Running Head: PRISM III

PRISM III
Erving Marure Sosa
EDU220
12/09/2015
Professor Theri L. Wyckoff

PRISM III
PRISM III
Nayeli is 13-years-old, who attends the 7th grade, and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Emily Badger, Nayelis parents would belong in the working class since her father
is in construction and her mother is stay at home (Washington Post, 2014). Her ethnic ancestry
would be Mexican which the majority of her family is, although she would be considered
Mexican American (Info please,2015). Both of her parents graduated high school, being in the
second lowest economic, in regards to educational attainment and unemployment
(Careeronestop, 2015). Nayelis nuclear-immigrant family is composed of her mother, father,
older brothers Bryan and Erving, and her younger sister Monica (Edwards, 2009). Nayeli and her
family worship Catholicism, every Sunday she accompanies them in mass, and observes Catholic
holidays throughout the year (Pew Research Center, 2015).
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs represents five segments of growth and is presented in
continuous order (Snowman, 2014, p. 252). Nayeli lives in a stable working family, which would
illustrate how the first three needs of Physiological, Safety, and Belongingness are being
fulfilled. During the early adolescent developmental stage, Nayeli is having ongoing issues with
her self-esteem since hormones are rampant throughout her body. As a result, her needs of
esteem and self-actualization are progressing slowly since the teenage development is constantly
developing (Snowman, 2014, p. 252).
I chose to observe Nayeli since she is my sister, and due to my busy schedule could not
be able to observe other children. Living with a teenage girl provided great insight into how
adolescents behave in comparison to what is expected of them. The advantage in observing my
sister was that she could go with her normal life without me intruding her or having her react
differently. The observation lasted approximately two weeks since much information was already

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known of her before the case study.
Physical /General
Nayeli turned 13 recently in October. According to Callaway (2013), at 12 years old, the
average girl is 59 inches tall and weighs 92 pounds, then at age 14 years old, the average girl is
63 inches and weighs 109 pounds. From these estimates a 13-year-old girl should be 61 inches
tall and weigh about 101 pounds. Nayeli weighs 155 pounds and is 64 inches tall, which are
above the normal for her age level. Her extra weight is more likely a result of her above average
height, since she eats adequately and is not a decisive eater. However, another contributing factor
to her weight would be a lack of proper exercise, since she spends most of her time sitting down
watching television or on the computer. According to Snowman and McCown (2014), Early
maturing girls are taller and heavier than their peers have lower self-esteem, lacking in
poisemore likely to develop eating disorders and depression (p.59-60). She is an early
maturing adolescent, which is emphasized by her weight and height. Unfortunately, she has low
self-esteem and is always in a depressed mood since she feels overweight. These factors would
emphasize that she indeed is an early-maturing girl.
Maslows first hierarchy level of Physiological need is being fulfilled since Nayeli has an
adequate lifestyle and overall well being (Snowman, 2014, p. 252). Nayeli does not have to
struggle with the simplest needs of water, food, housing or other necessary physiological needs,
but instead has the privilege in devoting time to school and extracurricular activities. Nayeli is
pleasant and secure in her surroundings, thus resulting in dedicating time and effort towards
other lifes activities.
To help further her development, Nayelis parents should be attentive into how she eats
ad develops her health. She should eat well by staying away from junk food, getting the right
amount of sleep, and making sure she does not use illegal substances for her age. Her parents

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must also provide comfort and positive feedback due to the fact that she is an early maturing
adolescent and may suffer from depression (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.59)
Emotional
Snowman and McCown (2014) argue that early adolescents experience more intense
emotions than adults, those emotions are both positive and negative (p. 62). Nayeli, during the
observation, experienced these feelings since she is entering early adolescence and this is the
time when hormones are rampant throughout the human body. She frequently struggles with
social and emotional problems such as fitting among peers and having obsessions with music
bands, which is common for adolescent girls. Although she does encounter positive emotions
which are helping her, it is difficult for her parents and brothers to communicate effectively
about problems she has or even give advice. Twelve to fifteen year olds typically sulk and direct
verbal anger at authority figures (DSHSFosterparentscope, 1993). Nayeli believes they are being
intrusive and cannot relate to the emotional difficulties she is having, thus ignoring their advice.
The text further explains how teenagers become self centered, such is the case for Nayeli
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p 62). Currently, she believes whatever she is doing is right and
feels frustrated with responsibilities. Nayeli seeks complete privacy at home: closing the
bathroom and bedroom doors, doing laundry alone, washing dishes without anybody watching.
Maslows second segment in the Hierarchy of Needs, Safety, is being fulfilled since
Nayeli feels safe in her home, school, environment, and around most individuals (Snowman,
2014, p. 252). Nayeli feels secure with the people she meets every day and her surroundings,
thus having her be a carefree teenager in social media and in school. Her being an early
adolescent is having the transition between interacting from children towards adults more often;
fortunately she has had a secure transition with adults. The safety surrounding Nayelis life has
allowed for a positive outlook towards society and people she meets.

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Snowman (2014) would declare that adolescents require more attention since they go
through a period of intense emotions and egocentrism which may affect their academia (p. 62).
To meet Nayelis emotional needs, much attention must be made towards alleviating her negative
feelings by placing comfort and positive advice. Her egocentrism can be eased by remembering
to calm down on issues that may not be of much importance and instead dedicate time towards
school.
Intellectual/Cognitive
Nayeli being 13 years of age, Piaget would discuss that she is able to deal with
abstractions, solve problems systematically, and engage in mental manipulations; thereby she has
achieved Piagets formal operational stage (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p 25-27). She does
indeed excel in what is expected of her which includes analogies and complex mathematical
problems. The Snowman and McCown (2014) textbook declares that middle school students
become adept of analyzing themselves by self efficacy (p. 65). This means that children at this
level acknowledge how good they are at some subjects but not on others. Nayeli excels in
Orchestra, Spanish, and tennis although math and reading are not her favorite subjects, which
means that she is maturing well in this stage.
Howard Gardner would suggest Nayeli excelling in the musical, spatial, and bodily
kinesthetic intelligences out of the five remaining intelligences which include: logical
mathematical, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist (Snowman & McCown,
2014, p.75). Gardners theory suggests that there are many ways to be intelligent since there is no
uniformly manner to asses IQ. Nayeli excelling in certain subjects is perfectly normal, since no
human will accomplish all intelligences; as a result, she tends to improve the areas she prefers.
Robert Stenberg would further describe Nayelis character as overcoming her creative

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intelligence out of his triarchy theory of intelligences, which also includes analytical and critical
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.77). She would prefer drawing and creating rather than
following formal rules. Stenbergs theory would explain why Nayeli prefers to write stories or
read fictional novels rather than solve mathematical problems or read nonfiction books.
Lev Vygotsky pioneered the idea of a sociocultural theory, which implies that how we
think is influenced by social and historical cultural forces (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.32).
This indicates that children during maturation will conform and adapt unofficial rules stated by
their respective culture. Nayeli being a maturing teenager, is adapting many ideals of her
American culture such as social media usage and relying heavily on the Internet.
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs remains obscure on cognitive development, nonetheless
Maslow has stated that cognition is still vital to human development (Snowman, 2014, p. 252).
Acknowledging how society functions is essential to acquiring safety and acceptance.
Adolescents frequently struggle in developing their thoughts and knowledge content, so Nayeli
occasionally asks her mother for guidance. Her parents place pressure on her to fulfill her
academic and life capabilities to the best of her abilities.
Recommendations for Nayeli would be suited by Sternberg who suggested that
improving and attaining personal goals signified gaining intelligence (Snowman & McCown,
2014, p. 74). In order to improve parts of her intelligence, Nayeli must be encouraged to pursue
any type of goal that can be attained in a timely manner, for example studying for an exam that
she feels unsecure about. Vygotsky had stated that through social interactions people retain
cognitive processes, thus saying Through others we become ourselves (Snowman & McCown,
2014, p.34) Nayeli must be encouraged to follow model friends and people instead of those that
may lure her towards a negative path. Adolescents may be easily influenced so much importance

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must be placed on her friends and role models.
Social/Psychosocial
Snowman and McCown (2014) explain how Early adolescents find it reassuring to dress
and behave like others, and they are likely to alter their own opinions to coincide with that of a
group (p. 60). Nayeli does not have a best friend, but she does have nine best friends, according
to her. This would emphasize an attraction to a group and being more related to what that the
group does. For example, she wants to dress this way like only purchasing certain items or even
wearing specific clothing. According to the DSHS website, early teenagers might withdraw from
parents and feel they are too restrictive, thus causing them to rebel (DSHS Fosterparentscope,
1993). During this stage, children will grow a dislike for authority and feel the need to rebel.
Nayeli used to be attached with her mother, although recently, she has been questioning her
authority. She prefers to back away from her parents and feels they do not like her. Occasionally,
she argues with them and rebels by not doing what they ask of her.
Erik Erikson explains that during the middle school years, people will go through identity
versus role confusion which signifies no clear concept of an appropriate behavior for others
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 19). As a result, early adolescents will struggle in deciding what
constitutes as an appropriate act towards others, and also argue about their identity. Nayeli does
not know what would be appropriate and frequently changes her image, having no clear vision of
image. James Marcia proposed four identity statuses that would affect adolescents; Nayeli would
be in a state of identity diffusion since she has weak ideas about her future and feels alienated
from society (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.21).
Maslows third segment on the Hierarchy of Needs requires the need to feel
belongingness and love (Snowman, 2014, p. 252). The need is being fulfilled since Nayeli feels

