Running head: OBSERVATIONAL ANALYSIS 1

Assignment Three: Observational Analysis

Student

American Public University

March 15, 2020

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Observational Analysis

This paper will explore the concepts and theories discussed in the course as it pertains to

the observations made while observing a specific subject for one day. The observations made

will reflect the daily activities and behaviors of a chosen individual that are shaped or

constrained by their age and societal expectations in their natural environment, without

involvement or interference. The observational analysis for this paper will focus on an elderly

subject. According to Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development, the subject for

this observational analysis is within the eighth stage of Integrity versus Despair, associated with

reflecting on one’s life and potential regrets or lack of purpose in late years (Hearn et al., 2011).

The Subject

The observed subject for this analysis is a friend of the author’s mother of over forty

years. She is a married, 66-year-old Hispanic and Native American with three adult children

from her previous marriage, and five grandchildren. The subject is the daily sitter of her

youngest grandchild for her eldest daughter. She is a retired high school teacher who cares for

her older husband, who continues to work in his late 60s, while tending to the daily obligations

of her home and the caretaking of her grandchild while her daughter works.

The subject socioeconomic status is that of a middle-class individual living in Southern

California. She was observed in three settings, the primary environment being within her home

with the other settings being a grocery store and a restaurant. The subject’s day consisted of

everyday daily activities experienced throughout the week as she does not leave her house often

due to the obligations of sitting for her three-year-old grandson that she finds strenuous in her old

age. With the subject’s consent, she was shadowed for a single day and observed at the start of

her day, until late in the evening.

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Observation

Being given access to the subject’s home the evening prior to the observation day, the

observation began as the subject awoke for the day. No personal interaction or interference with

the subject or associated individuals took place during the observation period.

6:30 A.M.

The subject woke up without the need for an alarm that was set on her phone for 7:00 am

as a precaution. Upon waking up, the subject proceeds to call her two dogs to go outside to eat.

Prior to waking up, the subject’s daughter entered the home using a personal key to drop off her

sleeping child and leave to work for the day. Three people occupied the household at the start of

the day, including the subject, the subject’s husband, and the subject’s grandson. After letting the

dogs outside, the subject checked on her still sleeping grandchild. The subject displayed facial

queues of tiredness and soreness from the night’s sleep.

7:00 A.M.

The subject begins preparing breakfast for all three occupants while cleaning areas of the

house as the subject’s husband, who had woken up approximately twenty minutes prior, gets

ready for work. The subject, tending to multiple duties simultaneously, is already winded and

visibly sweating from the day’s activities. As the subject’s husband exits from the bedroom, the

subject has placed a plate of food on the table for her husband and pours coffee, placing the cup

beside the plate, greeting her husband with a kiss, and continues cleaning while talking to her

husband. As the subject’s husband finishes his meal, he leaves his plate on the table and prepares

to leave as the subject is packing snacks in the husband’s bag, reminding him in a semi-scolding

manner to eat what she has placed so his blood sugar will not drop at work. The husband
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acknowledges the subject, hugs and kisses her goodbye and leaves for work. After escorting her

husband out, the grandson of the subject begins to call out for her just as he wakes up.

8:00 A.M.

The subject enters the room where the grandchild was placed by his mother, speaking to

him with a nurturing tone as she carries him over to his changing area. The subject removes her

grandchild’s clothes while a bath is being made for him, and proceeds to bathe him. After

bathing, a new diaper and clean clothes for the day are put on, and she walks her grandson over

to the dining table where he sits down and readies himself for breakfast. The subject eats her

breakfast while assisting the grandchild with his food, taking time to sing songs which are

accompanied by the grandchild that begins the learning and playing time for the day with

number songs and alphabet songs.

9:45 A.M.

After eating and assisting her grandchild with feeding, the subject cleans the table as the

grandchild gathers toys and puzzles to play with. The subject joins her grandson, engaging in

play that encourages learning, continuing with singing songs together, working on letter and

number memorization, completing puzzles, and watching learning programs that encourage

interaction from children. After completing playtime indoors with her grandson, the subject gets

up from the floor in a slow and pained manner, verbally expressing that her leg and lower back

are sore. After directing her grandson in the cleaning process of his items, the subject explains to

the grandchild that they will be going outside, and he may take four toys to play with while she

waters her garden. While tending to her garden, the subject’s demeanor appears to be content,

discussing how nice the day is with her grandson.

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2:30 P.M.

