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Running Head: PEPSI Case Study

PEPSI Case Study:

Case Study of Camile Lopez

Nicole Lopez

College of Southern Nevada

14 November 2021
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Biography

Camile Lopez is a seventeen-year-old student at the College of Southern Nevada High

School. She is currently attending her senior and final year of high school, as well as her second

year of college. Camile’s current major is Psychology, as she pursues a career as a child

psychologist. Her backup career choice is to become a tattoo artist. She is Mexican American

and is bilingual; she is fluent in English and Spanish, Spanish being her first language. Camile

goes by she/her pronouns. She lives with her father, her mother, a nineteen-year-old sister, and a

thirteen-year-old sister. Her current socioeconomic status is regarded as middle class. Before

entering the dual-credit program at the College of Southern Nevada, Camile attended her first

two years of high school at Bonanza High School, taking multiple honors and AP classes. She is

a first-generation college student, along with her older sister. She will be receiving her

Associates Degree by the next semester and will transfer to the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Physical Development

“Although almost all girls reach their ultimate height, some boys may continue to grow

even after graduation from high school. Tremendous variation exists in height and weight and in

rate of maturation,” (Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015). Like most girls her age, Camile has

essentially finished physical maturation, for example, she has likely reached her ultimate height,

5 feet, and four inches. She is thin and quite healthy, participating in physical activities such as

weightlifting and dance in her early high school years. A minor issue in her physical

development would be her disorganized sleep schedule which causes her to sleep later or for less

hours. According to the Children’s Health of Orange County (CHOC) pediatric healthcare

system, “Most teens need about 8-10 hours of sleep each night.” (2021). Another physical
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characteristic that teenagers go through is interest in sex. Though it is expected for teenagers her

age to begin acting on sexual desires, Camile has not demonstrated, and said she simply does not

want to demonstrate, any intention to do so, (“Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen

Years,” 1993). Camile meets the physical characteristics for her age group.

Emotional Development

Camile has had a vast change in her emotional development since she entered high

school. Though she has always had a strong, comfortable connection with her parents and sisters

who are very supportive, in her final years of middle school, Camile had felt neglected when it

came to her feelings being acknowledged. During those years, Camile’s grandfather passed

away, which took a toll on her. She felt deprived of help and confused on how to express her

emotions of loss, which resulted in constant silence and numbness. “Adolescents experience

more intense positive and negative emotions than do adults”, which explains why Camile felt

this pain and confusion, (Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015). As she entered high school,

constant situations with her older sister’s careless behavior arose and affected Camile negatively

giving her feelings of anxiety and responsibility at home and at school. As the University of

Washington Child Development guide states, teenagers can feel “Worries about failure”, as well

as “conflicting feelings about dependence/independence” (1993). These family-related issues

followed Camile into the classroom and increased those feelings of failure and confusion on the

dependency and stress that schoolwork already provides, which became more complex as the

quarantine forced her to continue school at home. Her switch to the dual-credit program at the

community college gave Camile a sort of fresh start, a new beginning. The new environment,

including in-person classes, now permits Camile to feel relieved of stress and any weight of

failure. Though she and her parents might find her emotions as exaggerated, Camile’s
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characteristics are normal for the emotional development at her age. The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention say that it’s normal for teenagers to have emotional changes such as

“Feel a lot of sadness or depression”, which I think is something that Camile was experiencing

before her switch to her new school (CDC, 2021).

Philosophical Development

As she’s grown, Camile’s understanding of her family’s values and morals became

clearer, but now, she is very aware of how they demonstrate those values, which is much

different than said values. Camile has taken her stand on the way she responds to her family and

friends’ behaviors as well as how she will act on the morals she has grown up with. The

University of Washington says teenagers Camile’s age can be “confused and disappointed about

discrepancies between stated values and actual behaviors of family and friends;”, but I see that

Camile is no longer confused or disappointed, but neutral about her family’s behavior and

assured of her own, (“Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). Camile has

dove into various topics of social justice, morality, religion, careers, and has compared them to

the ones in her own life. She has been very upfront about the type of person she aspires to be and

how she will and is becoming that person. “Adolescents who had reached the identity

achievement status by actively exploring various occupations, beliefs, and value systems, and

then making a commitment, were better adjusted and happier than their peers.” (Snowman, J., &

McCown, R. R., 2015). I believe that Camile has reached the identity achievement status

described in the textbook. I think Camile’s philosophical development is more relatable to

Erikson’s theory of identity of development and Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. “She

(Gilligan) believes that adolescent females place a higher value on caring, understanding, and

sharing of experiences than they do on independence, self-reliance, and justice.”, (Snowman, J.,
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& McCown, R. R., 2015). I believe Camile would disagree with Gilligan simply because I’ve

seen how Camile uses her independence skills and her focus on justice, and I have seen that she

uses it with care and understanding of what she is doing and how it impacts her and others

around her.

