Human Development and Behaviour Case Study

Kaitlyn Elliot

In this essay I will look at the different stages of some of the care service users in the case study and identify their aspects of development and their influences. I will also look at their life experiences and how a care worker could understand the behaviour of a care service user in the case study.

Seamus who is at his older adulthood stage has multiple sclerosis and has been very ill for some time. It is important to find meaning of life instead of not wanting to do anything because you are old and feel like you should not be doing certain things. Physically Seamus’ reaction time is slowing down because of the loss of brain connections that break down as he gets older. He will find a gradual loss in muscle strength and mobility. Having strong muscles is important as they provide the force and strength to move the body so this will affect his posture and walk, and lead to slower movement. Having Multiple sclerosis also influences his physical development such as his vision, balance and can cause dizziness. This will make it harder for him to do the things he normally does in life or he maybe has to ask Marie to do it for him. Emotionally Seamus will be feeling more dependent on others and this could be making him upset or even depressed. He will be feeling worthless and helpless. These emotions could be influenced by the psychological reaction to MS or the side effects of the drugs he is having to take. He just wants to be treated the same way he was when he wasn’t in the older adulthood stage. Stress is a normal part of life for most people and Seamus might be feeling stressed and upset about his daughter be depressed and trying to take her own life, but in addition people with MS have to deal with the pressure the condition itself causes. Seamus’ grandchildren visiting often would be a great pleasure for him and make him happy however they have been moved to residential units so he won’t get to see them. Socialising in the older adulthood stage is important for the stimulation and motivation and may be more confident and experience a social life since he has more free time. However, he might struggle to go out because of his condition. Contact with his own children is important however his daughter is in hospital so he might find this hard to keep in contact with her. Cognitive development is also important in the older adulthood as they don’t want to feel useless. However, Seamus might take in new information slower than he used to. MS can also cause memory and thinking problems. He might also be unable to find the right word that he is thinking about. Celebrating familiar culture traditions can be comforting for Seamus and maybe make him happier. Having a sense of belonging to a community is important for him and may help him feel useful in a way and also wanted.

John is at his adolescence stage in life and is going through a lot of development stages. Physically he is rapidly increasing in growth and weight and he is just starting to hit puberty this means his voice is deepening and has a large increase in muscle strength. Peers are very important at this stage and they might be influencing him at school to not be doing his homework as they don’t think its “cool” enough for them. However because John is staying with his grandparents due to changes in family circumstances they do not allow him to have any friends over to socialize with, so this could be effecting his social development in a way that he feels lonely. John is having a lot of conflict with his grandparents as they do not like loud music and are becoming intolerant of having the children living with them. Emotionally John will be feeling upset and not knowing how to cope with the death of his father or the way his mum is. We can also see he is angry when his sister is put in a different residential unit 50 miles away from the one he is at and that she starts to make new friends and he has already absconded twice. Johns cognitive development is strongly noticed when he questions the views of his grandfather and starts to argue with him when he is trying to help him do his homework. John’s father Fred wanted his children to be doctors but John questions this when his grandfather is pushing him to be one when all he cares about is footballs. Being a part of peer culture is important for john at his age however with his grandparents being strict and not allowing him to do so is affecting his cultural development.

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Ola has had a few life experiences in her time one of these being the road accident where she lost her husband and had to give up working because of her injuries and depression from the accident. The Kubler – Ross Grief cycle is a theory which allows us to understand how grief can impact on Ola’s life. Ola is currently in the denial and depression stage of the cycle as she is refusing to accept the facts and reality of the crash and she is also avoiding her own children and family as she may be feeling overwhelmed and helplessness after being admitted to hospital after trying to take her own life.

A care worker could understand John’s behaviour by looking at the Carol Rodgers theory, as he believes that people can only fulfil their potential for growth if they have a positive view about their self and this can only happen if they are valued and respected by those around them. We can see that John doesn’t feel valued or respected by his grandparents as they are not allowing him to have any friends over or even have a social life and just want him to do homework so he does well at school as his dad wanted his kids to be doctors when all John really cares about is football so this shows us he is not able to fulfil his potential for growth. Another theory the care worker could use is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This theory is similar to Rodgers as they both believe that all humans are motivated towards achieving their full potential. Maslow stated that “People are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour.” Frustrated and unmet needs can lead to dysfunctional behaviour. John isn’t achieving the belongingness and love needs as he has lost his dad, his mum is refusing to see him and his grandparents are struggling to cope with him and his sister so moved them to residential units which has angered john and caused him to lash out. So this could be another way a care user could try to understand why johns behaviour is the way it is and help support him through his difficulties.

References:

SFEU (2007) National Qualifications Phycology for Care Intermediate 2

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