Running Head: PEPSI 1

PEPSI
Maria Roush
College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220 Principles of Psychology

Professor Brattin
April 28, 2018
Running Head: PEPSI 2

Biography

This PEPSI case study is done on Brandy, a 10 year old female. Brandy is in the 4th grade

and currently attends Estes McDoniel Elementary School which Brandy has attended for

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade, attended Nate Mack for 3rd grade, and came back to Estes

McDoniel for 4th grade. Brandy has long light brown hair and big brown eyes as well as clusters

of freckles on both cheeks. She excitedly tells me that she has lost 27 teeth and how good the

tooth fairy has been to her showing me her piggy bank full of dollar bills and coins. Brandy is

mixed with German, Irish, Mexican, and Indian and explains how she started learning to speak

Spanish when she was in Kindergarten at which time she says “Como estas” perfectly and her

face lights up with pride. Brandy lives with her mom, dad, older brother (16), older sister (27),

and two younger cousins (6 and 4) and has 4 other siblings that do not reside in the home with

her ranging from the ages of 19-25.

Running Head: PEPSI 3

Physical Development

Brandy is tall for her age measuring 4 feet 11 inches and weighs around 125 pounds.

Gessel makes the statement that ten-year-olds will, “take sheer delight in physical activity; their

stamina is higher…” which Brandy exhibits despite getting fatigued easily. She doesn’t get as

much physical activity as she’d like but when she is able to she prefers riding her new bike

around her neighborhood and dancing. Brandy doesn’t eat as healthy as she could and mostly has

processed foods, carbs, and not enough fruits and vegetables which contributes to the fact that

she is slightly overweight. Brandy expresses to me that she wishes she had healthier options to

choose from as she sees people around her eating healthier foods like fresh fruits and vegetables,

hard boiled eggs, nuts, sandwiches, etc. Her friends at school are all healthy, physically active,

and are involved in extracurricular activities and when I ask her if she plays any sports or is

involved in anything outside of school she tells me that she played soccer for a season and was in

dance for a year. She then proceeds to tell me that soccer was hard for her because she got tired

easily and didn’t really want to play. According to Schaefer “those who see themselves as

physically inferior often refuse to play.” When asked how she liked dance she expressed that she

actually loves to dance but that the girls in her dance classes made her feel bad about herself

because she wasn’t as flexible as them and was behind in her progress.

Brandy has great eyesight, hears well, and doesn’t suffer from any impairments. Her

development seems to be on target for her age and has started to grow fine hairs throughout her

arms and legs, as well as faint breast development which Gessel notes that at this age, “girls are

showing the hormonal changes of puberty in the beginnings of breast development…”

Running Head: PEPSI 4

Emotional Development

Despite Brandy being removed from her parent’s custody at four and a half years old by

Child Protective Services and living with her aunt for almost three years she seems to be in tune

with her emotions most of the time and tends to maintain a positive and overall happy attitude. I

did notice that there were times when she struggled to verbalize how she was feeling when it

wasn’t positive. Schaefer states that “anger is the emotion school children will struggle to

control” which coincides with the result of an episode I witnessed; Brandy’s dad took away a

skirt that Brandy loved due to it being too short, which clearly upset her. When I asked her how

she was feeling she had a very hard time expressing the emotion she was feeling as well as

controlling it.

Schaefer notes that “the emotional life of school-age children is full of ups and downs,

laughs and tears” which I agree with wholeheartedly. Brandy is learning so much not only about

herself but about her surroundings and life in general which creates a lot of questions, curiosity,

confusion, and the need to understand. Brandy is a very loving and affectionate child and

according to Schaefer “in the elementary school years, children still need lot of love and

affection. There is an internal struggle for independence and at the same time a genuine need for

emotional support.” Brandy’s dad let me know that when they walk to school in the mornings

Brandy will no longer let him hold her hand even though she is very loving and affectionate at

home away from her peers; the hesitance to show love and affection in front of her classmates

falls in line developmentally with the desire to feel cool and not let on that you actually like

holding your dad’s hand on the way to school. Overall, I would say that Brandy has a general

sense of self and takes pride in her abilities.

Running Head: PEPSI 5

Philosophical Development

Brandy is a very caring and considerate person as she tends to put the needs of others

before her own needs, which I feel contributes to the advancement in her philosophical

development due to the level at which she practices this behavior. She possesses a genuineness

that I personally haven’t seen in many children her age. Brandy looks at all aspects of a situation

and how it can impact all parties involved. Kohlberg analyzes that this is a common part of the

conventional level of morality development, where a child will begin to analyze values such as

the golden rule. She rarely ever shows any sign of being greedy or insincere with her

generosity. Brandy would happily give you the last dollar in her pocket, last bite of her ice-

cream, and even let you have her favorite toy and be generally good natured about the decision.

