Running Head: PEPSI SCREENING 1

PEPSI Screening

Johnathan Ruggeroli (5004025983)

College of Southern Nevada

March 22nd, 2020

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Introduction

For my PEPSI Screening, I will be observing a relative of mine named David. David is a

17-year-old male child. He is the middle child of 5 siblings. Due to my relation to him, I realized

that he would be an exceptional candidate to observe for the PEPSI Screening assignment. While

interviewing him, I found it very convenient that he was able to articulate ideas on a level similar

to mine. I was very glad I chose him over a younger sibling of his. With a younger person to

observe, they would not be able to understand the nature of what I would want to talk about and

therefore, I would not be able to go as deep in conversation with them. Due to David’s age and

maturity, I was able to go far deeper in conversation and observe more complex emotions. I

normally see David on a daily basis and due to this proximity, I know him well. Outside his

home, David attends Palo Verde High School. In his free time, he likes to participate in the

sports offered at the school. He is an overall capable student and is taking college classes during

his current junior year.

Physical

David is physically tall and has an exceptionally slim build. He stands roughly 70 inches

tall (5 foot 10 inches) and has a natural body fat percentage around 6-8%. David has shown to be

a very athletically inclined student. His physical activity of choice is wrestling. Despite his slim

build, he is incredibly strong. During his wrestling season, he shows that he is capable of

competing at the highest level within the state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) it is recommended to “Encourage your teen to get enough sleep and physical

activity, and to eat healthy, balanced meals.” It is also encouraged to “Make sure your teen gets 1
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hour or more of physical activity each day.” (Adolescence) In terms of physical activity, David

routinely gets 1 to 3 hours of exercise a day. By living this way, David can burn excess calories

and maintain a healthy body. When he is not wrestling, however, he shows that his metabolism is

strong enough to keep him fit and lean. He is still showing abs even though he had not worked

out in months. David still does his best to maintain a healthy body, however, he struggles with

being able to fall asleep due to restlessness and a lack of discipline in his routine. Unfortunately,

David also suffers from acute injuries in both of his shoulders. As explained on Kidshealth.org in

an article reviewed by Mary L Gavin, “Acute injuries happen suddenly and are usually

associated with some form of trauma… Teen athletes are more likely to sustain more severe

injuries, including broken bones and torn ligaments.” As adults, many are impressed at young

children’s ability to ward off injury. As a child matures into an adult, their bones and ligaments

become more vulnerable to damage as seen with David. Although undiagnosed, a conversation

with a family doctor showed that the muscles in both of David’s shoulder areas have been highly

damaged from a wrestler intentionally trying to injure David. This resulted in loss of rotational

range and severe loss of strength in the area. David has been healing from this injury over time,

but surgery may be needed to fix the damage. Due to this injury, it makes competing in athletics

more difficult and dangerous. In an article from Child Development Institute, it is encouraged

that parents take the lead in trying to promote extracurricular activities. (Know) For David,

diversifying the athletics may reduce the chance of injury. Although it would be recommended to

encourage other sports, wrestling is a tradition within the household and David may continue

training regardless.
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Emotional

David is an emotionally caring person by nature. He has a strong desire to help those

around him and he has gotten good at it too. According to ADJUST- a textbook on applying

psychology to life, David expresses high levels of extraversion and a moderate level of

agreeableness. This is seen in figure 2.1, The Five-Factor Model of Personality on page 22.

(Weiten) David grew up as a middle child and had to learn how to be charismatic as well as

empathetic in order to either get what he wanted or to relate to the needs of his younger siblings.

He uses this skillset often when relating to students at his school or at home. Many students feel

depressed or are dealing with incredibly difficult situations. He often talks to students and lets

them know that they are not alone. The CDC reports that those around the age of 17 often “Feel a

lot of sadness or depression, which can lead to poor grades at school, alcohol or drug use, unsafe

sex, and other problems.” (Adolescence) David himself recognizes this sadness in himself as

well as other students around him. He often uses his own knowledge of psychology as well as his

natural charm to help depressed students find encouragement. He does his best to provide good

counsel to students and tries to discourage unsafe practices such as those mentioned by the CDC.

David often works on his own depression in many ways. To start, he tries to regularly clean his

room in order to have a stress-free environment to relax in. He tries to open up about his own

emotions, but often finds it difficult to say what he needs to. In an article by Robert Myers, PhD

on ChildDevelopmentInstitute.com, he suggests that even though children of this age are

becoming emotionally complex and emotionally capable, parents should not neglect giving

support to them. (Myers) Even though children like David can hold complex emotions, they still
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are developing the means as to handle these emotions and are often overwhelmed with what they

are or are not feeling.

