Question

1. Assignment 1: Case Study #1
   
   Overview
   Throughout this course, you’re learning how to use problem-solving and self and social awareness skills to practice the key concepts of psychology. You’re discovering how self and social awareness and problem-solving work together to help you understand the perspectives of others, examine situations objectively, and use evidence to develop and make decisions. With this case study assignment, you’ll have the chance to put your skills to work!
   Read the case study below and use your problem solving and self and social awareness skills to help a co-worker work through a difficult situation.
   
   Case Study and Questions
   Gloria is a recent college graduate and a single mom to 16-year-old Gary. Gloria and Gary used to be close. But recently, Gloria has noticed that Gary is only focused on what his friends think about him. Gary recently snuck out of his bedroom window and went to a party when he was supposed to be studying for a big exam. Gloria caught him coming home and smelled alcohol on his breath and marijuana on his clothes. Gloria is shocked and appalled by her son’s recent behavior and grounded him for two weeks.
   Gloria comes to you because she needs some advice on how to handle her son’s poor choices. Using what you have learned about the adolescent brain and social development in Chapter 3 of the web text, answer the questions below to help Gloria understand why her son is making such poor choices, and pose some recommendations to help her solve her problem:
   1. What happens to teen brains that make it difficult for someone like Gary to weigh risk and reward?
   2. Why may Gary value his peers more than his mom?
   3. What specific strategies or advice would you recommend that Gloria can do to help her son to make a better decision
   4. Place yourself in Gloria’s shoes; how do you think Gloria is feeling? How can understanding her feelings help you offer constructive advice?
   
   
   Instructions
   Use the Case Study #1 Assignment Template to record your responses. For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5-7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo web text as a resource. Once you have completed your work, save the file and upload it to the assignment submission area.
   Strayer University Writing Standards Note: Review the Strayer University Writing Standards. These are provided as a brief set of user-friendly guidelines that make it easier for you to learn the behaviors of appropriate writing (i.e., clear, professional, and ethical writing). This is meant to support the use of the template provided.
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Answer 1

1. During adolescence period, teenagers are more prone to risk taking behaviors without evaluating the risks associated with it. The human brain undergoes significant growth and development during the adolescence period. It includes the pruning away of the unused connections regarding thinking and processing from the grey matter because the brain loses these unused connections to become more effective. But this process of pruning begins from the brain areas that are located at the back, so the prefrontal cortex of the frontal brain is remodelled at the last. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the processes such as thinking about the consequences of actions, evaluating the outcomes, planning, problem solving, decision making and impulse control. Since the brain of teenagers are still developing they mainly rely on the part of the brain called the amygdala, for problem solving and decision making when compared to adults who are most likely to use their prefrontal cortex since it is fully developed during adulthood. Since amygdala is associated with producing behaviors that are based on the emotions, aggression, impulses and instincts, the adolescent behavior tend to more risk taking and pleasure and reward seeking.

2. It is very common that teenagers are more connected to their peers than their parents during adolescence. According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial stages of development, the fifth stage is the "Identity vs Role confusion" stage that occur during the adolescence period. During this stage, the adolescents form an identity about themselves such, who they are, who they want to become and what they want to do with their life. So, for this they largely rely on their peers, spend more time with them and give more importance to them rather than their parents because their peers are going through the same phase as they do. They develop strong relationship with their peers, try to set goals, and explore more about themselves and the world around them. But when individuals fail to successfully complete this stage, they experience role confusions, also experience conflicts within oneself about their beliefs and values when they face problems. When teenagers fail to develop a positive role in their adolescence, they will continue to struggle through their adulthood too.

3. How parents support and guide their children is very important in determining their behaviors. Parents can modify their teenage child's behavior by integrating the child's brain development with the environment influences which will help in changing the way they think, feel and behave. This will help in hard-wiring the positive behaviors in their brain. Parents can make their child get involved in activities like sports, music, dance, martial arts or other activities that they will feel engaged, and it will help in spending their time usefully. The teenagers could be allowed to take certain risky behaviors that will enable them to explore more and be independent. They must also be given chances to express their creativity and their potentials appropriately. This does not mean they could do whatever they want, because the parents will not have any control over their children's behavior, so parents must also set boundaries. In the same way parents must also appreciate their child when they engage in good behaviors. Only lecturing the children will not make them follow the parent's instructions, the parents must also serve as a positive role model for their children.

In this case, Gloria must spend more time with her son and make him realize that what he had done was not right and must guide him to not engage in such behaviors in the future. She must also ask him what made him do such behaviors and try to eliminate the reasons behind it. If his friends had compelled him to take alcohol or drugs, she must ask him to stay away from them. Gloria could also send him to some activity classes such as for sports or whatever Gary is interested in so that it will distract him from engaging in other destructive behaviors.

4. Gloria must have felt shocked and very disappointed with her son's behavior because he had involved himself in an illegal behavior of consuming alcohol and taking drugs. She might have felt out of control and helpless because she wasn't able to do anything to stop him from doing it. She would have also felt worried about her son's future and be thinking about how she could make him understand and how to keep him away from his friends who could have influenced him to do such things. When we genuinely understand other person's feelings, it will help us to offer more realistic and workable solution to their problem so that it would be effective in solving it.