Interview with an Adolescent - Case Study Example

Interview with an adolescent CHILD/ADOLESCENT INTERVIEW For the study, I chose an adolescent Michael whom I had seen around in my neighborhood but had never spoken to him before. I don’t know what made me to choose him as my subject of inspection, but choose him I did. There was something about Michael that seemed to kindle my interest and I was rather happy when he agreed to a small interview. I suggested that it would be nice if we went to a quiet and peaceful place and Michael quickly suggested a pond that was about 100 yards away from his home. We had agreed to meet there at 10 the next morning. WARM UP: Hello Michael. Hope you had a lovely day. Would you like to tell me something about yourself? Or would you like me to ask you a few questions? M - Yeah, I think if you ask me it would be fine. (I had taken a box of chocolates along and gave it to Michael who thanked me for it.) How old are you Michael? M – Oh, around 15 I guess. What are your interests? M – Well, I love doing many things- my favorites are cycling and music. That’s nice and who are the members of your family? (Michael fell silent for a while, so I prompted) Besides mom and dad do you have other brothers or sisters? M – (Hesitant) Hmmm…nope. Nope? M – No Mom, no Dad, no brother or sister. I see, so with whom do you stay? M – Yeah I live with my grandparents. What are they like? M – Yeah, they are good. How would you describe your personality? M – I am a friendly sort of guy with a lot of ambition in life. Oh, that’s nice. It is good to have an ambition in your life. Now, tell me Michael do you remember anything about your first few years of life? M – I remember that I was a very happy kid as long as my mom was there. I was very attached to my mom, and I really miss her now. What did your family tell you about what life was like in those years? My mom used to tell me that life on the farm was very difficult. What did you like to play? I loved playing ball and cycling. Who were your playmates? My playmates were Jack and Harry but they live quite far from my place now. What is your earliest memory? My earliest memory was that of my mother who used to read me stories before I went to bed. What meaning does the memory have for you? I can understand that my mother loved me a lot. Is your mother a working mother? No, my mother passed away when I was just 6 years old. Oh, I’m sorry, what happened? She got killed in an accident. Ever since then, I have missed her terribly. I can understand how you feel about this and how has your father taken it? He left me with my grandparents and has got married again and gone away. I’m sorry. Who did you spend most of your time with? Most of my time is spent with my grandparents when I come from school. What were you like during your elementary school years? I was quite a lonely child but I had many friends at school. I had to put in a lot of hard work since I did not have my parents to guide me. Would you describe what your life was like? I led quite a lonely life helping my grandparents who are very old with the household chores. But life was not easy at all. What did you do for fun? I went cycling down the road for fun and sometimes visit my friends or fish at this pond. How did your parents treat you? My mother was very good to me but my father was quite rough with me. He was always shouting about everything. What were your major conflicts about? My father used to drink and create a lot of problem in the house. Is your father at home? No he left us and got married but stays around the same area. I meet him sometimes. How were decisions made? My parent couldn’t see eye – to – eye and there was a quarrel each time a decision had to be taken. What form of discipline was used in your house? What action was taken when you had done anything wrong? My father was a strict disciplinarian and it grew worse when he drank. He used to make me stand in a corner for hours. What would you say were the major influences on your development? I mean what was the thing that really hurt you most? His alcohol abuse had a direct impact on my development. I think I could have done better if it was not there. What values were you taught- by your mother and father? My mother had taught me a lot of patience and tolerance by her behavior. She made sure that I went to church regularly and she taught me never to say lies. As for my father he didn’t care about anything like that. What was your health like during that time? How healthy were you? My health was alright but I got sick now and then. What were you taught about the appropriate roles for men and women? I mean responsibilities of men and women? I was taught that men were supposed to be strong but I did not see that in my father, but my mother was a very strong lady and used to shoulder all the responsibilities. Who were your role models or whom did you want to grow up to be like? My role models are my mother and one of my teachers who is a great source of courage and strength. I think I would like to be like them What was school like when you grew a bit older? School was fine and I have many friends and good teachers too. Tell me about Middle School. How did it feel going to Middle School? Middle school was