PEPSI Screening

Christina Hill

College of Southern Nevada EDU 220

Professor Hooks

12 May 2019
 Biography

The individual being observed in this screening is 18-year-old John Mark Hill II, my

brother. He was born to Renee and John Hill in Los Angeles, California. He has twin sisters,

Maya and Christina, who are just two years apart from him. The family moved to Las Vegas

when John was four, just in time to start school. He was a very bright kid and started reading and

writing at an early age since Mom is a kindergarten teacher. John did exceptionally in elementary

school. With an outgoing personality and refreshing politeness, John was well-liked by all of his

teachers. He was active in skateboarding, joined chess club in 2nd grade, and did recreational

basketball. Middle school is when things got rough for John. His parents divorced when he was

ten, and he had a difficult time accepting it. He began hanging around his peers and getting into

trouble at school more often. In high school, his desire for freedom intensified and bad

influences found their way into John's life. His sisters were also constantly being recognized in

school for their achievements when he started to lack. During this time, however, John's

creativity began to blossom. He can write amazing poetry and draw in all types of styles. By

senior year, he had moved out of his mom's house and into his dad's. With the hard work of

school administrators and his parents' patience and discipline, John will graduate high school in

June.
 Physical Developments

John stands at 5'6 and 115 pounds. He is much shorter and significantly more underweight than

his peers. He knows he is small, so he makes up for it in his personality and assertiveness. He

says he needs people to know that "they can't walk all over me just because they are bigger than

me. I have to prove myself." According to Snowman and McCown (2015), "Late-maturing boys

seem to have considerable difficulty adjusting to their slower rate of growth and approximately

16 percent of students are considered to be overweight" (p. 101). John's overcompensation would

be due to his difficult time adjusting to his body and the people around him. John is not done

growing, though. His doctors expect him to grow a couple more inches by the time he reaches

twenty years old. He has also started growing facial hair. This newness has made his appearance

very important to him because girls are too. Just like most high school boys, John takes extra

time in the morning ensuring his hair is perfect, his clothes are on-trend, and his "mustache"

looks good. He enjoys getting attention from anyone who thinks he is attractive, especially girls.

He has a girlfriend named Dena who he has been with since junior year off and on.

"Emphasis on sexuality and appreciation by the opposite sex are common and signal acceptance

of recent growth and change" (Ellsworth, 1999, pp.5). It can only be expected that John has been

having sex since junior year, if not earlier, which is perfectly normal. Now, Sex Education is

extremely important in schools if the majority of students are having sex.

Snowman and McCown (2015) state the following:

"The factors that predicted the onset of sexual activity for African American male students were

low grade-point average, living in a one-parent family, limited contact with the father, and lack

of participation in family decision making" (p.101).

 These statistics and results represent John's circumstances perfectly. His grades are

between a D and C average, he has been living with his mom since he was ten years old which

has resulted in less contact with his dad, and not having a say in whether he goes to church or not

has most likely built up to have some correlation to his sexual activity, although at a normal age.

Emotional Developments

John struggles with depression which usually takes the form of anger. He tends to be

impulsive and likes the thrill and danger of life, but has gotten more introverted with family. His

mom even experimented with therapy for John, just for some extra mental support. “Depressed

mood is primarily characterized by feelings of sadness or unhappiness, although emotions such

as anxiety, fear, guilt, anger, and contempt are frequently present, as well"

(Snowman&McCown, 2015, p.104). John is not alone in these feelings. According to the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services website, depression is one of the most common

mental disorders in adolescence. John has never attempted suicide, thankfully. His depression

has mainly manifested into poor grades in school, anger, impulsiveness, and general

unhappiness.

The shift in John's moods from middle school to high school were very drastic. In middle

school, he played the trumpet and stayed in sports. Once high school came and John's circle of

friends changed, he did not participate in activities he used to enjoy and rarely stayed busy at all.

There is a proven relationship between exercise and depression, so maybe John's reduction in the

exercise affected his current mental state. ​ ​"In people who are depressed, neuroscientists have

noticed that the hippocampus in the brain—the region that helps regulate mood—is smaller.
Exercise supports nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, improving nerve cell connections,

which helps relieve depression" Miller, 2013, pp.2). Overall, emotionally speaking John is stable

and nothing seems excessively worrying. However, an obvious shift in mood and demeanor has

occurred and will hopefully​ be grown out of.

Philosophical Developments

Philosophically, John has strayed from his parents' thoughts and developed his own. He was not

a proponent for religion and chose not to identify as anything religiously. This causes turmoil at

home because John feels the need to be who he is, while his parents do not understand hi sudden

diversion. John's overall thought is very liberal. When asked why there are laws, he answered:

"In theory, it is to keep people in order, but then the power to enforce is abused." He has a very

"Power to the people" mindset at this age. According to Snowman and McCown (2015), a

decline in authoritarian views is one of the most significant changes in adolescence political

thought. Three other significant changes are an increased ability to deal with abstract thoughts

about freedom of speech, equal justice under law, and the concept of community, an increased

ability to imagine the consequences of actions, and an increased in political knowledge.

"Adolescents experience significant changes in their capacity to think. In changing from

concrete to abstract thought they can understand abstract ideas, think about possibilities, think

ahead, think about thinking, and ‘put themselves in another person's shoes'" Teipel, p.1). John's

ability to think theoretically about laws and the concept of power concerning everyday people is

unique to this stage in development. He now justifies criminal activity based on personal

circumstances. For example, if the person was stealing to feed his family, it would be ok. Before
this stage in development, John would say that stealing is bad no matter what the circumstances

are. As for the consequences of a crime, Snowman, and McCown (2015) state the following:

“Younger children hold the conviction that laws are immutable and that punishment should be

stern. But by age fourteen and fifteen, the adolescents whom Adelson interviewed were more

likely to consider circumstances and individual rights and to recommend rehabilitation rather

than punishment” (p.108). The shift in the capacity to have philosophical thought in John is

fascinating to witness.

