CASE STUDY OF A

16-YEAR-OLD
ELIANI DIAZ-AGUILERA
EDU 220- 1001
OVERVIEW OF A 16-YEAR-OLD
Physical Development
• Reached puberty
• Sexually active
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
Psychosocial Development
• Parents influence long term
plans.
• Peer influence short term plans.
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
Emotional Development
• Psychiatric disorders are
appearing
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
Cognitive Development
• They are able to engage in
higher thoughts and longer
processes.
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
Moral Development
• They are learning the right from wrong.
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
• Physical changes may be happening in a smooth and
regular schedule. (Medline, 2017)
• Physical features are shaped and defined. (University
of Washington, 1993)
• Sexual desires increase. (University of Washington,
1993)
• They have reached their full height. (Very well Family,
2018)
• They are starting to sleep more; they are sleeping
late and be waking up late.(Very well Family, 2018)
• They are starting to become more focused on their
image and fitting in. (Very well Family, 2018)
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO SNOWMAN
• 1. “Most students reach physical maturity, and virtually all attain puberty.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015, p. 101)
• 2. Many adolescents become sexually active, although the long-term trend is down.” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, p. 101)
• 3. “The birthrate for unmarried adolescents has fallen in recent years, it remains unacceptably high as is
the rate of sexually transmitted diseases.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 102)

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 OBSERVATION

• When doing the observation about a 16-year-old girl. She had no

acne on her face. She was roughly around 5’3 in. She weighed 120
pounds. She was not sexually active and informed that she’s too
young.
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PARENTS
• Recognize and compliment physical maturity.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Provided the adolescents with smart
information. (University of Washington, 1993)
• It’s important to take your spot as a parent and
put your foot done on tough topics. (Very well
Family, 2018)
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• They start to worry about failing. (University of Washington,

1993)
• They will begin to have mood changes: angry, lonely, impulsive,
self-centered, confused, and stubborn. (University of
Washington, 1993)
• They are moving towards a mature sense of themselves and
their future. (Medline, 2017)
• They will begin to have conflicting issues with feeling
independent or not. (University of Washington, 1993)
• Will start to make decisions because adulthood is close. (Very
well Family, 2018)
 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO SNOWMAN

• “Many psychiatric disorders either appear or become prominent during adolescence. Included
among these are eating disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia, depression,s and suicide.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 104)

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 OBSERVATION
• When observing the 16-year-old I noticed she was not in moods. She
was usually quiete the whole period whole time. She was very shy
compared to other children her age. She seemed very dependent on
her mother. She hid a lot of the time behind her.
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PARENTS
• Be open to talk to them and listen. (University of Washington,
1993)
• Accept the emotions that come from them, do not overreact.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Avoid ridicule of inconsistent behaviors. Understand that they
need to be apart. (University of Washington, 1993)
• Show interest in your teenagers' life. (Very well Family, 2018)
• Let them fail at a couple of things for them to learn. (Very well
Family, 2018)
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
• They start to not think about themselves too much but focus on the
outside world too. (Very well Family, 2018)
• They may lack information or self-assurance about personal skills and
abilities. (University of Washington, 1993)
• They are begging to think more abstract, the what-if or how come of life.
(Very well Family, 2018)
• They begin to think more about their future and what they will be
accomplishing. (University of Washington, 1993)
• They are begging to show more confidence and start saying no to their
peer pressure. (Very well Family, 2018)
• Teenagers are communicating more like adults now. (Very well Family,
2018)
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT ACCORDING
TO PIAGET & VYGOTSKY
Piaget
• Formal Operational-
• “Able to deal with abstractions
form hypotheses, solve
problems systematically,
engage in mental
manipulations” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, p. 40)
Vygotsky
• Formal Instruction:
• “The type of information that preschool children learn and the type of
information that children who attend school learn: Spontaneous
Concepts, Scientific Concepts, Empirical learning, and Theoretical
learning” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 52)
• Culture:
• “Sociocultural theory because it maintains that how we think is a
function of both social and cultural forces” (Snowman, J. & McCown,
R., 2015, p. 51)
• “Psychological tools: the cognitive devices and procedures with which
we communicate and explore the world around us.” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, p. 51)
• Social Interaction:
• “Vygotsky believed that children gain significantly from the knowledge
and conceptual tools handed down to them by those who are more
intellectually advanced…” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 52)
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
 OBSERVATION

