislikes to figure out her identity. She

will have to explore different situations and go through different behaviors to determine what is

best for her. She will be able to identify who she is and have no trouble accepting who she is

when she has gone through each stage and experiences that come along with them. (Woolfolk,

2014)

Emotional

Samantha can go day to day without having any emotional breakdowns. I noticed that she

is a very strong girl and can handle most of the obstacle that she is put through. As a 15-year-old

I feel like she had gone through many things that people dont usually hear about. During my
PEREZ CASE STUDY 5

observation, there were a few times where Samantha did have an emotional breakdown, but it

was something that most teenagers go through. According to Woolfolk, self-concept is a key

factor to social and emotional development. (Woolfolk, 2014)

The normal characteristics for a 15-year-old according to the DSHS website, include,

verbal anger towards an authority and worrying about appearance, grades, and popularity.

(DSHS 1993) I feel that Samantha does not worry much about being popular, but she does worry

about her grades and appearance most of the time. It is normal for her to feel like that, but she

needs to overcome that to surpass the stage that she is in. I agree with Woolfolk, self-esteem

plays a huge factor with self-concept and achievement. In order for Samantha to be able reach

self-actualization she must overcome any emotional obstacle she might be put in and be less

fearful of the outcome. (Woolfolk, 2014)

Moral

Samantha seems to be able to distinguish right from wrong. Since she is 15 years old, I

feel that she should be able to do so. I noticed that there were a few times that Samantha

wouldnt make the best decisions. She would decide on the things trying to reach an outcome

that was best for her. According to Woolfolk, Kohlbergs theory suggests that a child tries to

reach a decision based on what they think is right or wrong. (Woolfolk, 2014) As a teenager, you

weigh the alternatives and come to a decision by seeing all perspectives that you can.

Also, in Kohlbergs theory in the individualism and exchange stage children begin to see

that there are many alternatives and perspectives (Woolfolk, 2014). At the beginning of my

observation, Samantha wasnt good at receiving different points of views from other people. She

felt that her way was the only way and her opinion was the best. Samantha has progressed and is

starting to see that there are several ways of seeing things, which have helped her when making a
PEREZ CASE STUDY 6

decision. Although Samantha has progressed and is starting to see different views, she still needs

to practice analyzing each one to help her on a daily basis.

Conclusion

Overall, I have come the conclusion that Samantha is on track and shows most of the

characteristics that a teenager displays. She is beginning to physically mature, she enjoys

arguing, she has many relationships with people at school, etc. I feel that adolescent years can be

very tough, but with the help of family and friends Samantha can learn more about herself and be

able to handle being in different situations. She will be able to successfully go through the rest of

the stages that Erikson theory states.

PEREZ CASE STUDY 7

References

(2009). About Jigsaw. Retrieved from http://www.jigsaw.org.nz/Site/About/Default.aspx

DSHS Child Development Guide Five to Six Years. (1993). Retrieved from

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ca/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg07.htm

Woolfolk, A. (2014). Educational Psychology (12th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson Education.