Brandy demonstrates obedience, respect, and manners with her parents and family which

is the standard level instilled in her as she’s been raised. While she is doing what she has been

taught to do, she also elaborates on these behaviors, characteristics, and values with

interpretations of her own. According to Schaefer “internal sense of morals and values grow in

three distinct and interrelated areas; cognitive, behavioral, and emotional” which Brandy

portrays in her everyday life. Schaefer also states that “cognitive growth is especially noticeable

in their ability to think about solutions or consequences before they react to a problem.” Brandy

is keenly aware of her actions and consequences, knows the difference between right and wrong,

and strives to continue enhancing this behavior daily.

Running Head: PEPSI 6

Social Development

Brandy has a number of friends and is a social butterfly, but she has two BEST friends,

Connor and Norma, that she is with the most and according to Snowman “most children will

have two best friends.” Brandy smiles and tells me silly stories of times she’s had with Connor

and Norma and her eyes actually twinkle as she talks animatedly. She loves to play, laugh, tell

jokes, and be with her friends. Schaefer says “the ability to tell jokes is an attitude that can

diffuse tension, cushion life’s blows, put problems into perspective, and help children handle

their feelings.” Brandy embraces her quirks and goofy side with only a select number of people

as she gets embarrassed easily and worries about what people think of her and how she comes

across and like Snowman says, “Self-image is based primarily on comparison with peers.”

Brandy shows signs of being more of a follower as opposed to a leader. When I observe

her interactions with friends she is rarely the one to suggest what they do and typically takes on

certain characteristics, things said, and certain behaviors of those she is around. According to

Snowman “peers become the source of behavior standards” which correlates to the way Brandy

tends to conduct herself when with friends. Brandy tends to be hard on herself when one of her

friends is being mean to her and blames herself for their behavior and will have moments when

she is cast out from the group. Schaefer notes that “isolation during childhood is serious

business” and enduring this does not have a positive effect on the self-esteem of a child this age.

According to Schaefer “developmentally, these groups of friends are a way of trying to make

sense of the social order and figure out where one fits in” which Brandy so desperately is trying

to do. For the most part, the relationships that Brandy has with her friends are on target for her

age and will improve with time.

Running Head: PEPSI 7

Intellectual Development

Brandy has had a bumpy road academically and has come a long way. Being removed

from her parents at such a young age had a detrimental impact on normal intellectual

development. Brandy had a hard time learning how to spell her name, be able to read and write,

and struggled with basic skills. Every hurtle she overcame was praised and celebrated; like when

she was able to spell and write her name successfully in preschool, learning the 100 site words in

kindergarten, and being able to comprehend the things she’s read. Brandy worked diligently to

not let her environment too heavily impact her development and excitedly tells me how much

she loves school. Her favorite subjects are math and art which I think is amazing as that shows

strength in right AND left brain function. According to Snowman “intelligence has multiple

facets; analytical, creative, and practical” which Brandy exhibits and applies to learning as well

as to functioning in everyday life.

Even with all of the earlier struggles that Brandy endured intellectually it has not affected

her current grades; in fact, she was in AB honor roll last semester and is working incredibly hard

to be in A honor roll at the end of the school year. Schaefer states that “a child who earns good

grades will see herself as a good student and will therefore approach her studies with a positive

can-do attitude” which are unquestionably and without doubt the way that Brandy conducts

herself and the results are reflected in the grades she currently has as well as her drive and desire

to get straight A’s.

Running Head: PEPSI 8

Pepsi Analysis

Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual

Types of Development
Running Head: PEPSI 9

Recommendations

Physical Development Recommendation:

I recommend that Brandy continues to engage in physical activities and that she gets into

an extracurricular activity to assist in becoming leaner and stronger. I also recommend that

Brandy, with help of her parents, adopts healthier eating habits and is provided the tools to be

able to successfully achieve this.

Emotional Development Recommendation:

I recommend that Brandy maintain the behavior she currently displays and enhance it and

grow through open forum discussions.

Philosophical Development Recommendation:

I recommend that Brandy continues to display the same philosophical practices.

Social Development Recommendation:

I recommend that Brandy focus more on how she sees and feels about herself as opposed

to how she is viewed by her peers as well as improve on self-love. I also recommend that Brandy

not focus so much on being accepted by others and instead strive to accept herself.

Intellectual Development Recommendation:

I recommend that Brandy continue the same intellectual practices she currently displays

as well as continue to defy odds and overcome hurtles.

Running Head: PEPSI 10

References

Gessel. (n.d.). Conscious Creative Courageous Living with Children. Retrieved April 19,

2018.

Kohlberg, L.(1969). Stage and sequence:The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization.

In D.A. Golsin (Ed.), Handbook of socialization theory and research (pp.347-380).

Chicago, IL:Rand McNally

Schaefer, C. E., & DiGeronimo, T. F. (2000). Ages and stages: A parents guide to normal

childhood development. New York: John Wiley.

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching. Australia: Cengage

Learning.