fine too- It was the same school so I had no problem. How did life change? What were the major changes that came about? Life changed when my mother passed away. The great change I faced was I had to become self- dependent from a very young age. How did your relationship with your parents change? I was quite small when I lost my mother whom I loved very much but I was never attached to my father. My relationship with him was not good. How did your emotions change? I dislike my father for having left me with my grandparents and walking out on us like that. I feel very angry with him for walking out and leaving me behind. How has puberty affected you? Puberty has not been too easy. I get quite annoyed that I do not have proper parents to take care of things because my grandparents are old and yet I have to depend a lot on them and it is very stressful. What is the best thing about being 15? The best thing is that I have a lot of energy to play as well as help my grandparents who are quite old. I also feel that I am quite a responsible kid and more self- reliant. How would you describe yourself as a teenager? Mature? Immature? I am very mature for my age and quite unlike many of the children in my class. What are the major influences in your life? For the present I think my teachers, friends and grand-parents have influenced my life very much. Tell me about school. I feel happy when I go to school. I am a little above average in my studies. What type of work do you do? I mean when you are not at school? Besides helping my grandparents at home I also have a newspaper job that I do on weekends. How does this affect your life? This has helped to take my mind off certain things that trouble me. I like doing the rounds ‘cause I get to meet many nice people. How much do you earn and what do you do with the money? Every weekend I get about $20.00 out of which I give my grandparents $10.00 and the other $10.00 I use if needed. What are your relationships like with the opposite sex? Are you attracted to girls? I am usually very reserved but I do have a couple of girls who are very good friends. What is your relationship like with your parents? I love my mother but not my father. I don’t share a good relationship with him. How are decisions made now that you are older? I make most of my decisions but if I need help I consult my teacher or my grandparents. What are your plans or goals for the future? (leave the timetable vague unless they ask for a time frame, then choose a time you are interested in) I want to be successful in all that I do in addition to being a good and responsible human being who helps others when needed. INTERVIEW FOR PARENT The interview with Michael’s dad was scheduled for another day. I asked Michael to arrange to meet with his dad at the same pond because it was quiet and peaceful here. Michael had telephoned his father and he arranged to meet us there on Saturday by 11:00 in the morning. WARM UP: Would you tell me about yourself? (Subject may need prompting. If so, ask each of the following questions SEPARATELY) As soon as he arrived we shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. We then sat on the grass on the bank of the pond and began the interview. Would you tell me about yourself? Yeah, sure, please ask me what you want. How old are you? In my late forties - around forty seven. How would you describe your personality? I am a person with less tolerance and get angry very easily. What are your interests? My interest lies in horse racing and…. Do you like drinking? I wouldn’t say like, but in fact…. Addicted? Hmmm… Who are the members of your family? My wife expired years ago and I have a son called Michael, but I’m now married once again have a baby girl aged five. I see, so what are they like? They are fine but problems do arise because of my abuse of alcohol. What was your life like before becoming a parent? Before I got married life was great and my parents gave me a good education but somewhere along the way I became addicted to alcohol after joining with a group of my friends who do the same thing. Did you plan to have children when you did? No…I don’t think so….. Why or why not? The reason was that I found difficulty in keeping a steady job because I lose my temper often and I know that it is due to my drinking habit. How would you describe yourself as a parent? I know I have not done justice to either of the families and I’ve neglected my duties as a father and sometimes feel quite helpless at the situation. If married or co-parenting: Have you tried to help Michael in any way? Since I got married once again I have not paid much attention to Michael and really feel both helpless and guilty. How has the relationship between you and your partner been affected by parenting? My wife was a good mother but it is only because of my drinking habit and lack of tolerance that the relationship between us became sour. What do you remember about _________’s first few years of life? Michael was a fairly good student at school and basically a nice kid who always loved to play a lot. What did he/she like to play? He liked playing football and he has always been on the school team. Who were his/her playmates? He had a lot of friends but yes Jack and Harry are very