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PEPSI Screening of Angelyn

Christine Fulton

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 220-3001

Dr. Vincent Richardson

04/01/2023
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PEPSI Screening of Angelyn .

At the time of observation, Angelyn was six-teen years of age. Angelyn is five feet and

one inch tall with long pink and green hair as well as brown eyes. At first sight it is hard to

distinguish if Angelyn is a child or a grown adult. While she lacks development in places like

height and voice tone, she over gained in places such as her curves and mentality. While

Angelyn is still developmentally still a youth, she has had to take on the responsibilities mentally

of an adult. Due to her size and shape Angelyn is constantly put in “grown up” situations by

older men, she is also put in the role of mother quite often at home, as her own mother is

frequently absent. Angelyn is a straight A student in her high school. She is a top student in

Valley High School’s Hospitality and Tourism program. She is often above the class standard as

she uses her intelligence to find ways around her current situations. While observing Angelyn

in her home, I found that she often plays the role of mother even to those older than her.

Everyday she is faced with cleaning the house, taking care of her elderly grandparents in which

one has dementia, as well as cooking for the family of eight people that live there. Angelyn, a

six-teen year old girl, is faced with taking care of an entire family decades older than she is while

still succeeding in school pushing herself past the limit of her peers. Angelyn often described a

feeling of depression, anxiety and insomnia further pushing her away from her peers. Each factor

listed puts extreme amounts of stress, developmental delays as well as a disconnect from her

peers.
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Physical

The physical look and capabilities of Angelyn are shocking at first sight. From behind

Angelyn is a petite child sized human with a soft squeaky voice. When turned around you are

faced with the body of an adult woman and the face of a child. Compared to others her age,

Angelyn both exceeds and under achieves the standard for physicality of those her age. After

gaining exclusive permission from Angelyn, I was given permission to share her measurements

as a six-teen year old girl. Angelyn at six-teen is sixty one inches tall, with her hips measuring

forty inches, her waist being twenty seven inches and her bust measuring out to be a total of forty

seven inches. These are not the measurements of an average teenager or even adult woman.Some

research suggests that youth who experience faster physical development are more likely to

engage in risk-taking behavior than their peers and that teens who develop more slowly than

their peers may be more likely to face bullying. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

2022)

Emotional

Maltreated youth have been shown to suffer a wide assortment of trauma-related

psychological distress, including internalizing symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatic

complaints, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociation (Hodges et al. 2013; Moylan

et al. 2010; Spinazzola et al. 2014). Speaking in private with Angelyn, an emotionally damaged

and immature little girl was at the heart of the small grown up she presented herself to be. Being

maltreated in her youth Angelyn was forced to put on a face of emotional maturity that most of
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her peers never had to face. Persistent exposure to violence in the home has been found to

damage youth perceptions of trust and safety; to foster beliefs about oneself as worthless,

inadequate, and unlovable; and to diminish the ability to tolerate and manage negative emotions

(Coates and Messman-Moore 2014; Flynn et al. 2014). A strong and secure attachment bond

with a primary caregiver is the core of developing resilience and a healthy personality. . Rutter

M. Clinical implications of attachment concepts: retrospect and prospect. J Child Psychol

Psychiatry. 1995;36(4):549–71. It strengthens a child’s ability to cope with stress, regulates

emotions, provides social support, and forms nurturing relationships. The world is experienced

as a safe place in which to explore and develop independence.Zolotor A, Kotch J, Dufort V,

Winsor J, Catellier D, Bou-Saada I. School performance in a longitudinal cohort of children at

risk of maltreatment. Matern Child Health J. 1999;3(1):19–27. Compared to her peers she

described as well mannered coming from safe households, Angelyn reported feeling both over

and under emotionally developed. While she has the ability to foster a mother-child relationship

with anyone she meets, she stated she struggles with “just being someone’s friend”.

Philosophical

Quite literally, the term "philosophy" means, "love of wisdom." In a broad sense, philosophy is

an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves,

the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. (Department

of Philosophy Florida State U. 2022) In theory there are an endless amount of philosophical

beliefs one person may have, However when looking at modern age philosophers Rousseau

(1979) offers five age stages in which one must pass through to reach moral maturity. (i) infancy
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(birth to age 2); (ii) the age of sensation (3 to 12); (iii) the age of ideas (13 to puberty); (iv) the

age of sentiment (puberty to age 20); and (v) the age of marriage and social responsibility (age

21 on). Each person on this planet will pass through these five stages but it is the parent or

guardian of each person that truly shapes morality and the philosophy of a child. Marvin

Berkowitz, professor of character development at the University of Missouri, St. Louis states

“But the question of when is not nearly so fraught as the question of how. Although they pretty

much agree that living in a crack house--with people who respond to challenges with violence,

and bereft of parental love, supervision and models of moral behavior--can leave a child's

conscience stillborn,.If there is any consensus, it is that conscience is a combination of head,

heart and hand." Angelyn went on to talk about the lack of parental guidance in her adolescence

and how it shaped her philosophy and morality today “.The age at which a child reaches these

milestones of moral reasoning varies with how he is raised and how those around him act. Unlike

empathy, full-fledged conscience does not seem innate. Children acquire the cognitive

understanding of right and wrong by observing the behavior of the people most important to

them, usually (and hopefully) their parents. If Dad reacts to injured pride--"He dissed me!"--with

violence, that becomes the model for his son. And that is only the beginning of a parent's

influence.” (Pecorino A. Philip 2000) She went on to explain that without the guidance from a

parent or even an adult figure in her life, she struggles with the idea of right and wrong. “I mean

yes, I understand the concept of stealing is wrong, but why?”. ( A. 2023) Angelyn used that

question as a basis for her explanation. Without the guidance of a parent like her peers had, she

struggles to understand why some actions can be good when done by others but bad when done

by her and vice versa.