Philosophical

In terms of philosophical development, David’s reserved nature in terms of his true

feelings and motives makes him exceptionally hard to read at times. I am aware that he spends

time deep in thought contemplating the nature of what he is going through. I know he also

spends a good deal of time planning for the future. That said, David ultimately keeps his deepest

thoughts to himself. As stated in an article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Psychology,

“Philosophy for Children encourages children to think for themselves at the same time that it

encourages them to think with others. However, philosophy is often viewed as more a matter of

solitary reflection, perhaps involving exchanges between a few other solitary thinkers.”

(Pritchard) In the case for David, his self-reflection as well as outward reflection is mainly

reserved for a very select grouping, if anyone at all. As David matures, he is developing a

stronger sense of self and a personal desire to find his own morality and ethical limits. Although

he may not actively try to discover these things about himself, he would surely passively weigh

increasingly complex decisions against his forming morality. The CDC says that children at

David’s age should “Be better able to give reasons for their own choices, including about what is

right or wrong.” (Adolescence) David seems to be in line with this trend if not finding himself

deeper in this thought process than most. As he progresses through this self-discovery, it is

apparent to outsiders that he acts according to how he believes and he is visibly distressed when

he deviates from that morality. As David grows older and more complex, he can accept and

internalize complex beliefs and life strategies. He will need to further absorb information and
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form new beliefs. One thing that may help him in the long run is to further develop existent

beliefs and behaviors and make them cornerstones of his personality. Jordan Peterson, a clinical

psychologist, suggests in his book 12 Rules to Life to make a strong attempt to never lie. Within

the chapter named “Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie” of this book, he explains numerous

reasons why something as simple as telling the truth can help you as a person and help you in

interpersonal interactions. Although it may be an almost laughable suggestion, David is at a

turning point in his philosophical development where what he does now, will eco in his life years

to come. Likewise, similar pieces of morality should be implemented so that the echoing and

compounding impact of their practice may produce desirable impacts in years to come.

Social

Socially, David is always the center of attention. Whether he means to or not, people

know who he is. David is generally well liked by those around him due to his caring nature and

he can get along with most people easily. I would attribute a part of this to his upbringing as the

middle child and his time spent helping others in need. He created a positive image for himself

and is also known for his talent as a wrestler. Because he spent most of his childhood moving

from one school to another, David knows how to talk to different people and understands how to

make friends. The CDC reports that children David’s age will begin to express greater desire for

independence as well as form the desire for relationships with others. (Adolescence) For David,

he is right along with this trend. He has formed the groundwork of who he wants to be. He

knows what types of friends he likes to keep company with. He also tries to maintain the same

friend group even though he is constantly moving schools. Because David is often the center of
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attention, he has learned that many people who are friendly to him are not true friends of him.

The Child Development Institute explains that “Peer pressure is at its max, and in today’s teen

society there are more tempting sidetracks than ever.” (Know) David learned from watching

others around him make bad choices due to the desires of unhelpful people. He tries his best to

learn from their mistakes and limit his exposure to people who do not have his best interest in

mind. Like most, he has experienced his share of blunders due to others, but has ultimately done

well to eliminate such people from his life. Additionally, David has found an identity that is

independent from his parents. VeryWellFamily.com explains that many teens will go through a

relationship change with the parents at this time. They state that “The parent/teen relationship

may shift a little during this age. For some, that may mean growing apart as a teen gains

independence, but for others, teens may actually grow closer as their desire to be rebellious

phase fades.” (Morin) For David, his rebellious phase has ended, but because of the choices he

made about who he wishes to be, this often puts him in direct conflict with his parents. This puts

strain on the relationship and causes a desire to separate himself from who his parents are. Due to

this social strain between David and his parents, he plans on moving to a college or trade school

in a different state so that he could have the distance he needs to further solidify who he is. He

plans on letting distance and time mend wounds that occurred from being in conflict with his

parents. As David looks to solidify who he wants to be, it is important to establish a more stable

social life. Due to his upbringing where he moved constantly, David felt a lot of isolation and

stress. David is naturally sociable and needs a more consistent means of meeting with friends. As

he moves into his senior year of high school and on to college, he would be far more emotionally

stable and happy if he could find a way to be surrounded by positive friend groups.
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Intellectual

In terms of intelligence, David often surprises me with his ability to think on his feet as

well as strategize. He excels in situations with rules and clearly defined goals. Board games,

video games, or any other type of strategy situation, he often excels. He regularly comes up with

strategies that far exceed expectations and has the means of executing those plans. In an article

by VeryWellFamily.com, it is stated that people David’s age “may be engaging in some riskier

behavior.” (Morin) In many ways this can be seen in David’s method of strategy. Generally,

enjoys high-risk high-reward strategies. He very often will “bet it all.” Sometimes he will hit-it-

big, but also, very often, he will put himself in a poor situation. This, however, may not be

entirely his fault. I do believe that he is partially a risk taker by nature, weighing risks and

debating what he is willing to lose, but as the University of Rochester Medical Center states:

“Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the

brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term

consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part.