close. Tell me a story about something he/she did as a preschool child? He loved the singing classes at pre-school because he had a very good music teacher. What meaning does the memory have for you? I feel nostalgic when I think about the beautiful songs his teacher taught him - surely this was a good memory because I love music very much even today. What was he/she like during the elementary school years? He was a bit difficult to handle in the elementary school years and gave a little trouble but then settled down again. Would you describe what your life as a family was like then? Because of my drinking habit that came in the way all the time, I think I did not give them a good time at all. Who did he/she spend most of his/her time with? He spent most of the time with his friends because he did not like the atmosphere at home because I was always picking on him for small things. What did he/she do for fun? For fun he used to cycle down the road or do a bit of fishing. What activities did you enjoy as a family? Watching television is one of the activities I liked with my family but the time spent with them was very limited because I spent a lot of my time in bars with my friends. How did your child treat you? My son Michael shows a lot of respect for me even though I know I was not a good father to him for which I feel quite guilty. What were your major conflicts about? My major conflicts lay in the fact that I was a poor father to my children and that is because of my problem with alcohol. I should have been more responsible especially where my family was concerned. How were decisions made? Who made the decisions? Decisions were mostly taken by me but many of them were not the right ones. I regret many of the decisions that I had taken. What form of discipline was used in your house? I was a strict disciplinarian and lost my temper even for small things and made life quite miserable for everyone around. Who was in charge of the discipline? Myself mostly. What values did you try to teach? Though I tried to teach different values yet I did not practice many of them myself. What was his/her health like? Michael was a healthy child – we had no problem with his health. What did you try to teach about the appropriate roles for men and women? I feel men should be more responsible, but since I have not fulfilled this duty, I never try to teach others. What were your rules about television? There were no such rules but I would insist that the TV was off when Michael was doing his homework. How did he/she do at school? He did well as he was a little above average. Tell me the transition to middle school. There was no problem at all as he always did well at school and was quite responsible for his age. How did his/her life change? I mean when your wife expired? My life changed drastically and my drinking became even worse. It is one decision that I would never forgive myself. How did your relationship with your child change? Because of this habit of mine I did not pay much attention to my child and he went further away from me. What kind of emotional changes did you observe? I found that he became quite moody and withdrawn. What was the process of puberty like for your child? It had a lot of ups and downs and lots of moodiness too. What type of activities did he/she enjoy? He liked going out with friends and he also helped around the house. What are the special challenges for a parent who has a child this age? The parent has to be a very responsible person and a good role model in order to help a child his age. How would you describe your child as a teenager? As a teenager Michael was quite responsible and took on a lot of responsibilities. How is he/she doing at school? I think Michael is all right in his studies and has a good rapport with the teachers in his school. Does he/she work – either around the house or outside the home? When he has no school he lends a helping hand at home. What effect does this have on his/her life? He has become even more responsible. How does he/she get money and what does he/she do with the money? Michael works in a small part time job during the weekends and I think he gives his grandparents some and keeps a little for himself. What are his/her relationships like with the opposite sex? I really don’t know. What is your relationship like with your child? My relationship with my child is not very good as he is growing and understands the problem I have. How are decisions made in the family? I make most of the decisions but have regretted many of them. What are your hopes for _________’s future? My chief aim is to first get rid of this habit and then try to salvage the remaining part of my life and try to be a better father to Michael by helping him in the future. (We shook hands and parted our ways after saying goodbye and what touched me was the sincerity with which Michael’s father spoke which made me want to help him out.) 1) What are the two most important things you learned from doing this interview? (This can be what you learned about the subject, the development process, doing a case history interview, theory, etc.) From this interview I learned to show restraint in dealing with a young child. I also learned to be patient, understanding and the polite and show a lot of care. Listening to Michael’s story I empathized with him because I could understand the way he felt about his parents. This project gave me a lot of interest and kindled my curiosity. It also helped me to gain experience in engaging in a case history interview. This experience has encouraged me to shed some of my own inhibitions and impatience. The theory part of the project has helped me to gain new knowledge as well as improve my analytical and problem solving skills. 