• She was very aware as to where she wanted to go after high

school. She wanted to attend the local college and be a nurse. She
spoke as if she was 24-years-old, she had a very good vocabulary.
She was not very aware as to what she was good at. She said she
didn’t have too many interests, so she preferred to stay home.
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PARENTS

• Encourage and talk to them about their future.

(University of Washington, 1993)
• Have open parent-child communication with them.
(Child Development Institute 2015)
• Encourage them to part take in extracurricular activities
in school. (Child Development Institute 2015).
PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
• They are involved in friendships and relationships. (Very well
Family, 2018)
• A strong need for peer approval might make them do risky
behaviors. (Medline, 2017)
• They are spending more time with their peers. (Very well Family,
2018)
• They are becoming more sexually active or understand more
about their sexual orientation. (Very well Family, 2018)
• They can also be going through periods of sadness. (Very well
Family, 2018)
• They are feeling that the parents are “too interested”.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO ERIKSON
“ Identity Versus Role Confusion”
• “The danger at this stage is role confusion: having no clear conception of appropriate types of behaviors
that others will reach to favorably” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 30)
• At this stage they either they know who they are or not.

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)

 OBSERVATION
• She was very talkative to when the topic of her friends came up. She was very open in telling about
the activities she and her friends would do. She would explain to me how annoying it was that her
mom sometimes wouldn’t get her to go out. Occasionally, she would go through sad periods if
something rewarding her grades went wrong.
PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PARENTS
• Make sure your teenager knows your expectations. (Very well Family,
2018)
• Talk to them openly about sex and safety issues. (Very well Family,
2018)
• Maintain a good relationship with them, be respectful and friendly.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Do not become helicopter parents, let them explore. (University of
Washington, 1993)
• Accept and recognize their current sexual orientation. (University of
Washington, 1993)
• Discuss the importance of respect in a relationship. (University of
Washington, 1993)
 MORAL DEVELOPMENT
• They are starting to understand adult actions and might
be confused by them. (University of Washington, 1993)
• They are developing moral philosophies including rights
and privileges. (Medline, 2017)
• They might be feeling many emotions towards values
and behaviors of family members. (University of
Washington, 1993)
• They are questioning old values without losing their
identity. (Medline, 2017)
• They are having physical-emotional urges which includes
sex because they are uncertain of the adult world.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 MORAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO KOHLBERG
• 2 Stages:
• Good boy-nice girl orientation
• “The right action is the one that would be carried out by someone whose behavior is likely to please or impress others.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 61)

• Law-and-order orientation
• “To maintain the social order, fixed rules must be established and obeyed. It is essential to respect authority.” (Snowman,
J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 61)
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015)
 OBSERVATION

• When asking her about the value she holds she mentions a lot of her parents' values. She
does talk about the importance of other things like school and who she wants to be when
older. She didn’t go out from her parents' views, either the influence her a lot or she does
believe the same.
 MORAL DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR PARENTS
• Be understanding of their feelings and thoughts. .
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Bring them to be more open-minded. (University of
Washington, 1993)
• Provided them with a parent talk about sex. (University
of Washington, 1993)
• Communicate on how you feel about sex relations.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Be open about your own values and needs to them.
(University of Washington, 1993)
REFERENCES
Child Development Institute (2015). The ages and stages of child development. Retrieved
from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc
Medline (2017). Adolescent Development. Retrieved
from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm
University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child development guide. Retrieved from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm
Morin, A. (2018, October 19). Here's What to Expect From Your 16-Year-Old. Retrieved from
https://www.verywellfamily.com/16-year-old-developmental-milestones-4171922
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching, 14th ed. Stamford,
CT: Cengage Learning.