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Young Adulthood and Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
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Young Adulthood and Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development

Developmental Stage

William Perry’s theory of cognitive and ethical development provides an indication that

college students will go through four fundamental stages of moral and mental development. The

stages in question include multiplicity, dualism, relativism and commitment (Steens, Hermans

and Van Regenmortel, 2018). Through the implementation of this framework in the case of John,

it is evident that the young adult is at the level of commitment. Steens, Hermans and Van

Regenmortel (2018) note that at the stage of commitment, which is also the final phase of

development, an individual accepts that uncertainty is an element of life. The theorist depicts that

students will rely on a blend of personal experience as well as evidence generated from

secondary sources to arrive at the presented findings. Several factors provide a depiction that

John is at the stage of commitment. The mixed-race male recorded that earning a degree guided

him to realize that he knows little than he thought he did. Moreover, it was at this point that he

realized that he was ill-prepared for what the “real life” entails.

Developing a Rapport with John

Developing a rapport with the client is an important consideration during the process of

counseling. According to Yi and Lamb (2018), it is important for a counselor to obtain the trust

of the clients to ensure that they feel comfortable during the process of counseling. To build a

rapport with John, I will focus on the use of active listening skills as a means of understanding

him and his story. Yi and Lamb (2018) suggest that before making any intervention attempt, it is

important to demonstrate to the client that their history is well understood. Additionally, I can

also build a rapport with the client by considering his small successes before considering the
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biggest challenges experienced. In this case, I will try to offer him with helpful information

about how he can understand his personal journey of development. Moreover, I can also

encourage him and offer him a positive feedback about his previous success to assist the client

build confidence in me. Also, treating the client with respect also aids in creating trust between

the client and the counselor which further promotes a successful outcome.

Developmentally Supportive Goals

In the case study, it is evident that John considers employment to be “overrated.” As a

result, he does not see the need of securing one and instead wants to explore and experience what

life has to offer before committing himself to work. There are two primary goals of the

counseling session focused on promoting John’s development as outlined below.

Goal 1: To assist the client to realize that he must make choices and commit to them by the end

of the session.

Goal 2: To assist the patient to understand the context of the particular choices he makes in life.

The outlined goals are developmentally supportive in the context of Perry’s theory since

they will assist John in meeting the basic requirements of the commitment stage. According to

Collins (2016), persons who have matured and successful met the requirement of this phase have

an understanding of the fact that they have an obligation to make choices about their life and

ensure that they commit to the solutions. Additionally, people in this group have successfully

understood the context of the choices they make.

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References

Collins, S. (2016). Neuroscience for Learning and Development : How to Apply Neuroscience

and Psychology for Improved Learning and Training. London: Kogan Page.

Steens, R. J., Hermans, K., & Van Regenmortel, T. (2018). Building a working alliance between

professionals and service users in family preservation. A multiple case study. Child &

Family Social Work, 23(2), 230–238.

Yi, M., & Lamb, M. E. (2018). The effects of narrative practice on children’s testimony and

disclosure of secrets. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 32(3), 326–336.