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Social

When faced with social situations conducted by strangers, Angelyn was above and

beyond those in her peer group. She took charge of each situation and without hesitation she

solved every challenge she was met with. While watching her, if I were an outsider I could have

easily assumed she had been doing this her entire life. However when faced with a peer, or those

close to her peer age group, Angelyn froze and became an entirely different person. Angelyn

became sheltered, quiet, and she drew back into herself as if she had never interacted with a

person in her lifetime. As she withdrew from the conversation, Angelyn reported feeling

symptoms of depression and anxiety. Adolescents who have experienced abuse might suffer from

depression, anxiety, or social withdrawal. In addition, adolescents who live in violent situations

tend to run away to what they perceive to be safer environments. Bartlett R, Holditch-Davis D,

Belyea M. Problem behaviors in adolescents. Pediatr Nurs. 2007;33(1):13–8. By socializing,

your child will learn to foster empathy, improve language skills, discover the concepts of sharing

and teamwork, grow more confident, and get better prepared for school. Practicing these

concepts through socialization will help children create friendships and therefore learn how to

respect others. (Pitt-Martin 2023) Angelyn later explained that during her childhood she was

only ever exposed to the company of her older sister. Unlike other children who often find

friendship wherever they go, Angelyn stayed away from her peers in school and relied only on

her older sister for the vital socialization needed to better develop her brain and social skills. The

roles given to Angelyn socially as a child fostered the courage to speak to those older than her

with no issue and full confidence, while fostering a fear of socializing with her peers, the exact

opposite of said peers.

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Intellectual

The ability to think in more mature ways can also differ by setting. Teens may develop new

cognitive skills in school settings before personal settings. For example, teens may use

improvements in memory or selective attention in school but not at home.(Ginsburg, Ken MD,

MSEd 2022) Angelyn is a straight A student with big dreams of going to college to create a

successful career. Working above and beyond her peers at Valley High School’s Hospitality and

Tourism program, Angelyn strives for academic excellence. She reports that compared to her

peers, she is the only person to have every assignment turned in at least three days prior to its due

date. Angelyn prides herself on her ability to overcome every intellectual hurdle thrown at her.

During late adolescence, complex thinking processes are used to focus on less self-centered

concepts and personal decision making. ( Ramsey Amy Ma, LPC, CCLS 2020) Compared to the

peers she has spoken with, Angelyn is the only person in her peer group to have deeply thought

of her life after high school. Angelyn has used her mature intellectual skills to think past

tomorrow, and to truly think on issues that will affect her future. Things such as good career

choices, the historic justice decisions she will be a part of making in just a few years, and

developing her own views on her emerging role into adult society. As cognitive development

progresses in adolescence, teens begin to be able to think in more abstract ways. They imagine

possibilities far into the future and may think about the concept of thinking itself. Teens may be

intrigued by philosophy and other intellectual pursuits and they begin to appreciate symbolism.

(Ginsburg, Ken MD, MSEd 2022)

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Angelyn Peers Angelyn Peers Angelyn Peers Angelyn Peers Angelyn Peers
7/10 5/10 3/10 8/10 5/10 7/10 4/10 9/10 9/10 6/10

Philoso Intelluct
Physical Emotional phical Social ual

Graph results

In this graph I have taken the time to compare and contrast Angelyn's PEPSI results with those of

a general peer group. For physical development, Angelyn was given a seven out of ten on the

graph while her peers were given a five out of ten. Angelyn, compared to the vast majority of her

peers is far over developed for her age, therefore ranking her a seven out of ten for the physical

development category. For emotional development Angelyn was given a three out of ten

compared to the eight out of ten that her peers were given. During her adolescents Angelyn was
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not given the proper time nor care to fully develop emotionally therefore ranking her a low three

out of ten. For Philosophical development, Angelyn was given a five out of ten compared to her

peers seven out of ten. This is due to her lack of philosophical development as a child. Angelyn

questions right from wrong more than a well developed peer would. For Social Development,

Angelyn was given a four out of ten due to her inability to communicate with her peers on the

same level that she can communicate with those who are older than her. Finally for intellectual

development Angelyn was given a nine out of ten while her peers were ranked six out of ten.

Angelyn during her adolescence was given the time to think about her future, make big career

plans, and to question the balance of her future tied within the laws being written in our current

day. This puts her above her peers who prefer to take life one day at a time rather than worrying

about the future.

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References

Bretherton I. Bowlby’s legacy to developmental psychology. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev.

1997;28(1):33–43

Begley Sharon (2000) Learning Right From Wrong: The fragile steps toward a child's

understanding that lying, stealing, cheating and hurting are out of bounds

Ginsburg Ken (2022) Cognitive Development: Thinking on New Levels

Flynn, M., Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. (2014). The prospective

contribution of childhood abuse to low self-worth, low relationship quality, and symptomatology

across adolescence: A developmental-organizational perspective. Developmental

Psychology, 50(9), 2165–2175. Doi:10.103

Pitt- Martin (2022) The Importance of socialization in Early Childhood

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Rutter M. Clinical implications of attachment concepts: retrospect and prospect. J Child Psychol

Psychiatry. 1995;36(4):549–71.

Ramset Amy, MA, LPC, CCLS (2020) What is Cognitive Development?

Zolotor A, Kotch J, Dufort V, Winsor J, Catellier D, Bou-Saada I. School performance in a

longitudinal cohort of children at risk of maltreatment. Matern Child Health J. 1999;3(1):19–27.