In teen’s brains, the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-

making center are still developing—and not always at the same rate.” (Understanding)

For David, he is still developing the prefrontal cortex and must still rely on a less than fully

developed system for long-term consequential thinking. David may understand the risks of what

he is doing, but often elects to try his luck anyway. In terms of work ethic, I have found that even

though David is smart for his age, it has led to him not achieving the best he could academically.

In an article named “The Psychology of Laziness” posted by Neel Burton M.D., he states that
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“Many lazy people are not intrinsically lazy, but are lazy because they have not found what they

want to do, or because, for one reason or another, they are not doing it.” (Burton) In relation to

David, I often hear him complain about the teachers or the classes that he is taking. Many of

them do not match well with his personality and I believe that leads to a sense of laziness with

him. Because he struggles to feel engaged by his teachers, he las low motivation to apply his

intelligence. A suggestion for David’s teachers and those who wish to educate him in the future

would be that he needs to be fascinated in what is taught in order to care. Finding how to capture

his interest is vital to getting him to engage.

David’s PEPSI Graph

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Conclusion and further suggestions

David is a 17-year-old male student and is a junior in high school. He is exceptionally

well developed physically and shows that he is capable of preforming at the highest level of

competition the state has to offer. He still struggles with the injuries inflicted on him but has

plans to see a doctor soon to fix the issue. As stated previously, encouragement to mitigate the

risk to further injury is advisable. Physical therapy is advisable as well as rest for his shoulders.

David also seems to possess a strong understanding of the emotional needs of others. He is

caring and has a desire to help those in need. He too needs help emotionally but understands that

his depression is not a permanent part of his life and he fights to live intentionally so that he can

counter the emotional stress that he feels. Like those that he helps, David needs positive role

models in his life to look up to trust with confidential information such as the deeper emotions

that he is working out. As David progresses through his development, he must decide also, who

he wants to be morally and ethically. He is currently very closed off to many people about the

deeper things that go on in his life, but like his emotional needs, he needs positive role models to

emulate. The moral decisions he makes today will impact him in years to come. To have people

encourage proper healthy mentalities and behaviors is what he needs most as he moves closer to

adulthood. One thing that will help with role models is a strong peer group. David needs to find

some form of social stability. Being constantly separated from friend groups has been distressing

on him. If he is provided ways to establish a set group of friends that care about him, he will find

more stability in his emotional life. This will also help him in many of his other developmental

areas. Lastly, the junior and senior years of high school are the most important when considering

higher education. David has the intellectual potential to have excellent grades, but often finds the

material or the instructor hard to engage with. This leads to poor grades and a general laziness
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when approaching school. David still has high ambitions, but only really cares to apply his mind

to areas that he finds directly useful to reaching his goals. To get David to apply himself, he must

find the information to be valuable. Although there is a lot of responsibility on David to learn the

material regardless of interest, teachers can help him develop a desire to learn by learning what

motivates him. Overall, David is a bright student with many positive characteristics. He is well

liked and has high potential. As a relative of his and a close friend, I am eager to see what he

accomplishes.
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References

Adolescence (15-17 years old). (2020, March 6). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence2.html

Burton, N. (2014, October 25). The Psychology of Laziness. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201410/the-psychology-laziness

Gavin, M. L. (Ed.). (2015, January). Preventing Children's Sports Injuries (for Parents) -
Nemours KidsHealth. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sports-safety.html

Know Your Child Better By Learning The Ages & Stages Of Child Development. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc

Morin, A. (2018, October 24). Is Your 17-Year-Old Developing Normally? Retrieved from
https://www.verywellfamily.com/17-year-old-developmental-milestones-2609029

Myers, R., & Myers, R. (2019, July 23). Moving Onwards: Your 16 to 18-Year-Old. Retrieved
from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/moving-onwards-your-16-to-18-year-
old/#gs.12z8j6

Pritchard, M. (2018, December 14). Philosophy for Children. Retrieved from

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/children/

Understanding the Teen Brain . (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3
051

Weiten, W., Dunn, D., & Hammer, E. Y. (2014). Adjust. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.