Jordyn Aldrich

FHS-1500
Observation #4
November 5, 2015
I conducted my observation with Blake, a 15 year old male. To make this less awkward, since I
have 4 younger brothers and 1 older brother, I find that I am more comfortable communicating
with males than females, and that is why I chose to do my observation on a male.

Physical DevelopmentThe very first thing that I noticed was Blakes height, facial hair, and voice. As he said,
hello, how are you? his voice ranged from high to low and everything in between. According
to Kathleen Berger, Blake is right on track as a 15 year old boy in the sequence of puberty
(320). Not to my surprise, Blake spends hours upon hours, alone and with friends, snacking and
playing video games. Blake confessed to staying up all night plying videos because he was
unable to sleep until after midnight and described his hunger as an itch he cant seem to scratch.
Other than his highly developed fine motor skills (104), Blakes hormone levels are changing,
and his circadian rhythm (332) has been shaken up. Hormones are body chemicals that regulate
hunger, sleep (320) and the hormones of the PHA axis at puberty cause a phase delay in
sleep-awake cycle (322), which is why Blake finds himself up at all hours of the night and
can never seem to be full.
Blake is very tall, about six feet tall, and isnt done growing. He said that it seemed as
if he went to be, woke up the next morning, and just didnt fit into his pants anymore. Blake
experienced his growth spurt (326) when he was four-teen years old. He felt annoyed because he
grew to be tall but remains skinny and is becoming interested in putting on weight.
Unfortunately, Blake is experiences issues with his body image (328) but doesnt realize that
there is a lot more to it than what he thinks. One hormone causes increased body fat and then
triggers puberty is leptin, which stimulates the appetite (324); Blakes body could be fully
adjusted, making it hard for him to gain weight even as he grows taller.

Cognitive DevelopmentBlake has an adolescent egocentric (333) perspective but it was slightly difficult to pin
point what he thinks of himself, what he thinks others think of him, and how the two combined;
later on in the interview the answer was revealed. Based on what I found out about him wanting
to gain weight, I asked questions towards the importance of him gaining weight and why. No one
has ever made a comment to him, nor has anyone joked about his weight, but Blake feels that
it is an issue. He would also like to impress his girlfriend and feels that is an unachievable goal
right now and uses deductive reasoning (335) to provide his evidence. It seems that Blake has
an imaginary audience (333) that effects what he thinks about his image.
I asked Blake about his girlfriend and how they started dating, how the relationship has
helped him change positively or negatively, how the relationship has affected other relationships
or hobbies in his life. Blake described their relationship as something just meant to be. They
never spoke but he really liked her, so he asked her out. This bold move demonstrates young
Blakes intuitive though process (336); Intuition is quick and powerful (336). As Blake
continued on with describing his relationship and positive changes stemming from his
relationship, I was surprised. His affection towards his girlfriend grew based on her qualities,

Jordyn Aldrich
FHS-1500
Observation #4
November 5, 2015
which drove him to want to do better. She is very kind and intelligent, which made him want to
work harder in a few areas. In these descriptions he revealed his analytical thought process (338);
he grows fonder because she is kind, and his incremental approach to intelligence (341); she
motivates him to do better in school so he will become more intelligent by trying harder.
Social/Emotional DevelopmentIt wasnt until further into the interview when I realized that this kid has a pretty
awesome sense of self and absolutely blew me away with his responses. Blakes identity
achievement (356) was something that I was not expecting. He explains that just because he
would like to put on a few pounds to impress his girlfriend and make not so self-conscious about
being so tall, he knows who he is, what he likes, what he doesnt like, and no one will change
that. Blake stands very firm against peer pressure (364) of all shapes and sizes. He doesnt
think that a person can be who they are when theyre constantly being tricked into doing things
they wouldnt have done in the first place. Blakes first hand peer pressure experience was
when he was offered marijuana at a friends house. He politely declined, saying he didnt feel
ready to try it, and that was that. He said there is a crowd (365) that does smoke, which some of
his good friends are a part of, but hes not interested and they respect that.
He has a very strong sense of who he is and a lot of that has to do with his religious
identity (357). Blake grew up in a Christian home his entire life, and even though as a child he
went to church every Sunday, neither of his parents pushed that upon him. Blakes foreclosure
ability (357) ultimately stems from his parents decision to not push their religion on him because
he was the one making the choice and that was the right one for him. Blake believes strongly,
that everyone should have the right to choose what they believe because that makes up a large
part of who they are and what they become.

Jordyn Aldrich
FHS-1500
Observation #4
November 5, 2015
References:
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to The Life Span: 2nd ed. New York, NY: Worth.