PRISM III
confident and secure with family and friends. Love is being met by her close family and the
companionship of her multiple friends fulfills belongingness. Aesthetic needs such as harmony,
symmetry and order were, according to Maslow, vital to the hierarchal needs (Snowman, 2014,
p. 252). Nayeli has the privilege to live in a caring and stable home, including organization in
the household enforces the need of love and belonging.
Improvements for Nayeli would be advised in providing positive feedback and in
deciding her future goals. Erik Erikson would suggest giving her tasks that can be completed
successfully, such as washing her dishes or taking charge of her duties and personal health
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.24). In offering tasks, Nayeli becomes independent, thus
allowing her to mature properly instead of living like a child all her life. Her identity would be
improved into gaining identity achievement by being advised about her future plans and being
provided with positive feedback. (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.21) Thereby by introducing
Nayeli with new ideas, she becomes more aware of her surroundings and of society.
Moral
During the observation of everyday life, Nayeli always sought for equal or improved
treatment of herself. If others drank or ate something special, she also wanted that same item.
Piaget describes children in the 13-year-old level to see rules as a set of mutual agreements and
observing a morality of cooperation, which includes fair punishment for the rights of others
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p 40). Nayeli sees her older brothers as adult figures, who
according to her do not understand her. She believes their rules and guidelines are wrong and
they are just being too intrusive, believing that what she is doing is right. She will share with her
siblings, although it is limited in her favor. Nayeli tends to be relaxed on rules imposed by her
parents, such as overdoing her computer time limit, bedtime, and internet usage including social

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media.
Lawrence Kohlberg declares that children in the 13-year-old level Believe punishment
should involve either restitution or suffering the same fate as ones victim (Snowman &
McCown, 2014, p. 41). If someone is caught doing something wrong, Nayeli believes that they
deserve to be punished with whatever crime they committed. For example, when her younger
sister eats cookies during lunch or spills something, Nayeli believes that she should be spanked
or be banned from eating cookies for a week.
Nayeli has grown to care about others and acknowledge the issues of others, which
according to Carol Gilligan, would emphasize her proper female growth of caring and
cooperating (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.43). Nel Noddings care theory suggests a innate
human desire for goodness, emphasizing if a true relationship exist, Nayeli cares about some
people like her friends and sister more than others (Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.44).
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs fourth segment of esteem is being fulfilled in relation to
Nayelis concept of morality (Snowman, 2014, p. 252). Morality has a major component of
respect which closely relates to how she respects others and herself. Nayelis view of justice and
equality determine her level of esteem which she must just develop in respecting herself.
Adolescence results in a turbulent stage for moral implications, though especially in respecting
ones body and others, thus Nayeli must fully comprehend the value of respect.
Developing Nayelis concept of mutual agreement in moral understanding will help
increase her self-awareness over the issue. Since she is growing into an adult, Nayeli must
comprehend the issue behind Piagets morality of cooperation in which order is set among equals
(Snowman, 2014, p. 40). During interactions with friends and family she has to understand that
everyone deserved to be treated fairly and must refrain from being selfish over sharing. Carol

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Gilligans theory that female adolescents place preference over care, understanding, and sharing
must be taken into consideration in raising a female teenager (Snowman, 2014, p. 43). Nayeli
may feel uncomfortable with separation and independence from her family, so care must be
given in this aspect to retain her innate emotional feelings towards others.
Conclusion
Nayeli is on track and in the correct stages of every aspect of her development.
Physically, she is in a state of well being and is an early maturing teenager which does not
necessarily imply she is not developing well. Emotionally, Nayeli is an even-tempered and
mostly well-spoken teenager. Intellectually, she is able to think logically or creatively about
problems and has been able to learn quickly. Socially, she is extremely independent and
confident in her abilities, while at the same time enjoying the comfort and safety of a core group
of friends and a loving family. Morally, Nayeli is very cooperative and has mutual agreements on
order, with a justice-oriented attitude towards what is fair. She has a stable home and school life
with working and dedicated parents. Nayeli does not have to worry about the most important
physiological needs, which then result in the other needs being successfully met. As a result, she
has been able to develop normally and at an expected pace.

References
Ancestry of U.S. Population by Rank. (2011). Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762137.html

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Badger, E. (2014, September 29). Mapped: How the creative class is dividing U.S. cities.
In The Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/29/mapped-how-the-creativeclass-is-dividing-u-s-cities/
Callaway, C. (2013, August 16). The Average Height and Weight by Age |. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/328220-the-average-height-and-weight-by-age/
CareerOneStop. (2015). More education means more money. In CareerOneStop. Retrieved from
http://www.careerinfonet.org/finaidadvisor/earnings.aspx
DSHS Fosterparentscope. (1993). Child Development: Using the Child Development Guide.
Retrieved from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm
Edwards, J. O. (2009). The many kinds of family structures in our communities. In Sonoma
County Office of Education. Retrieved from https://www.scoe.org/files/ccpc-familystructures.pdf
Pew Research Center. (2015, May 12). America's changing religious landscape. In Pew Research
Center: Religion and Public Life. Retrieved from
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/
Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2014). Ed psych. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage
Learning.