Social Developments

Taking a walk through any high school will reveal popular trends and styles that are perpetuated

by the students. "When adolescents look for models and advice on such social matters as dress,

hairstyle, speech patterns, friendships, and leisure activities, the peer group is likely to have the

greatest influence. Peer values can also influence academic performance (Snowman & McCown,

2015, p.103)." John never had any trouble making friends because people usually gravitated to

him instead. Unfortunately, the people he attracts do poorly in school and get into trouble with

drugs and alcohol. As a result, John is often caught up in the same misfortunes as his peers.

John's poor grades are not a direct result of having the friends he does, but his friends are not the

best influence for success either. J'Anne Ellsworth (1999)​ ​writes “The need for peer approval

uses much of the student's energy. Students who are holding to group membership as personal

identification may be less dependent or take leadership roles in the group or ‘gang’” (pp. 21).
John has assumed the “class clown” role, and just the overall favorite, it seems. He fills his role

with pride because his friends are his world right now

During John's senior year, he got a job at McDonald's. "For any number of reasons, a fair

percentage of high school students have part-time jobs during the school year. In 2010, 16

percent of sixteen- to eighteen-year-olds worked after school" (Snowman&McCown, 2015,

p.103). John wanted a job for extra freedom. He enjoys having his own pocket money, having

time away from home, and a new social circle. However, with a job and graduation creeping up

on him John is realizing how close he is to be in the real world. Even though he will not say it

out loud, the real world scares him. When you are in high school everything feels big and scary

but pride makes it difficult to admit. John's varying circles of friends is what is keeping him

going.

Intellectual Developments

According to Ellsworth (1999), intellectual developments in adolescents' thoughts and

ideas act as ways to solve problems and support change. The student often wants to "change the

world" based on ideas and the will to make a difference. So far, John has not shown any desire to

change the world. He still seems to think that his problems are the biggest, most important ones

in the world. Despite this slight delay, John excels in arguing, especially with people who have

completely different opinions than him. He loves getting the last word in and leaving people

speechless. "The adolescent has increased thoughts about more global concepts, such as justice,

history, politics, and patriotism and may debate and develop intolerance of opposing views”

(Adler&Turley, 2019, pp.7). John feels very strongly about libertarianism. He believes in
absolute political freedom: the right to choose for yourself what's best for you and respect other

people's decisions to do the same. The belief is basically that every man is for himself and there

is limited government involvement. He looks forward to having opportunities to debate with

people who have opposing beliefs.

"High school students are more likely to grasp relationships, mentally plan a course of

action before proceeding, and test hypotheses systematically. Without supervision and guidance,

however, they may not use such capabilities consistently" (Snowman&McCown, 2015, p. 106).

John seems more impulsive than planning and testing out hypotheses for the decisions he makes.

On a few occasions, he asks his parents for advice and sometimes follows, his choices are

significantly more organized and thoughtful. Although he is not a fan of authority, he succeeds in

many more aspects with some sense of authority present.

 Recommendations for Parents and Teachers

Physically, John is very underweight. He cannot change his genetics, but he should be

encouraged to do sports to gain muscle. John's diet consists of sugar and junk food. To improve

his health, his parents should continue cooking the vegetables and plates of pasta they already
do. Maybe eating the same dinner altogether as a family would get John to eat the way he should

be.

Exercise would help John develop a bit more physically as well as emotionally. Some

encouragement from his teachers could be the push John needs to join a sports team. Therapy is

an excellent way to gain control of John’s depressed mood. It would be extremely beneficial if

his mom continued taking him to see a therapist.

John excels in arguments and debates because he has a lot to say. John could surprise

many people if his teachers facilitated this interest in class with more discussions or even talked

to John one on one to pick his brain. His beliefs likely will not change, but if given more

opportunities to think critically, John would develop his opinions on a more intellectual level.

Socially, John needs very little help. He is easily likable, respectful, and funny. He has a lot of

friends, but many of them are not a good influence at all. His social circle is very important to

him, and any pushback from his parents or teachers would most likely cause him to grow even

closer with his peers. John can make friends anywhere he goes and that is a fantastic quality to

have. Unfortunately for his parents, there is not much they can do about this. However, his

teachers could try separating John and his friends in class so that they do not act as a distraction.

Intellectually, John is well on his way to becoming a critical and thorough thinker. Again,

some support from his teachers in class discussions could be beneficial, even if John fights it. No

one can see a child’s potential more than teachers and parents can, so it is important to facilitate

their interests and unique abilities.

 Works Cited

Adler, L. C., & Turley, R. K. (2019). Cognitive Development in the Teen Years.

Retrieved May 6, 2019, from

http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P01

594​.

Ellsworth, J. (1999). Late Adolescence. Retrieved May 6, 2019, from

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/reading2-1-2.html

Harvard Health Publishing. (2013, August). Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight

depression. Retrieved May 8, 2019, from

https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-dep

ression

Office of Adolescent Health. (2019, May 01). Common Mental Health Disorders in

Adolescence. Retrieved May 8, 2019, from

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/mental-health/adolescent-mental-health-b

asics/common-disorders/index.html

Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2015). ​VitalSource Bookshelf Online(​ 14th ed.). Retrieved

May 6, 2019, from

https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305176881/cfi/1!/4/4@0.00:54.4

Teipel, K. Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood (Ages 18-24 Years). Retrieved May 6,

2019, from ​Amchp.org​, State Adolescence Health Resource Center,

www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/AdolescentHealth/projects/Documents/SAHRC%20AYAD

evelopment%20LateAdolescentYoungAdulthood.pdf.