Case Study

PEPSI SCREENING

Kyrstin Dean
EDU 220 – Summer 2018
Dr. Richardson
 Biography

I have decided to observe my little brother, Kobe Dean, who is sixteen years old. Kobe

will be turning seventeen years old on August 2nd, 2018 and will be a part of the graduating class

of 2019 at Arbor View High School. He is very intellectually developed for his age and he

definitely knows how to keep a conversation going and how to communicate with people on just

about every subject.

Kobe is a twin to my other brother, Brady Dean. Out of the two, Kobe hit puberty at a

later time. It took longer for his voice to develop, for him to grow, and for him to find himself as

a person. When Kobe was younger, he was more emotional and suffered with feeling like

nobody in the family liked him; however, as he grew up he developed a sense of humor and now

when he feels “insulted” he makes a joke out of it rather than acting out emotionally. Growing

up, I think the feeling of not being liked began to disappear and he realized that it was just an

insecurity of his. Kobe has definitely had it harder than Brady and I. He was bullied in

elementary school and middle school, but has overcome that and is now known for his witty and

unique personality. Not only was he bullied, but our dad was never there. My mom always

played the role of both parents all of our lives and I think that took an emotional toll on Kobe as

every young boy wants a father figure in their lives to talk about sports, cars, and other subjects

with. Not only was our dad not there growing up, but in the small occasions that he was, he put

us in situations that no child deserves to be put through. He suffered with drug addiction, was in

and out of jail and prison, and was diagnosed as a Paranoid Schizophrenic due to drug use. Kobe

was particularly singled out by our dad and was told by our dad that he would “never accept a

‘gay’ son.” This was an unfair assessment on my dad’s part as Kobe has never came out as being

attracted to the same sex and tells everybody that he is not homosexual. We believed that our dad
made this assumption because Kobe hit puberty after Brady did, so the compared the both of

them and based his assumption due to the fact that Kobe’s voice wasn’t as deep and he wasn’t as

in touch with his emotions as Brady was at the same age. Kobe has come a long way in the short

sixteen years that he has been alive and he continues to grow in all aspects. He is definitely one

of the most happy, understanding, and caring people I know.

Overall, Kobe is a very strong, independent, intelligent, humorous teenager who has

suffered, yet overcame, hardships in his life. Kobe is one of the sweetest, most caring people I

have ever met, and he just continues to grow into a bigger and better version of himself each and

every day. He teaches me something new every single day and is very intellectually, physically,

and emotionally intact for his age. He is the prime subject for this case study.
 Physical Development

Growing up, Kobe and Brady would compete in everything they did – sports, school,

even physically. But being a twin makes for easy competition. Of the two, Kobe developed faster

in some areas, while Brady developed faster in others – one being physically. Kobe hit puberty

about a year after Brady did, which led to some insecurities. While Brady was getting taller,

filling out, and developing a deeper voice, Kobe wasn’t. Today, Kobe is sixteen years old, is

about 5’11 and weighs about 170 pounds; however, he continues to grow as just a few months

ago he was 5’9. According to Developmental Milestones for Typical High-Schoolers, “some

boys may continue to grow even after graduation from high school,” meaning that Kobe may still

has about a year left to finish growing in his height and his weight. One of the many problems

most teenage boys will face, is acne. And Kobe is no exception as he struggles with it as well.

Unfortunately, with acne comes insecurities for some. According to the same text, “glandular

changes leading to acne may be a source of worry and self-consciousness to some students.”

Lastly, Kobe loves to eat. And sleep. He will eat, sleep, eat, eat again, and then sleep. According

to understood.com, this is not uncommon in boys around this age. High schoolers “have a big

appetite, they are always hungry and they need more sleep.” This tends to happen because their

bodies are growing and getting bigger.

