Introduction
Psychologists have examined various developmental changes in individuals during various stages of human development (Wolman, 1998). Such studies have provided valuable insights that allow us to understand various processes and factors that influence individuals’ growth and development. Consequently, several theoretical concepts have emerged as attempts to provide relevant explanations on the observed developmental changes in people (Newman & Newman, 2007).
While some of the theories focus on biological factors, others have concentrated on influences of the environment on a person’s development. In this respect, they have concluded that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence developmental outcomes in individuals.
Adolescence (12 – 18 years old) is an interesting stage in the life of an individual. Adolescents undergo various forms of changes in their bodies and feelings. The feeling of being misunderstood is common as they struggle with transition.
During this stage, adolescents are rebellious, could engage in drugs and sex, express negative attitudes, experience peer pressure, depression and disorders among others. This case study explores the life of Gus during adolescence stage in order to provide insights of his experiences with support from developmental theories, which consider biological, cognitive and socio-emotional development.
Demographic Background
Gus is a seventeen-year-old adolescent who lives in Cabrini Green located on the Near North side of Chicago. To many residents, Cabrini Green is known as the poverty and violence district of Chicago. There are gunfights among rival gangs who struggle for control of territories, but many residents consider Cabrini Green as a nurturing place. This is where Gus calls home.
Developmental processes
Biological
Gus was born a normal child with no complications. However, he had an alcoholic and abusive father, who later abandoned them shortly before they moved to Chicago. Consequently, Gus’ mother decided to move to Chicago from rural Arkansas when he was four years old. Later in adolescent, Gus developed abusive tendencies, particularly towards girls.
Gus had a disturbed childhood due to parental violence. As a result, when he joined pre-school, Gus had already started to show signs of aggression towards other children. However, in Cabrini Green, violence in early childhood was considered as a part of growing up in children because the environment was generally violent due to gang activities. Studies have shown that parental violent traits have relationships with their children’s behaviour problems and healthy development (Reebye, 2005).
Parental conflicts and alcoholic and antisocial fathers have negative impacts on children. When Gus was three years old, he watched his alcoholic father abuse his mother repeatedly. Consequently, Gus had to cope in intense family conflicts, which affected his emotional development. Studies have identified the role of fathers in healthy development among children (Reebye, 2005). Fathers who are deviants influence their children to be aggressive. Thus, antisocial behaviours of Gus’ father affected him during early childhood.
When Gus turned eight years old, his mother abandoned him because of the hardship and poverty in Cabrini Green. As a result, Gus dropped out of school to hang with neighbourhood boys. He noted that Cabrini got worse as he grew older.
Being an abandoned young Black child in unfamiliar and violent neighbourhood where gangs infiltrated with illicit drug trade was not simple for Gus. He never thought that would happen and as time went by, Gus decided to adjust to the street life. However, the impact of abandonment was devastating to Gus.
Child maltreatment and abandonment have long-term, negative impacts (Chapple, Tyler and Bersani, 2005). These authors noted that neglect had adverse effects on “self-control, peer relations, and delinquency” (Chapple et al., 2005). Child neglect affects peer relations and affects self-esteem. As research indicates, Gus turned violent during his early adolescent period. This is a behaviour, which has persisted into later years of Gus’ adolescence. Thus, violence became a coping mechanism for Gus.
When Gus was 17 years old, his body continued to develop. It was at this period when Gus discovered that he could play basketball. However, violence increased as gang picked fights for unknown reasons. Gus realised that he could not fight a gang of ten to fifteen people and so he joined them.
Cognitive development
Gus claimed that his mother raised him to do right, but the street life could not let him do so. As a result, he became rebellious and made bad choices. To him, street life offered satisfaction and excitement. Gus noted that he joined the gang because he wanted to develop survival techniques in a violence-ridden neighbourhood. While in the gang, it was at this age that Gus started to question the activities of the gang. In some instances, he got into real confrontation with certain members of the gang.
Psychologists have noted that the ability to engage in abstract thinking continues to develop during late adolescent period (Newman & Newman, 2007). Gus started to develop intellectual capabilities and questioned activities of the gang he considered absurd. He also engaged in deeper analysis of self, as well as set his own goals.
However, the gang had leaders to be obeyed and followed. The leaders were responsible for ‘thinking for the rest’. At this stage, teen rebellion is common. Hence, Gus was demonstrating normal adolescent behaviours. However, much of Gus’ behaviours were influenced with the violent nature of his neighbourhood.
Gus engaged in cautious, inquiry about the ways of the street gangs. He wanted to understand why gangs would kill, had leaders who did the ‘thinking’ for rest and ordered them to act according to the gangs’ paperwork. The paperwork implies that the gang had some forms of informal rules, which every member had to follow.
From psychological perspectives, it is normal for adolescent to undermine established order, appeal to authority and strive to replace such orders with rational thoughts based on one’s interests (Newman & Newman, 2007). Although Gus questioned every aspect of life and gangs’ activities, there was no further pursuit of any of his interests.
Socio-emotional
According studies, children who live in violent areas are appropriately considered as living in the urban war zones (Reebye, 2005). Such teenagers have a two-sided problem. First, they lack social seniors to nurture them. Second, they lack a chance to develop and internalised self-control learned through developmentally suitable means.
The absence of a father, a mother and an involved caregiver to offer the necessary supervision left Gus to develop his pseudocommunity and gain protection from other members of the gang who were antisocial elements.
During this period, adolescents tend to develop a sense of self-identity (Wolman, 1998). Self-awareness becomes imperative as teenagers focus on their outer and bodily features. Such bodily changes make adolescent self-conscious. Gus had to fight for his life, survival and the need to dominate others. Consequently, people who felt inferior to others or had low-self esteem could not simply survive in the street.
Gus had no parents. Hence, his relationship with adults was simply categorised as stressful by the time he was 17 years old. To Gus, adults were interfering with his life and that he had no support from anybody. However, instead of Gus feeling sad and lonely on the street due to lack of parents and parental support, he decided to face the world, make new friends and identify with his peers on the street. However, his friendships were never deep enough or long lasting.
At this stage, Gus experienced heightened sexual feeling and energy. He experienced different feelings of emotions and passion. The street life presented opportunities for Gus to experiment his feelings with girls at Cabrini Green.
Gas engaged in sex, exited relationships fast and formed new ones as soon as possible and he was abusive and ruthless. Psychologists consider this stage as one of discovering sexual identity (Newman & Newman, 2007). Although Gus lived in a neighbourhood prone to drug activities, he insisted that he never experimented with drugs.
Gus had disorganised attachment characterised by early parental neglect in a violent neighbourhood coupled with experiences from abusive father (Reebye, 2005). Consequently, he could not develop deeper friendship or relationships with others, especially young girls.
Conclusion
This case study has explored the life of Gus as an adolescent with the focus on biological, cognitive and socio-emotional developments. It shows that harsh environment and parental factors, including genetic factors played critical roles in the life of Gus has he struggled with conflicting thoughts and emotions in adolescence. He showed various bodily changes, the need to thrive on his own and impacts of peer pressure. Gus behavioural problems and emotional instability could have emanated from earlier experiences as a child.
References
Chapple, C., Tyler, K. A., and Bersani, B. E. (2005). Child Neglect and Adolescent Violence: Examining the Effects of Self-Control and Peer Rejection. Violence and Victims, 20(1), 39–53.
Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2007). Theories of Human Development. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Reebye, P. (2005). Aggression During Early Years — Infancy and Preschool. Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review, 14(1), 16–20.
Wolman, B. (1998). Adolescence: Biological and Psychosocial Perspectives. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.