Social Development

Camile has always been very close with her parents and sisters and which I’ve seen, has

allowed her to communicate with them openly on various topics, though she might not always

choose to do so, which can be because she may “Sometimes feels that parents are "too

interested."” and Camile tries to have some privacy, which is a common characteristic at her age,

(“Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). The group of friends she had

before her switch to the dual-credit program quickly decreased, which caused her to worry about

making friends in her new school because according to the textbook, “Girls seem to experience

greater anxiety about friendships than boys do” (Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015). But she

saw that this new school gave her a new opportunity to meet more people, which she has. She

has multiple friends and classmates with whom she gets along with, and has become talkative

and engaged in group conversations. She does have 2 friends who she has more confidence and

intimacy with and those relationships do occur at her age, according to the University of

Washington, “Usually has many friends and few confidants;” (“Child Development Guide:

Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). I believe that the comfortable connection with her parents and

sisters has led to her ability to adapt in new places and meet new people with almost no stress

and with a mature manner. Camile is more friendly and cooperative with other students and

teachers in classes, and at home, she is spending more time with her family, demonstrating the

normal social characteristics for her age.

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Intellectual Development

Camile pays great attention to her education, receiving top grades on assignments, and

has become very focused on her major and where it will take her. She has considered moving out

early, maybe out of state; what scholarships she can earn; back up careers; and many other

factors that could influence her future. The University of Washington explains that teenagers

become “Seriously concerned about the future; beginning to integrate knowledge leading to

decisions about future” (“Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). Camile

has tried to be more independent, especially now when she realizes that her choices can have a

larger impact on her wellbeing and mindset. She acknowledges her right and wrong decisions

and takes time to figure out what is correct and what is wrong. The CDC says that teens this age

might, “Be better able to give reasons for their own choices, including about what is right or

wrong.” which is something that Camile demonstrates at this age (CDC, 2019). Since middle

school, Camile became aware of many political and social issues around her and in the world.

She realized she needed to educate herself on those issues and topics in order to really

understand and know what was happening. “Between the ages of twelve and sixteen, political

thinking becomes more abstract, liberal, and knowledgeable”, and Camile has shown interest in

liberal political thinking and demonstrates it in talking to her family and friends about what she

learns and how many topics impact them, her community, and even the country, (Snowman, J., &

McCown, R. R., 2015). Camile takes the time to contemplate and make more suitable choices

that will influence herself, her future, and the way she develops and will turn out as an adult.

Graph
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Recommendations

Physical

Suggestions about Camile’s physical development that I have for her parents, is to

understand that her sleeping patterns are different from adults and children. According to CHOC,

“During the teen years, the body’s circadian rhythm (an internal biological clock) is reset,

telling your teen to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change is likely due to the brain

hormone melatonin, which is released later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults.” so

this will result in her sleeping at later hours, though I do suggest less screen time late night,

(CHOC, 2021).

Emotional

Camile seems to have been through a lot of emotional confusion in the past year up to

now, so for her emotion development, I do recommend parents and teachers to talk and listen to

what she has to say, as well as to accept her feelings and avoid overreacting, (“Child
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Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). I also recommend complimenting her

and celebrating her accomplishment more often, since she has felt feelings of failure and

unreachable high expectations in the past and likely still does, (CDC, 2019).

Philosophical

Camile demonstrates an excellent philosophical development for her age, which I believe

requires attention from her parents and teachers so she continues to develop in this healthy way. I

suggest for her parents to be sympathetic about her thoughts and perspectives and try to

“understand your own perspectives relating to values” and talk to her about them, (“Child

Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). Also, for both parents and teachers, I

recommend having a better communication, “talk with your teen, not just at them” and don’t just

use “yes” or “no” when answering questions, attempt to have a more matured conversation,

(CHOC, 2021).

Social

Camile meets the normal social characteristics for her age, so for parents I recommend

that you find more ways to bond and spend time together (CHOC, 2021), which helps maintain a

healthy, respectful, and friendly relationship with your daughter, (“Child Development Guide:

Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993). I also suggest that avoiding prying gives your teen more

privacy and independence. For teachers, I recommend that you “Encourage experiences with a

variety of people,” such as students of different ages, backgrounds, and majors, (“Child

Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,” 1993).

Intellectual

Camile is very on top of her decisions and the impact they can have on her future. So in

order for her to achieve her goals and have a better understanding of her decisions, I suggest her
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parents and teacher to “Show more concern about future school and work plans” (CDC, 2019).

Also, I recommend that they encourage her in talking about and planning her future concerning

school and her career, and you can do so by assisting her in finding her resources such as making

appointments with her counselor, (“Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years,”

1993).
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Reference Page

CDC. (2019, November 7). Childhood Development - Teenagers (15-17 years of age). Retrieved

November 13, 2021, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:

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

CHOC. (2021, June 28). Teenager Growth & Development: 13 to 18 Years (Adolescent) -

Children’s Health Orange County. Retrieved November 14, 2021, from Children’s Health

Orange County website: https://www.choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages/13-to-18-years/

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015). ED PSYCH. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage learning.

University of Washington. (1993). Child Development Guide: Sixteen to Nineteen Years.

Retrieved November 13, 2021, from Washington.edu website:

https://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg15.htm#EMOTI

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