 Emotional Development

According to our textbook, “Many psychiatric disorders either appear or become

prominent during adolescence. Included among these are eating disorders, substance abuse,

schizophrenia, depression, and suicide.” I like to think Kobe and I have a strong brother-sister

relationship. He tells me things he doesn’t feel comfortable talking to our mom about. Such

things include, high school experiences and girls. Luckily, Kobe has a strong family to fall back

on. And although, as mentioned before, my dad was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, it

was due to his substance abuse. So that is not something we worry much about when it comes to

Kobe. However, my dad was addicted to drugs and he allowed it to completely ruin his life. And

addiction is a hereditary trait. My mom was always worried about us kids growing up because of

peer influences and she wasn’t sure what we would or wouldn’t do. But with this strong brother-

sister relationship I have with Kobe, he tells me these types of things. Growing up witnessing

what drugs and alcohol can do to a person, it only pushed Kobe away from the idea. Kobe has

always been a relatively happy go-lucky teenage boy. He has a family who loves him, a stable

home, attends a part-time job, and does well in school. But like any other teenager, Kobe has

dealt with depression. It was minor, but for a period of his life he struggled with feeling

worthless in our family, which was the complete opposite of how we all felt. Some symptoms he

experienced was moodiness, social isolation, and difficulty concentrating. But after enough

reassurance by our family, he seemed to quickly grow out of it.

 Philosophical Development

According to Erikson’s theory on psychosocial developments, adolescence struggle with

identity vs. role confusion. Kobe, however, has his head screwed on pretty tight and is lucky

enough to know who he is, what he likes, and what doesn’t at just sixteen years old. Being one of

three raised by a just a woman our whole life, we never had to struggle with identity roles. When

asked about his beliefs with gender roles, he responded, “I don’t believe in identity roles. I

believe that men can do anything a woman could do, and vice versa. It all depends on the person,

not the gender.” I believe that is a very mature and adult way of thinking. Kobe has friends of all

types – men, woman, homosexual, etc. He is a very diverse person and believes that everybody

should receive the same rights because at the end of the day, we are all the same. He knows what

he likes and what he doesn’t, and he strong beliefs and doesn’t let anybody sway them.
 Social Development

Our mom is very up to date with the fashion trends. Kobe is different from most teenage

boys as he isn’t as likely to be influenced by his peers. This is a major difference between Brady

and Kobe. Kobe is more likely to be influenced by our mom because he is, as you will, a

“mama’s boy,” and really wants to make her proud. He goes to her for advice, whether that is

about his clothes, hair, or school. According to the textbook, “when adolescents look for models

and advice on such social matters as dress, hairstyle, speech patterns, friendships, and leisure

activities, the peer group is likely to have the greatest influence.” In Kobe’s case, this is not

entirely true. I’m sure that his friends influence some things, but for the most part, Kobe is very

strong willed and is his own person. He has such strong beliefs and is so maturely advanced for

his age, that he knows the difference between right and wrong. Kobe is the type of kid to

surround himself with people who make him a better person, rather than bring him down or lead

him in the wrong direction.

 Intellectual Development

I know I have been praising my brother for this entire assignment, but that is because I

admire him so much. He is the one and only teenager I know who is strong-willed, independent,

and smart. But it doesn’t stop there. Kobe is all of these things and more. He is one of the most

intelligent people I know. He self-educates himself. Some days, I have to have him help me with

my college-level math courses. His intelligence and intellectual development is so far above any

other teenager I know that it is sometimes hard to believe that we are related. But being

intellectually advanced doesn’t stop him from slacking off in school. He still receives good

grades and pays attention, but he is lazy when it comes to homework and school work. This is a

character flaw of his, but with age, he will grow out of it. We actually work at the same

restaurant and he cooks part-time, and he is such a hard worker, but for some reason when it

comes to school work, he doesn’t try as hard.

 Works Cited

Caskey, M., & Anfara, V. A., Jr. (2014, October). Developmental Characteristics of

Young Adolescents. Retrieved June 13, 2018, from

https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/45

5/Developmental-Characteristics-of-Young-Adolescents.aspx

Morin, A. (n.d.). Developmental Milestones for Typical High-Schoolers. Retrieved June

13, 2018, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/signs-

symptoms/developmental-milestones/developmental-milestones-for-typical-high-schoolers