Running head: DEVELOPING A CASECOUN5004Unit 8: Psychosocial, Lecture notes of Accounting

Download Running head: DEVELOPING A CASECOUN5004Unit 8: Psychosocial and more Lecture notes Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! Running head: DEVELOPING A CASE COUN5004 Unit 8: Psychosocial Development Case Study Assessment COUN5004 – Survey of Research in Human Development for Professional Counselors Psychosocial Development Case Study This case study will cover three different individuals who make up the family of Ralph South, including his wife Lenore, nephew Danny, and son Sonny. The family members span the age groups of young adult, middle adult and older adult. This case study will examine their life stages, psychosocial crisis at each stage of life, relationship to each other and development theory relating to their respective life stages. This case study will also references the concepts of resilience and wellness. Lenore - Older Adult, age 70 Lenore is a 70 year old female who is in the older adult stage of life. She has been married to Ralph for over 50 years, and has 3 children and a nephew. She used to be the caretaker for her elder mother in her final years of life. She is estranged from her eldest son, yet keeps in touch occasionally with his wife, her daughter in law. As an older adult, she is facing the psychosocial crisis of integrity versus despair, and as she ages, will be facing immortality and extinction. She also has some lingering issues with her middle adulthood crisis of stagnation. According to Wong, a “stagnant individual is no longer participating in or contributing to society and ceases to be productive, preferring a stagnant type of life” (Wong 2015). Lenore is unhappy with her life and often thinks back on her life in a negative view. Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory defines integrity as “Feeling at peace with oneself, others and the world, with no regrets or recrimination,”and despair as “Feeling regrets of wasted life and opportunities,” and “desiring the ability to turn back time to have a second chance in life, and fear of end of life” (Wong 2015). Lenore is categorized as struggling with despair, feeling as though her lifetime was negative and that her memories of growing up are not positively associated. She did not work and was often home alone feeling unproductive and lonely, and spends much of her time on the phone or computer not accomplishing anything except living in the past. Lenore is also nearing the age in which she will face the end of her life and look at her own mortality and how her life played out. Lenore has not worked for the majority of her life, with a husband of 50 years who has worked for much of their marriage, leaving Lenore home alone spending most of her time on the computer or cell phone, looking at the pictures of her grandchildren and reminiscing about negative childhood memories of her parents not having time for her. This has impacted her feelings of being alone and no one having time to spend with her. Her eldest son is estranged from her, which she regrets, and her husband makes himself busy working on the house to avoid conflict. These factors exacerbate her feelings of depression, loneliness and anxiety. She has a negative view of life in general and is not very active. This aspect of the life stage Lenore is currently experiencing is referenced in Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, categorizing some of the related psychopathology as “unsatisfied with past and present life” (Wong 2015). Lenore has not worked for the majority of her life, while those around her work. Her role in this stage of life is to be at home, and she spends her time on the phone or computer. Her family structure is strained, since she does not speak to her eldest son. Her other two children are independent and out of the house and do not depend on her. She used to care for her elderly mother, and that role was difficult for her. She has a strong support system in place anger issues and contribute to the feeling of isolation from his family. He also struggles with feeling financially competent to support his family. He also acts inappropriately at his children’s sporting events from his anger issues and feelings of being close with his family. He is not self reflective or able to have healthy relationships with his family members. Sonny struggled with weight management which was negatively impacting his relationship with his children and keeping up with their activities. Just like Danny spending time with his uncle Ralph, Sonny spending time with his children at their sport events and doing activities with them can have a strengthening effect on family relationships, according to Wong (Wong 2015). Sonny is also active with spending time with his own old teammates from college and high school and enjoys socializing with them. Sonny struggled at times with finding work and being able to afford supporting his family, which has been a strain to him. His troubles with his mother and sister leading to them being estranged and not speaking for some time have also taken a toll on his entire family. His wife stays in touch through cards but there is no contact between Sonny and his own family. Sonny is expected to be the man of the house and provide for his family, which is a struggle. Along with the social stigma of weight loss and body image that Sonny is not willing to discuss because he is not willing to be self reflective, he has some other issues to face. According to Wong, middle adulthood can be a good time for a counselor to “provide therapeutic assistance to support and facilitate the life journey to be taken” (Wong 2015). Functioning As a Family Unit The family structure of these three individuals is impacted by a few other family members as well. One part of the family to consider is the parents of Lenore, who she had to care for in their elder years. Another aspect to consider is the two other sisters of Sonny, who do not speak to him in order to protect themselves from his explosive comments that are damaging. Another branch of the family to consider is Danny’s wife and autistic son, and his son’s new relationship and new business. It is also important to look at Ralph and the perspective that he brings to the table. Family therapy in a safe setting where all voices can be heard and concerns voiced might be helpful for this family. There is resentment and long standing issues that should be confronted, so that the well being of the family moving through the upcoming life stages can be improved. Chopik demonstrated that “investing in close relationships is associated with better health, happiness, and well-being in adults across the lifespan” (Chopik 2017). As Lenore moves to the end of her life and the end of the life development stages, she will need more care from her children and husband, especially when it comes to physical and emotional needs. She may need ongoing therapy to battle her depression and anxiety relating to isolation and feelings of loneliness. According to Wong, in this life stage at the end of time, it is preferable for “older adults to look back on their lives and feel a sense of life fulfillment” (Wong 2015). Lenore will need her family to support her during this stage of her life. As Danny reaches older adulthood, he will start to look at his life and think about integrity versus despair. He will face life with an outlook of positive feelings towards his accomplishments or loneliness or sense of failure. At the moment he is feeling proud of his hard work and of his son. As his uncle and father figure begins to age he may need to take on the role of caretaker and deal with the challenges that brings. According to Wong, “intergenerational families have more support to offer to each other, and their quality of life is enhanced by their interactions,” which is reflected in Danny’s continuing supportive relationship with his uncle (Wong 2015). As Sonny ages and moves to the next life phase, middle adulthood, he will start to need to face his anger issues as he faces feelings of stagnation and generativity. He will begin to look at his life and the impact he has had on his family. He may find himself dealing with the aging of his own children, the aging of his estranged parents, facing the end of their lives and sorting out financial situations from their care in old age and death. According to Wong, middle adulthood “is a good time to reflect on successes and failures, develop a life structure, and enjoy the rest of life” (Wong 2015). Wellness and Resilience According to Wong, a few of the “keys to effectiveness and achievement in empowering older adults are creativity, attitude, positivism, and wellness” (Wong 2015). Wellness is the backbone of counseling for all ages, but as individuals move through life stages, facing the differing crises that arise in each stage, focusing on wellness and resilience during therapy and counseling sessions should be a consistent focus. With the struggles and factors facing an individual in mind, finding ways to promote and improve wellness through support systems and healthy relationships is the goal of counseling individuals. Conclus ion This case study covered the life stages and psychosocial crisis of three individuals making up a family spanning young adulthood, middle adulthood, and older adulthood. Each individual had specific factors contributing to their development socially and emotionally, and their relationships with one another are constantly changing with their transitions through various life stages. Research backs claims that psychosocial crisis change with life stages. Each individual has differing factors contributing to their own life stage and psychosocial crises. References Chopik, W. J. (2017). Associations among relational values, support, health, and well- being across the adult lifespan. Personal Relationships, 24(2), 408–422.