2) Which parenting style has been used with the adolescent. Explain the style and give at least two examples from the interview that illustrate your choice.) Michael’s story made me realize how different parents, dealt differently with their children. In Michael’s case he had parents who were totally different not only in their outlook in life, but also in dealing with their son Michael. Michael seemed to love his mother with all his heart because she had been a kind, loving and understanding mother. But in the case of Michael’s dad he seemed to be aloof and did not seem to like him much because Michael had been a victim where he was concerned. Since Michael’s mother had passed away when he was very young, the parenting style of the father could be taken into consideration. Parenting Style – Authoritarian Parenting and Permissive Parenting. Michael’s father was very strict and his word was law in the house. So this type of parenting is ‘Authoritarian’ where force is exercised on the child. In this type of parenting, the parent in question takes decisions and sets down rules that have to be followed without questioning them. Authoritarian parents set very high standards for the children and take it out on them if these are not met. Basically they do not care about the child’s feelings and emotions and never engage them in discussions or ask for their opinions. Since Michael’s father was with him only for a few years, the balance of Michael’s life was through the Permissive parenting of the grandparents who doted on Michael but did not exercise much control over him. In Permissive parenting, the parents love their children so much that they do not want to make them sad or hurt them in any way and hence allow them to do what they like. Though Authoritarian parents love their children, they do not express or show their affection much. The following examples go to show that Michael’s father was an authoritarian parent. 1. My mother was very good to me but my father was quite rough with me. 2. My father was a strict disciplinarian and it grew worse when he drank. 3) Which grand theory from your textbook best explains the child’s development. Give at least two examples from the interview that illustrate your choice. There are three theories that may be applied to the behavior of children- 1. The psychoanalytical theory 2. The Behaviorism theory and 3. The Cognitive theory. In Describing these theories (McAdams & Pals, 2006) state that, “All these theories are “grand” in that they are comprehensive, enduring and widely applied.” The Psychoanalytical theory The grand theory that explains Michael’s behavior and development is the psychoanalytical theory of Freud and Erikson. According to them, all the problems faced by the individual in adult life are nothing but the echo of the conflicts they experienced in their childhood. In this theory, the child has difficulty in establishing a safe and mutual trust in the parent and therefore finds it difficult to make the right choices and proper adjustments in adult life. According to this theory, the child who faces conflicts should find adequate resolution through proper interaction, not only with his parents but also in the individual’s social environment. If these conflicts are not resolved at the right stages, the child feels guilty and wants to exceed the limitations set by their parents thereby leading to more conflicts. In such cases sometimes, these initiatives could pave the way for either pride or failure which again turns to guilt. All these experiences are accepted by the child and internalized. These internalized reactions remain with the child throughout their life. Both Freud and Erikson believed that the first years of a child’s life are very crucial for resolving early conflicts which may become internalized if not resolved and cause major problems later on in adulthood where the child finds it difficult to make the necessary adjustments. These maladjustments get manifested and persist throughout the individual’s life. According to Erikson the resolution of these manifestations would largely depend on the interaction of the individual with his environment. At most times the child would want to do an activity that exceeds his ability and this would lead to an initiative vs. guilt attitude where the child either feels pride or failure depending according to the outcome of his activities. The following answers go to show that Michael fits into the Psychoanalytical theory- 1. I dislike my father for having left me with my grandparents and walking out on us like that. I feel very sad when I think of my mother and wish that she was here with me. 2. I want to be successful in all that I do in addition to being a good human being who helps others when needed. Read More