After having completed their activities and cleaned up for an outing, the subject places her

grandson in the child seat of her car and drives to a local grocery store. For the duration of the

grocery trip, any social interaction by the subject is with individuals who are not acquaintances

(saying hello to store employees, courteously excusing herself as she reaches for items on

shelves, etc.). While paying for the procured items, the subject engages in jovial small talk with a

white female cashier who appears to be in her 20s who does not appear to have any reservations

on having a minor conversation with a customer about the day, specific items being purchased,

or “how cute” the subject’s grandchild is.

3:45 P.M.

The subject and her grandchild leave the store and drive to a nearby restaurant to have

lunch. The subject begins to warn her grandchild about his behavior as he begins to become very

energetic upon learning where he will be eating. After acknowledging the subject’s warnings, the

grandchild calms down, and they enter the establishment. When addressed by the waitress, the

subject becomes very talkative with the employee, asking her about her day, if it has been busy,

and complimenting the waitress’s clothing accessories. The waitress responds similarly, then

takes the subject’s order. The subject appears to be in a pleasant mood while having lunch with

her grandchild after having conversed with the waitress. After finishing their meal, the subject

and the waitress spend approximately three minutes casually talking before paying and returning

to the subject’s home.

4:15 P.M.

After returning to the subject’s home and putting the purchased items away, the subject

changes her grandson’s diaper and puts him down for a nap. While the grandchild is asleep, the
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subject watches television not exclusively for children while scrolling through social media. A

phone call between the subject and the subject’s daughter occurred, lasting for approximately

twenty minutes, discussing the activities of the day and the behavior of the child. For the

duration of the child’s nap, the subject stays next to him on the sofa, liking and commenting on

posts, laughing at funny videos, and playing games on her tablet. The primary game is a popular

candy matching game, though other games included word puzzles and crossword applications.

7:00 P.M.

After the grandchild wakes from his nap, the subject tends to his diaper and changes the

television to a children’s network, allowing the child to play with toys and watch television while

the subject begins to prepare dinner for herself, her grandson, and her husband who she expects

to be returning from work in less than an hour. While the subject prepares and cooks dinner,

multiple sitting breaks are taken as the subject’s energy levels appear to have greatly diminished

since the start of the day. Shortly after finishing cooking, the subject’s husband enters the home,

visibly exhausted from the day’s work, she assists him with his shouldered items so he can

remove his shoes at the entrance of the house. The husband enters the bedroom to change his

clothes while the subject preparing a plate for her husband and places it at the table, along with a

plate for the subject herself, and their grandchild.

9:15 P.M.

After finishing their meal, the subject’s husband leaves the table, enters the family room,

and watches television until it is time to sleep. The subject’s daughter enters the house and

announces her presence. The subject displays a visual behavior of relief as she prepares a plate of

food for her daughter. After eating, the subject and her daughter continue the previous

conversation regarding the grandchild’s day. More information is given regarding the day to
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follow, stating to the subject that her grandchild has an appointment and the daughter will meet

the subject and the child at the provided location, where they both will attend the appointment,

followed by lunch and the rest of the day that will consist of shopping. After finishing the

conversation, the subject walks her daughter and grandson out for the evening.

10:20 P.M.

After saying goodbye to her daughter and grandson, the subject spends time watching

television and talking with her spouse. The husband discusses his day at work, then asks the

subject about her day with her grandson. The subject discusses what issues she had throughout

the day, beginning with waking up sore due to a bad sleeping position the night before. The

subject continues with her ailments, having soreness in her legs and her lower back, being tired

within the first two hours of being awake, the stress caused by her grandson’s behavioral issues

through the day, and how ready she is to go to sleep with the hope that she sleeps in a proper

position. After their conversation, the subject begins preparing for the next day as her husband

goes to the bedroom to sleep by making sure his clothes are placed for him, dishes from the day

are washed, the rooms used for the day are cleaned, and the dogs are in their beds. At 11:50 p.m.,

the subject retires to her room to sleep and observation is ended.

Analysis

The initial impression of the subject was that her cognitive state appeared to be intact.

According to a multidimensional model, created by Rowe and Kahn (1997), that defines

successful aging, the subject appears to be aging positively as domain subparts consisting of

prevention of disease and disability, sustaining high physical and cognitive function, and actively

engaged in life are not infringing on the subject’s success in her elderly years (Ho Berzon, 2019).

Though the subject verbally and visually expresses pain and discomfort throughout her day, it is
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consistent with age-related factors consisting of fatigue, and other moderate physical limitations

associated with aging (Kim, 2016). However, these physical indicators do not reflect potential

mental health issues that are associated with suicidal ideation in older adults as the subject

expresses contentment with her daily life, fulfilling her role as a retired grandmother, caring for

her living spouse, assisting her children, and spending quality time with her grandchildren (Kim,

2016).

