• How to respond:
  • Think about similarities and differences between the adolescent behaviors/issues in your case studies and your initial post.
  • Provide opinions
  • Ask questions?

Classmate's Case study 6, featuring the suffocated student. This middle-schooler felt overwhelmed by her family's strictness, which led her to lie to participate in typical middle school activities. I can relate to her feelings of suffocation due to parental expectations; my father was a pastor while I was growing up, which meant that I faced similarly rigid demands. My peers even labeled me as a "Goody Two-Shoes." In response, I began to act out and deceive my family, seeking some semblance of control over my life. I believe this situation reflects both social-emotional challenges and cognitive issues. When children are prevented from engaging in everyday childhood experiences and pressured to perform at specific levels, without the freedom and support to navigate the consequences of their own decisions, it stifles their cognitive and social-emotional development. While children require a structured environment that ensures stability, it is also crucial to allow them the opportunity to engage in discussions regarding certain decisions and their potential consequences. This approach recognizes that children benefit from guidance and support in decision-making processes. Yet, it is equally important to instill a sense of structure and promote critical thinking by encouraging them to articulate their thoughts and understand the implications of their choices. Balancing guidance with the freedom to explore decision-making fosters both emotional security and cognitive development in children.

My Case Study Jake