Posted: May 24th, 2022

PSY101 Smarter Decision Making through Psychology

instructions:
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 webtext, 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 are three physical changes that happen to teen brains that make it difficult for someone like Gary to weigh risk and reward? Write a paragraph to list the changes and describe how they affect decision-making.

2. In addition to their brains changing, teens change socially. What do teens wrestle with as they develop socially? Why may Gary value his peers more than his mom? Write a paragraph that describes teens’ social development and how this may influence Gary’s decision to sneak out and go to the party.

3. What are two specific strategies or pieces of advice that you would recommend that Gloria can offer to help her son to make better decisions? Write a paragraph that offers advice that would help Gloria with her son’s development as he improves his decision-making skills.

4. Place yourself in Gloria’s shoes. How do you think Gloria is feeling? How can understanding her feelings help you offer constructive advice? Write a paragraph where you describe how you think Gloria is feeling and explain why understanding her feelings allows you to offer more 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 webtext as a resource. Once you have completed your work, save the file and upload it to the assignment submission area.
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Smarter Decision Making through Psychology
August 4, 2020

Using what you have learned about the adolescent brain and social development in Chapter 3 of the webtext, 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. (Use page 3.4 for brain development and page 3.6 for social development.)
For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5–7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo webtext as a resource.

Question 1: What are three physical changes that happen to teen brains that make it difficult for someone like Gary to weigh risk and reward? Write a paragraph to list the changes and describe how they affect decision making.
One of the changes that happen is the synaptic ‘pruning’ of the unused connections in the prefrontal cortex (Myers, 2019). Puberty hormones also cause the amygdala to produce powerful, compelling sensations. At the time, cognitive control is undeveloped because the prefrontal cortex is limited. The teenager lacks proper judgment, planning, and impulse control. The third change is the change in the level of serotonin and dopamine, which cause the teenager to become more emotional and responsive to stress and rewards (Myers, 2019). Increased dopamine activity causes adolescents to become risk-takers and vulnerable to boredom. But, the serotonin eases the stress and tension, bringing down the excitement and recklessness. Without proper serotonin production, the person becomes impulsive and may display violent behavior.
Question 2: In addition to their brains changing, teens change socially. What do teens wrestle with as they develop socially? Why may Gary value his peers more than his mom? Write a paragraph that describes teens’ social development and how this may influence Gary’s decision to sneak out and go to the party.
Adolescents also experience social changes. Puberty reorganizes the teens’ relationships, placing friends over family. Teens develop an impulsive desire to be autonomous from their parents. They like to spend more time with their peers. Teens also start exploring their sexuality and trying romantic relationships (Myers, 2019). This explains why Gary now values his friends’ company and is willing to risk sneaking out of the house to be with them.
Question 3: What are two specific strategies or pieces of advice that you would recommend that Gloria can offer to help her son to make better decisions? Write a paragraph that offers advice that would help Gloria with her son’s development as he improves his decision-making skills.
Gloria should talk with Gary about the choices he makes. She must encourage the child to develop his own values and choose correctly. At this point, parenting is more about guidance than controlling the child. Gloria should also help Gary think about and compare the possible consequences of the choices available to him. For example, she could let him know how passing his exam would have long-term benefits than hanging out with friends. As Gary learns to weigh his alternative, he may start to make better decisions.
Question 4: Place yourself in Gloria’s shoes. How do you think Gloria is feeling? How can understanding her feelings help you offer constructive advice? Write a paragraph where you describe how you think Gloria is feeling and explain why understanding her feelings allows you to offer more effective advice.
Gloria is likely feeling ignored because her son is not taking her instructions and prefers to listen to his friends. She must also feel lonely because Gary now prefers to hang out with his friends and leaves his mom alone. I would advise Gloria to keep her son busy and engaged in positive activities like sports (Myers, 2019). It would spend up his emotional energy and makes him less volatile. I would also ask Gloria to know Gary’s friends because they will influence who he grows to become. Gloria should discourage Gary from hanging out with them if they are not good friends by causing him to weigh his alternatives.

Sources
1. David G. Myers. 2019. Psychology. http://www.webtexts.com

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