Though the subject does not actively participate in social engagements as she once did,

before retirement, she does not express loneliness that is associated with many older adults in

retirement that has a direct correlation to poor mental and bodily health as she interacts with

society in her daily outings with her grandchild, discusses her day and other various topics with

her spouse, children, and engages in social media during downtime (Düzel et al., 2019). The

subject appears openly sociable, finding social engagement anywhere she goes, genuinely

interested in the lives of others, regardless of any personal relationship, cultural background,

gender, or age, taking time to converse with strangers. The social interactions between the

subject and others in society did not appear to incite any prejudice or potentially create

constraints on the subject’s ability to maneuver herself in society on a day to day basis.

The subject engaged in games during her downtime that encouraged neural and cognitive

plasticity in older adults. In a study conducted in 2017, participants engaged in real-time strategy

games that demonstrated improved cognition in older adults who play games and video games

that represented cognitive constructs, showing significantly improved working memory and

episodic memory (Basak, Nashiro, O’Connell, & Qin, 2017). The subject engaged in word

association, memory, and speed games that may prevent mild cognitive impairment in the near

future. Additionally, engaging in learning games, puzzles, and play with her grandson, promotes
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better mental and physical health, associated with positive aging through childcare activities

(Trevisan et al., 2017).

According to Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development, Integrity versus

Despair, the aging process tends to slow down an individual’s productivity, and they explore

their life as a retired older adult (Westerhof, Bohlmeijer, & McAdams, 2015). Erikson’s theory

continues to state that individuals in the eighth stage of development may become dissatisfied

with life and develop despair, often leading to hopelessness and depression (Westerhof,

Bohlmeijer, & McAdams, 2015). However, success within the eighth stage will lead to wisdom

as a virtue, enabling an individual to reflect on their life with a sense of completeness and

closure, though the experience of both despair and integrity provides balance (Westerhof,

Bohlmeijer, & McAdams, 2015).

Conclusion

It is the author’s summation that the subject observed is developing typically, based on

her current stage of life, age, and gender. The subject does appear to have moments associated

with the negative aspects of aging but does not dwell on negative emotions for a prolonged

period, expressing happiness in her daily activities and those she engages with, allowing for a

healthy balance not too dissimilar from younger cohorts. The subject also appears to have some

physical limitations as their level of energy is lowered, but it does not affect the ability to engage

in activities and obligations throughout the day. The subject continues to have purpose in her life

as she is depended on by her husband, children, and grandchildren. There is no evidence

provided in the observation that there is a lack of content in the subject’s life, which can allow

for the presumption of positive aging and integrity as the subject enters her late years of life.
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References

Basak, C., Nashiro, K., O’Connell, M., & Qin, S. (2017). PLAYING FOR KEEPS: EFFECTS

OF VIDEO GAME TRAINING ON NEURAL AND COGNITIVE PLASTICITY IN

OLDER ADULTS. Innovation in Aging, 1(suppl_1), 1365–1365.

https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx004.5022

Düzel, S., Drewelies, J., Gerstorf, D., Demuth, I., Steinhagen-Thiessen, E., Lindenberger, U., &

Kühn, S. (2019). Structural Brain Correlates of Loneliness among Older Adults.

Scientific Reports, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49888-2

Hearn, S., Saulnier, G., Strayer, J., Glenham, M., Koopman, R., & Marcia, J. E. (2011). Between

Integrity and Despair: Toward Construct Validation of Erikson’s Eighth Stage. Journal of

Adult Development, 19(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-011-9126-y

Ho Berzon, S. (2019). Exploration of positive aging in Erikson’s eighth stage of ego integrity

(Order No. 27544968). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

(2330611246). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/2330611246?accountid=8289

Kim, S. H. (2016). Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in older adults: Influences of chronic

illness, functional limitations, and pain. Geriatric nursing, 37(1), 9-12.

Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1997). Successful Aging. The Gerontologist, 37(4), 433–440.

https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/37.4.433

Trevisan, C., Pamio, M. V., Curreri, C., Maggi, S., Baggio, G., Zambon, S., Sartori, L.,

Perissinotto, E., Crepaldi, G., Manzato, E., & Sergi, G. (2017). The effect of childcare

activities on cognitive status and depression in older adults: gender differences in a 4.4-
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year longitudinal study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 33(2), 348–357.

https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4750

Westerhof, G. J., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & McAdams, D. P. (2015). The Relation of Ego Integrity

and Despair to Personality Traits and Mental Health. The Journals of Gerontology Series

B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, gbv062.

https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbv062