Person Paper. Page 1.

Section 1: Person Paper

Brooke Grill

Salt Lake Community College

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The first stage of development is conception. Once conception has occurred the zygote

will continue the process of the germinal, embryonic and fetal periods of pregnancy. This zygote

is going to be the baby of two young, newlyweds. The husband just turned 24 years old and the

wife is 19. They are both in the lower class and live in western Utah. They both work to take care

of the new coming baby and the wifes daughter, who is 2. The husband works for a construction

company and the wife works as a waitress. Both parents are generally healthy even though they

both smoke cigarettes. The pregnancy was normal and the child arrived on the due date. When

the child was born, there was many unexpected complications to the delivery. The fetus had a

bowl movement before exiting the womb. Once the child was born the NICU respiratory

therapist took the newborn into a separate room. Where they continued to suction out the lungs

and throat of any bacteria and feces. After the child was taken under a brief surveillance the

parents met their daughter. They named her Mercadies and the child would have a birth defect of

a heart murmur. The next day the mother and baby left the hospital, happy and healthy.

Once the child left the hospital the parents took exceptional care of the newborn and two-

year-old. As the newborn grew into an infant she learned early on how to eat whole foods, sit,

and walk. The infant was toilet trained by 12 months of age. The child was hitting all the

developmental factors, such as her: motor skills, sensory-motor systems and information

processing. Her growth wasnt hitting the developmental marks it shouldve. The child weighed
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about 12 pounds at 12 months. Weight gain is dramatic. Newborns lose few ounces in the first

three days and then gain an ounce a day for several months. Birthweight typically doubles by 4

months and triples by a year. (Berger K. 2014, chapter 3, p. 92 ).

The child also developed emotionally. Around 8 months old the infant became warier of

her surroundings and other people. The child never developed a separation anxiety from the

parents. The child was also very temperamental starting at the age of 5 months. The child

developed anger frequently and continued into the toddler years. anger is evident at 6 months

usually triggered by frustration such as when infants are prevented from moving of grabbing.

(Berger K. 2014, chapter 4, P. 133). Into toddler-hood, the child continued to throw temper

tantrums. Where the child would become frustrated, and try to hit, or throw herself on the ground

and cry. Just like most typical toddlers that child would become upset before naps or when in

need. Toddlers are famous for fury, when something angers them so much that they yell,

scream, cry, and do something physical- throw a chair, throw a punch, throw themselves on the

floor. Logic is beyond them: if adults respond with anger or teasing, that makes it worse. Soon

sadness comes to the fore, and then comfort (not acquiescence or punishment) is helpful.

(Berger K. 2014, Chapter 4, P. 134).

The toddler was also starting to develop memory, self-awareness, and attachment. As she

grows to the age of two. The child develops more emotions and learns how to control them

depending on their social norms. These emotions require social and soft awareness, which

emerges from family interactions, shaped by the culture. (Mesquite & Leu, 2007, chapter 4,

P.134). After learning self and social awareness, the child starts to develop memories from the

early toddler years. Remembering her first Christmas, where she received wooden blocks and a
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train set with markers to color. The toddler also forms an attachment to her father towards the

age of 3. The child forms a secure attachment. Close father-infant relationships can teach infants

appropriate expressions of emotion particularly anger. The results may endure: Teenagers are less

likely to lash out at friends and authorities if, as infants, they experienced a warm, responsive

relationship with their father. (Berger K. 2014, Chapter 4, P.148).

By the age of 4 the child is entering Early Childhood. The child has developed allergies

to trees, grass and other seasonal pollen. She develops hives all over the body and the sclera of

the eye swells. The child also becomes a victim of molestation at this age. The child only had

one incident of molestation and told an adult shortly after the incident occurred. Both children

were put into therapy for the incident. This environmental factor plays a large factor in the

childs life later. After the incident was taken care of the family decided to travel with the father

for his job that he recently got. The family traveled around the western United States from the

ages of 3-5. Until the oldest had to start kindergarten. While traveling the children were educated

about the different places they would see. Mercadies was able to read by the age of 4 at a first-

grade reading level. Her speed of thought and logic has started to become clearer. When most

children would attend pre-schooling the child was being homeschooled while traveling. The

child has no problems with her vocabulary or grammar, however has a difficulty with a lisp and

pronunciation of R and W.

The child also has psychosocial development from the ages of 2-6 years old. Mercadies

had become emotionally balanced at a normal age and was taught by parents how to control

emotions correctly to best fit the situation. Though the child does have anger at times, the child

over-all doesnt physically act on those emotions by time she enters kindergarten. The child
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matures quickly from fear also, by kindergarten the child wanted mother to leave before entering

the classroom. Going through early childhood the girl main playmates were her sister, and

neighboring children of the same ages. The children mostly played associatively and

cooperatively. Her favorite was to pretend and be imaginative. This is called drama and

pretending. This type of play helps explore and rehearse social roles and practice emotional

regulation. Younger children tend to play with social interaction such as teasing one another. As

children become older, they tend to have more sociodramatic play. For Mercadies her kind of

play was based around mystical creatures like fairies. The child had grown a fascination to

Tinkerbell throughout early-childhood.

The parenting type used in the household was authoritative. authoritative parents raise

children who are successful, articulate, happy with themselves, and generous with others. These

children are usually liked by teachers and peers, especially in cultures that value individual

initiative. (Berger K. 2014 Chapter 6, P.218). Throughout the childs early and middle

childhood, the parents were always focused on a goal for her, but wouldnt force the child. This

helped the child learn and grow more with her self-concept. As she enters middle childhood, her

self-concept alters to become more logical and specific. She will also start to change her concern

of opinions off her family and onto her peer at this stage. When the opinions of peers become

relevant, self-esteem starts to develop. Self-esteem is the development of feelings during middle

childhood, that forms an idea of them self by comparing themselves with peers. For Mercadies,

self-esteem always lacked. As mentioned when starting elementary, she had a lisp. Her speech

impediment didnt fully subside and she still has a noticeable lisp when saying many S sounds in

a row. She was teased and mimicked from the age of 7 onto middle school. The child developed

mentally and physically throughout middle childhood. She went to a public standard education
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elementary school in a small town. At school she excelled, being able to receive 100% on

assessments and tests. The child never needed any additional learning assistance.

At the age of 11 the child started to experience the changing and development of puberty.

Puberty refers to the years of rapid physical growth and sexual maturation that end childhood,

producing a person of adult size, shape, and sexuality. (Berger K. 2014 Chapter 9, P. 319). First

the girl started to experience the development of the breast and pubic hair. After about 3-4

months of this she has a growth spurt where her hips widen, shortly after menarche occurs.

Mercadies was the first girl in her class to experience the changes of puberty. Luckily, her mother

and older sister could course her through the changings of her body. It is common for girls to

experience depression and poor body image do to early puberty. Mercadies fell into the self-harm

as a young teenager. At the age of 12, she had started self-harm. Entering middle school had a

negative effect on the preteen, worsening of depression and more self-harm. During puberty,

young people center many of their thought on themselves, in part because maturation of the brain

heightens self-consciousness. It is typical for young adolescents to think deeply (but not always

realistically) about the own emotions regarding adults, education, friends and the future. (Berger

K. 2014 Chapter 9, P.333). By the age of 14 the child tries to commit suicide and is unsuccessful.

The child reaches out to her parents shortly after the incident, later she is diagnosed with anxiety

and depression. By time she enters high school she is fully developed both physically and

maturely. She made the transition from middle school into high school seamlessly. Developing

through the next 3 years of high school: educationally, mentally and emotionally. Brain

development in adolescents continues with more myelination forming. By more connections

forming in the brain teenagers can activate reward areas of the brain, creating mood-enhancing

neurotransmitter increases, making them happier. Between a mixture of medication and better
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thinking Mercadies can cope with her anxiety and depression and continue throughout life. Now

at 18 years old she is living on her own, working a full-time job and a part time job and going to

part-time college. Still growing and developing each day.

Work cited:

Berger K. (2014) Invitation to the Life Span: Second Edition. New York, NY: Worth

Publishers.